Exploring the technology teacher shortage in New Zealand: the implications for quality teaching and learning

The recruitment and retention of technology teachers in New Zealand is facing a potential crisis point. Worryingly, there are continuing misconceptions about the purpose and nature of technology education, and an ageing demographic in this sector of the teaching community. It is becoming increasingly difficult for schools to attract and appoint knowledgeable, qualified technology teachers. This paper reports research conducted by Technology Education New Zealand in 2020, which explored how the teacher shortage was impacting quality teaching and learning in the country. Initial survey findings indicate that most schools have experienced difficulty attracting qualified technology teachers. To address this issue, non-specialist teachers are being used from other learning areas. Schools have had to adapt their learning programmes to suit the teachers’ knowledge and skills, rather than be responsive and adaptive to their students’ learning needs or interests. The implications of the teacher shortage in technology education are discussed, and recommendations are made as a means to both raise awareness and mitigate risk for the subject’s future enactment in schools.