Sixty years of adult learning in Aotearoa New Zealand: Looking back to the 1960s and beyond the 2020s

Authors:  Diana Amundsen
University of Waikato

Edition: Volume 60, Number 3, November 2020

Introduction: This article offers a historical analysis of the past sixty years of adult learning in Aotearoa New Zealand and critically appraises events
which have shaped today’s context. Drawing on a substantial body of research by key adult educators, researchers and scholars, the review assesses historical, socio-cultural, and political factors that influenced adult learning policies and practices. First, a brief discussion is given of traditional Māori education, colonisation, bi-culturalism and multiculturalism for relevance to the Aotearoa New Zealand context. Next, a historical analysis is offered in a decade-by-decade review. Looking back over the past sixty years, this historical analysis exposes key influences which have shaped adult learning in Aotearoa, and discusses trends emerging as significant future directions going into and beyond the 2020s.

Keywords: adult learning, adult education, Aotearoa New Zealand, lifelong learning, neo liberalism, equality, social justice

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 60:3. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.