In last week’s Budget 2025, we learnt that funding for the Teaching and Learning Research Initiative (TLRI) will come to an end in June 2027.
The team at NZCER is proud of our long-standing role in the development and coordination of the TLRI. We are naturally disappointed by the decision to disestablish the fund; the only dedicated source of education research funding in Aotearoa New Zealand. That said, we remain committed to supporting the initiative through its final phase.
The two-year timeframe ensures that all currently funded projects will be able to be completed and published as planned.
There will be some changes to the 2025 application process currently underway for both the Whatua Tū Aka and the Open Pathway (which includes Pacific research). NZCER is working closely with the Ministry of Education and the TLRI Advisory Board to determine how the initiative will be managed through to its conclusion. All new projects will need to be completed and published by June 2027. We expect to be able to provide a further update by the end of June.
Since its launch in 2003, the TLRI has funded close to 200 research projects. Under the umbrella of the TLRI, Whatua Tū Aka – a kaupapa Māori research pathway was established in 2020. Details of current research and reports for all completed projects are freely available at www.tlri.org.nz.
Nāu i Whatu te Kākahu, He Tāniko Taku.
