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.
Impact to New Zealanders
Private operators cluster schools in wealthy areas where profits are easiest, leaving rural and poor communities with fewer choices despite policy intent.
Top teachers concentrate in high-paying schools, creating quality gaps; struggling schools lose experienced staff and spiral, harming students who can't move.
Arts, sciences, and vocational subjects shrink across the system as operators cut 'unprofitable' programmes, limiting career pathways for future generations regardless of ability.
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.
Impact to New Zealanders
Government spending on education doubles, requiring tax increases or cuts elsewhere; middle-income earners see higher taxes to fund free university for all.
University enrollment surges; employers struggle to find skilled trades workers as more pursue degrees, driving up plumber and electrician costs for households.
Te reo fluency increases social cohesion but creates workforce advantage for Māori speakers; non-speakers may face subtle workplace competition in certain sectors.
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.
Impact to New Zealanders
Government spending on education rises sharply, requiring tax increases or cuts to other services like infrastructure or healthcare.
More students stay in formal education longer, potentially delaying entry into workforce and creating labour shortages in trades and essential services.
University becomes less selective by merit; employer hiring practices shift toward experience over credentials, reducing the degree's competitive advantage.
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.
Impact to New Zealanders
Charter schools attract engaged families, leaving traditional public schools with fewer resources and more challenging student cohorts to support.
Teachers spend more time on standardised testing and targets, reducing time for arts, sports, and pastoral care that keep struggling students engaged.
Reading gains plateau as phonics alone cannot close widening socioeconomic gaps; two-tier system hardens, privileging wealthy suburbs over rural and poorer communities.
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.
Impact to New Zealanders
Schools reduce other subjects; students with learning disabilities struggle more without digital tools and specialized resources.
Trades training grows but crushes university pathways; middle-class families pay private schools to keep academic options open for their kids.
NZ history curriculum creates shared national narrative, but regional/Māori perspectives compete for limited class time, potentially deepening historical interpretation divides.
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.
Impact to New Zealanders
Government redirects billions from other departments to education, delaying road repairs and healthcare facility upgrades nationwide.
University graduates flood job markets faster; employers demand higher qualifications, pushing non-degree workers into lower-wage sectors permanently.
Te reo fluency becomes economic advantage; non-Māori speakers face career limits in public sector, reversing historical disadvantage patterns.
TOP's Education Policy
TOP proposes reforming early childhood education to favour smaller community centres with equal pay for ECE teachers, introducing compulsory civics education from Year 6, investing in lifelong learning and adult retraining, and reducing screen time in primary schools. They also support reducing tertiary student debt through the Citizen's Income, which provides financial security during study.
In simple terms
Better early childhood centres with fairly-paid teachers, teach civics in primary school, support adults who want to retrain, and cut screen time for younger students. The Citizen's Income also helps students avoid debt.
Impact to New Zealanders
Better-paid childcare workers leave other low-wage sectors, tightening labour supply in aged care and hospitality.
Civics-educated students demand more local council accountability, increasing pressure on councils to hire staff and raise rates.
Reduced student debt means more young people can save for mortgages, driving up house prices in outer suburbs.