Policy Pathways Across the Tasman: A Comparative Analysis of Rural Education Policies and Practices in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract This paper provides a critical comparative analysis of rural education policy as a means of addressing the special issue question of how educational theories and practices travel across borders and may be reshaped here in Aotearoa New Zealand. Data from Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand are part of a wider collaborative Royal Society of New Zealand- Te Apārangi Catalyst grant which positions the need to understand the unique context of New Zealand rural education as a key educational equity issue. This paper also presents some key survey findings that identify the importance of self-identity and community in relation to ensuring that rural definitional work and related educational policy remain flexible to the varied rural schools, communities and spaces in which they are located. In practice, the comparative survey, along with the data from the wider collaborative study, lay the groundwork for the development of an Aotearoa New Zealand rural school definition and policy framework in order to enhance the access, participation and achievement of rural students. In this regard, this comparative rural definition policy analysis will be of interest to education and rural policy makers, and those in rural specific and adjacent sectors with interest in rural communities. Within the education sector survey results will support the development of improving teacher education practices and professional development opportunities for teachers in rural school settings.