Can school-age students learn business skills through practical projects without being persuaded of the value of neoliberal principles? Is there a responsibility on the part of schools and government departments to encourage critical thinking about these (and about alternative) principles? Since 2007, ‘enterprise’ has been accepted as a core value within the national curriculum for school education in New Zealand.

The Education for Enterprise initiative in New Zealand schools was designed, according to the Ministry for Education, to include learning experiences that would:

yy provide opportunities for students to think and act in enterprising ways yy focus on competencies and attributes that enable students to be enterprising yy enable students to work with local businesses and communities on real projects The Ministry of Education defines Education for Enterprise as: