Not only do we need progressive economics but also a return to a progressive education system. Our curricula—Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, Te Whāriki, and the New Zealand Curriculum—are the envy of the world, progressive and wide ranging, but in recent years teachers were constrained by the narrow drive for literacy and numeracy standards, and this meant there was little space for knowledge or creativity, for science, the arts, or New Zealand history—all the things that inspire our students to learn and grow. But there is hope. Again, it is helpful to look to artists for guidance. In 1946, Clarence Beeby, the Director-General of Education, under Fraser's Labour Government, appointed Gordon Tovey to try to establish the intellectual respectability of the "frills" of education. Tovey delivered not only arts and crafts to our tamariki but also firmly embedded ngā toi and enabled students to gain an appreciation of art from both a Māori and Pākehā perspective. He ensured that Māori carvers and painters became an integral part of our public education system. By the mid-1960s, despite controversy, he ensured that New Zealand students and teachers were aware of and participating in their bicultural heritage for the first time.