Expect to hear plenty about education during the next three years as the Government pushes on with its policies, often knocking heads with the powerful teacher unions, the secondary PPTA and the primary NZEI.
Already, at the PPTA conference last week the issue of the Teachers' Council arose.
The Government plans to change its name to the Education Council, remove teachers' rights to elect some of the members and introduce a code of conduct.
The PPTA, if the Government does not back down, is talking of its members refusing to re-register as teachers, refusing to follow the code and taking industrial action.
While that is the PPTA's right, its position post-election has weakened.
The clear win for John Key and the National Party increased National's power and its mandate.
In any stoush, it will be all the harder for unions to secure the moral high ground and the support of parents and communities.
On another matter, the Government's flagship ''Investing in Educational Success'' policy, the PPTA is ''cautiously optimistic''.
Rather than the common knee-jerk opposition, it has recognised the policies about career paths, mentoring, sharing professional practice, proposals for school leaders to work together and collaboration between schools are goals it has advocated.
Of course, it is wary about the details, and especially the bogeys of performance pay and the use of pupil assessment.
But the conference was told the union had researched thoroughly, held tough talks and turned the original proposal into something consistent with PPTA policy.
As was explained, the Government could have legislated changes into place and toughed it out.
It could have let boards and principals parcel out money to its favourites, but instead worked with unions to negotiate collective agreement changes.
PPTA president Angela Roberts said the choice was stark: either be part of the solution or leave it to the ministry to implement performance pay.
The NZEI, meanwhile, in August voted overwhelmingly to reject the policy.
It would not engage in collective negotiations in an attempt to shape how the reform will take shape.
Unless it bends, a confrontation is looming and the Government will be determined to win.
The NZEI plays a high-risk game, especially with proposed Employment Relations Act changes signalled.
Although Prime Minister John Key and National are pragmatic and have been quite happy to plagiarise Labour policies when it suits, education policy really matters to the party, and differences to Labour and the Greens are substantial.
If Mr Key is going to create a legacy whereby the education tail of underachievement is tackled as part of the attack on poverty - and he seems genuine in this desire - then he and his colleagues will be determined to see various approaches through no matter the opposition.
Charter schools are part of the strategy, albeit a relatively small part.
National had the power after this election to stall or slow more developments in what was an Act New Zealand policy.
It has been happy, however, to continue and make Act's inexperienced MP an undersecretary with responsibilities in this area.
Primary teachers have had to lump National Standards, a policy that has broad public support, although there remain the dangers of teachers teaching to tests at the expense of the development of learning and thinking and of important activities like art and drama.
The NZEI could well, also, no matter how much it fights, eventually have to go along with ''investing in educational success''.
The co-operation between the PPTA and the Government is a promising sign for education in this country.
While the PPTA has territorial and vested interests to defend, teachers have skills and experience which can be used to sensibly modify government policies.
At the same time, the Government can recognise flexibility when it sees it and thus be prepared to listen and change as necessary.
After all, the primary interests in all this are New Zealand's pupils and their educational achievement.
