Wednesday 23 June 2010: The annual Gateway Conference, held in the Stream's Conference Centre, attracted 100 delegates, administrators and teachers from Gateway schools in the Lower North Island. Among the speakers were local employers, tertiary providers, representatives from NZQA and TEC. The conference was launched with an entertaining and informative key note address from BERL Chief Economist, Dr Ganesh Nana, setting the economic scene for the day's discussions and workshops.

Gateway is a programme that supports senior secondary students (Year 11 to Year 13+) undertaking structured workplace learning across a range of industries and businesses around New Zealand, while continuing to study at school. It has : a formalised learning arrangement set in the workplace; clear understandings about the knowledge and skills to be attained by learners; and clear understandings about the assessment method used (workplace learning).