Party vote

Education

The third biggest chunk of government spending, after benefits and health, goes to education. Parties on the left propose expanding access to free early childhood education. Parties on the right want to introduce more targets and monitoring of student achievement.

Education

The third biggest chunk of government spending, after benefits and health, goes to education. Parties on the left propose expanding access to free early childhood education. Parties on the right want to introduce more targets and monitoring of student achievement.

Key policiesEarly childhood educationSchoolsTertiary education and researchTertiary fees and student supportTrades and vocational education

  • Extend 20 hours of free early childhood education to two-year-olds

    Promote Te Reo Māori in early childhood education

    Expand te reo Māori education programmes

    Continue to fund free Māori trade training

    Require financial literacy to be taught in schools

    Increase the number of dental places at university by 50 percent

    Prioritise investment in infrastructure, science and innovation

    Investigate support for Wānanga

    Ensure that career services are available to Māori students

    Continue working with iwi and hapū to include local tikanga and pūrakau in the curriculum

    Consider a fund for Māori climate change researchers and scientists

    Improve study and employment options for Māori health workers

    Provide funding for apprenticeships in digital sector

    Reform the research, science, and innovation system

    Establish new research centres focused on tech, climate change, and pandemics

    Make apprenticeship support payments for businesses permanent

    Increase doctors placements in medical schools

    Create 700 additional nursing placements

    Expand healthcare apprenticeship scheme

    Continue the free school lunches programme

    Prioritise climate change in research and development

    Remove all remaining coal boilers in schools, tertiary institutions and hospitals

    Remove diesel generators from all schools

    Establish a centre to train renewable energy workers

  • Establish a fund to reward excellent teachers

    Halve the number of non-front-line employees at the Ministry of Education

    Repeal the new school curriculum

    Reintroduce partnership schools

    Report daily school attendance records

    Redirect truancy funding so schools can hire their own truancy officers

    Create a traffic-light system for student truancy

    Introduce infringement notices for the parents of absent students

    Abolish Workforce Development Councils

    Provide every child with $250,000 for education

    Allow state schools to apply to become partnership schools

    Abolish the Fees Free tertiary education programme

    Make it easier for schools to refer students to Oranga Tamariki

    Include an education assessment in health and development checks for four to five-year-olds

    Relax regulations for early childhood education providers and increase random inspections

    Require schools to participate in twice-yearly standardised testing and publicly publish results

    Shift responsibility for writing the curriculum to the private sector

    Raise secondary school literacy and numeracy standards from 2025

    Remove University Entrance as a separate qualification

  • Introduce a childcare tax rebate for families earning less than $180,000 per year

    Establish a third medical school

    Increase the number of placements at Auckland and Otago medical schools

    Create bonding scheme for nurses and midwives working in NZ

    Ban mobile phone use in schools

    Set minimum times for reading, writing and maths in schools

    Rewrite the primary and intermediate school curriculum

    Require primary and intermediate schools to measure student progress in reading, writing and maths twice per year

    Introduce basic literacy assessments for year two school students

    Increase monitoring of student achievement

    Introduce standardised twice yearly reports for schools

    Introduce a compulsory exit exam for primary and intermediate school teaching graduates

    Abolish teacher registration fees

    Require teachers to provide evidence of professional development to re-certify

    Establish achievement targets for year eight students

    Aim for NZ to be in the global top 10 for maths, reading and science by 2033

    Allow more genetic editing and genetic modification

    Establish a dedicated biotechnology regulator

    End the planned extension of 20 hours free ECE to two-year-olds

    Continue to support building and construction apprenticeships

    Support more research on the construction sector

    Require primary schools to use a structured literacy approach

    Allow migrant workers to pay domestic rates for industry training

    Allow international students to work more hours while studying

    Expand international student recruitment to more countries

    Increase the length of time international postgrad students can work after finishing study

    Enable partners of international students doing degree level qualifications to work in NZ

    Ensure courses which allow international students the right to work post-study reflect skills shortages

    Replace Te Pūkenga with regionally administered polytechs

    Create a prize to encourage interest in aerospace

  • Introduce free public transport for all students

    Introduce a universal student allowance

    Increase funding for kaupapa Māori education

    Make Te Reo Māori and Māori history core subjects up to year 10

    Establish authority to oversee Māori language funding and audit providers

    Stop schools from expelling students who are under 16

    Fund free digital devices and free internet for all children from year 4 to year 13

    Require schools to have Māori staff across the school

    Create more pathways for school leavers

    Provide scholarships for young people to study food science, marine biology or agriculture

    Fund regenerative and organic farming training

    Increase the number of users of Māori sign-language

  • Introduce and incentivise a national civic service programme

    Fund a new cancer treatment centre and laboratory in Christchurch

    Build a new primary and secondary school in Christchurch

    Increase placements at medical, nursing and dentistry schools

    Introduce an accelerated post-graduate medical programme for people with relevant degrees

