ACT's Education Policy
ACT's flagship education policy is charter schools (now called partnership schools), where private operators can run publicly funded schools with more flexibility. They support school choice, merit pay for teachers, publishing school performance data, and reducing the curriculum to core subjects.
In simple terms
Allow private organisations to run publicly funded schools, let parents choose any school, pay the best teachers more, and focus on core subjects like reading, writing and maths.
Green Party's Education Policy
The Green Party supports free education from early childhood through tertiary, cancelling student debt, reducing class sizes, better pay and conditions for teachers, and a wellbeing-focused curriculum. They also support fully funded bilingual education and te reo Māori in schools.
In simple terms
Make all education free from kindy to university, cancel student debt, pay teachers more, make classes smaller, and teach te reo Māori in all schools.
Labour's Education Policy
Labour expanded free early childhood education, made fees free for the first year of tertiary study, and developed the Learning Support Action Plan. They reformed Tomorrow's Schools, introduced attendance support programmes, and invested in school lunches and mental health support.
In simple terms
Make early childhood and first year of university free, provide school lunches, support students with learning difficulties, and invest in school mental health.
National's Education Policy
National has introduced structured literacy and numeracy programmes in primary schools, with a focus on returning to phonics-based reading instruction. They propose restoring charter schools, setting achievement targets, and reducing compliance burden on teachers to focus on core skills.
In simple terms
Teach reading through proven phonics methods, bring back charter schools, set clear achievement targets for students, and let teachers focus on teaching.
NZ First's Education Policy
NZ First supports a back-to-basics approach in primary education, trade and vocational education investment, limiting cell phone use in schools, and ensuring schools teach New Zealand history and civics. They also support rural school funding and oppose rapid curriculum changes.
In simple terms
Focus on basics like reading and maths, invest in trades training, ban phones in classrooms, and teach New Zealand history in every school.
Te Pāti Māori's Education Policy
Te Pāti Māori calls for fully funded kura kaupapa Māori (Māori language immersion schools) and kōhanga reo (Māori language nests), compulsory te reo Māori in all schools, free tertiary education, cancellation of student debt, and a decolonised curriculum.
In simple terms
Fund Māori language schools properly, teach te reo Māori in every school, make university free, cancel student debt, and reform the curriculum to reflect New Zealand's true history.