    Support further research into the use of psychoactive drugs to treat mental illnesses

    Increase tax credits for research and development

    Increase funding for post-doctoral research

    Reform regulations for genetic editing and modification

    Reform regulations for artificial intelligence

    Reform regulations for therapeutic products

    Expand civics education

    Provide cash payments to parents for early childcare and education

    Reform government contracting model for early childhood education

    Encourage a facilitated play approach in early education

    Fund night schools

    Review tertiary education system

    Improve professional development for teachers

    Review teachers' pay

    Increase funding for teaching assistants and specialist support

    Encourage the use of structured literacy in schools

  • Introduce an income guarantee for all students

    Address racism and discrimination in schools

    Improve frameworks for therapeutic uses of controlled substances

    Increase funding for community-run early childhood education centres, kindergartens, and kōhanga reo

    Improve working conditions and staff-to-student ratios

    Support aspirations of Kura Kaupapa Māori, Kura a iwi, Kōhanga reo and Wananga

    Create school hubs with health and social services

    Expand lunch in schools programme

    Ensure adequate support for students with disabilities and additional learning needs

    Introduce education on healthy relationships and consent in all schools

    Offer free training and re-entry programmes for parents with school-aged children

    Fund tikanga Māori and te reo Māori education

    Extend the repayment break for overseas student loan borrowers

    Require courses with work placements pay students a living wage

    Reassess the funding of tertiary institutions

    Expand free apprenticeship programmes and fees-free programmes

    Modify the student loan repayment system

    Mandate all tertiary institutions uphold te Tiriti o Waitangi

    Reinforce student representation in tertiary governance

    Reform student accommodation standards

    Provide equal opportunities for disabled students in tertiary education

    Provide free public transport for young people, students, apprentices, low income earners and people with mobility cards

    Ensure schools have walking and biking access

    Establish an independent science advisory group for marine research

  • Remove education about gender and sexuality from the curriculum

    Review funding model for Crown Research Institutes

    Expand access to driving training for secondary school students

    Expand access to driving training for prisoners

  • Remove education about race and decolonisation from the curriculum

    Promote alternatives to mainstream state schools

    Reduce university funding

    Give control of school curriculums to school boards and communities

    Ban sex education in primary schools

    Ban education about gender in schools

    Pay the value of early childhood education subsidies directly to parents

    Promote trades training as alternative to university

    Reimburse parents who homeschool their children

    Remove education about the science of climate change from the curriculum

Key policiesEarly childhood educationSchoolsTertiary education and researchTertiary fees and student supportTrades and vocational education

  • Extend 20 hours of free early childhood education to two-year-olds

    Promote Te Reo Māori in early childhood education

    Expand te reo Māori education programmes

    Continue to fund free Māori trade training

    Require financial literacy to be taught in schools

    Increase the number of dental places at university by 50 percent

    Prioritise investment in infrastructure, science and innovation

    Investigate support for Wānanga

    Ensure that career services are available to Māori students

    Continue working with iwi and hapū to include local tikanga and pūrakau in the curriculum

    Consider a fund for Māori climate change researchers and scientists

    Improve study and employment options for Māori health workers

    Provide funding for apprenticeships in digital sector

    Reform the research, science, and innovation system

    Establish new research centres focused on tech, climate change, and pandemics

    Make apprenticeship support payments for businesses permanent

    Increase doctors placements in medical schools

    Create 700 additional nursing placements

    Expand healthcare apprenticeship scheme

    Continue the free school lunches programme

    Prioritise climate change in research and development

    Remove all remaining coal boilers in schools, tertiary institutions and hospitals

    Remove diesel generators from all schools

    Establish a centre to train renewable energy workers

  • Establish a fund to reward excellent teachers

    Halve the number of non-front-line employees at the Ministry of Education

    Repeal the new school curriculum

    Reintroduce partnership schools

    Report daily school attendance records

    Redirect truancy funding so schools can hire their own truancy officers

    Create a traffic-light system for student truancy

    Introduce infringement notices for the parents of absent students

    Abolish Workforce Development Councils

    Provide every child with $250,000 for education

    Allow state schools to apply to become partnership schools

    Abolish the Fees Free tertiary education programme

    Make it easier for schools to refer students to Oranga Tamariki

    Include an education assessment in health and development checks for four to five-year-olds

    Relax regulations for early childhood education providers and increase random inspections

    Require schools to participate in twice-yearly standardised testing and publicly publish results

    Shift responsibility for writing the curriculum to the private sector

    Raise secondary school literacy and numeracy standards from 2025

    Remove University Entrance as a separate qualification

  • Introduce a childcare tax rebate for families earning less than $180,000 per year

    Establish a third medical school

    Increase the number of placements at Auckland and Otago medical schools

    Create bonding scheme for nurses and midwives working in NZ

    Ban mobile phone use in schools

    Set minimum times for reading, writing and maths in schools

    Rewrite the primary and intermediate school curriculum

    Require primary and intermediate schools to measure student progress in reading, writing and maths twice per year

    Introduce basic literacy assessments for year two school students

    Increase monitoring of student achievement

    Introduce standardised twice yearly reports for schools

    Introduce a compulsory exit exam for primary and intermediate school teaching graduates

    Abolish teacher registration fees

    Require teachers to provide evidence of professional development to re-certify

    Establish achievement targets for year eight students

    Aim for NZ to be in the global top 10 for maths, reading and science by 2033

    Allow more genetic editing and genetic modification

    Establish a dedicated biotechnology regulator

    End the planned extension of 20 hours free ECE to two-year-olds

    Continue to support building and construction apprenticeships

    Support more research on the construction sector

    Require primary schools to use a structured literacy approach

    Allow migrant workers to pay domestic rates for industry training

    Allow international students to work more hours while studying

    Expand international student recruitment to more countries

    Increase the length of time international postgrad students can work after finishing study

    Enable partners of international students doing degree level qualifications to work in NZ

    Ensure courses which allow international students the right to work post-study reflect skills shortages

    Replace Te Pūkenga with regionally administered polytechs

    Create a prize to encourage interest in aerospace

  • Introduce free public transport for all students

    Introduce a universal student allowance

    Increase funding for kaupapa Māori education

    Make Te Reo Māori and Māori history core subjects up to year 10

    Establish authority to oversee Māori language funding and audit providers

    Stop schools from expelling students who are under 16

    Fund free digital devices and free internet for all children from year 4 to year 13

    Require schools to have Māori staff across the school

    Create more pathways for school leavers

    Provide scholarships for young people to study food science, marine biology or agriculture

    Fund regenerative and organic farming training

    Increase the number of users of Māori sign-language

  • Introduce and incentivise a national civic service programme

    Fund a new cancer treatment centre and laboratory in Christchurch

    Build a new primary and secondary school in Christchurch

    Increase placements at medical, nursing and dentistry schools

    Introduce an accelerated post-graduate medical programme for people with relevant degrees

    Support further research into the use of psychoactive drugs to treat mental illnesses

    Increase tax credits for research and development

    Increase funding for post-doctoral research

    Reform regulations for genetic editing and modification

    Reform regulations for artificial intelligence

    Reform regulations for therapeutic products

    Expand civics education

    Provide cash payments to parents for early childcare and education

    Reform government contracting model for early childhood education

    Encourage a facilitated play approach in early education

    Fund night schools

    Review tertiary education system

    Improve professional development for teachers

    Review teachers' pay

    Increase funding for teaching assistants and specialist support

    Encourage the use of structured literacy in schools

  • Introduce an income guarantee for all students

    Address racism and discrimination in schools

    Improve frameworks for therapeutic uses of controlled substances

    Increase funding for community-run early childhood education centres, kindergartens, and kōhanga reo

    Improve working conditions and staff-to-student ratios

    Support aspirations of Kura Kaupapa Māori, Kura a iwi, Kōhanga reo and Wananga

    Create school hubs with health and social services

    Expand lunch in schools programme

    Ensure adequate support for students with disabilities and additional learning needs

    Introduce education on healthy relationships and consent in all schools

    Offer free training and re-entry programmes for parents with school-aged children

    Fund tikanga Māori and te reo Māori education

    Extend the repayment break for overseas student loan borrowers

    Require courses with work placements pay students a living wage

    Reassess the funding of tertiary institutions

    Expand free apprenticeship programmes and fees-free programmes

    Modify the student loan repayment system

    Mandate all tertiary institutions uphold te Tiriti o Waitangi

    Reinforce student representation in tertiary governance

    Reform student accommodation standards

    Provide equal opportunities for disabled students in tertiary education

    Provide free public transport for young people, students, apprentices, low income earners and people with mobility cards

    Ensure schools have walking and biking access

    Establish an independent science advisory group for marine research

  • Remove education about gender and sexuality from the curriculum

    Review funding model for Crown Research Institutes

    Expand access to driving training for secondary school students

    Expand access to driving training for prisoners

  • Remove education about race and decolonisation from the curriculum

    Promote alternatives to mainstream state schools

    Reduce university funding

    Give control of school curriculums to school boards and communities

    Ban sex education in primary schools

    Ban education about gender in schools

    Pay the value of early childhood education subsidies directly to parents

    Promote trades training as alternative to university

    Reimburse parents who homeschool their children

    Remove education about the science of climate change from the curriculum

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