What you need to know about recent changes to schools and education
Photo:
Unsplash/ Greg Rosenke
Explainer
- It's been a year full of changes in the educational system, with announcements and new initiatives coming nearly every week from the coalition government.
What has been announced and what's coming up soon?
Here is a roundup of just some of the major announcements we've seen in 2025 that will affect students and educators:
The new
maths curriculum
and
English curriculum
for primary school-aged students began this year.
It's all part of the first steps in the government's long-term
push for what it's calling a "knowledge-rich" curriculum
.
The government also previously announced moves towards teaching
structured literacy
skills to students.
The drafts of the
secondary English
and maths curriculums are also out for feedback.
Education Minister Erica Stanford.
Photo:
RNZ / Mark Papalii
The government announced it would
no longer build open-plan classrooms
, moving away from the policy which Education Minister Erica Stanford called too noisy and distracting for children.
While there has been negative feedback from schools on open-plan learning, Stanford said, surveys by the Council for Educational Research showed most teachers who worked in the structures liked them and believed their students benefited from learning in that kind of environment.
New classrooms will be built using standard designs that prioritise flexibility, like glass sliding doors that can open a class when it is time to collaborate and close it for focused learning.
Erica Stanford speaks to students at a Wellington school.
Photo:
RNZ / Mark Papalii
The government is also allocating $140 million to tackle truancy
with a new school attendance service
.
The funding boost is aimed at supporting more schools and reaching double the number of students over the next four years, according to Associate Education Minister David Seymour.
He said the new attendance service would address chronic absence and focus on keeping students in school when they return.
Transitioning to the new attendance service would start at the end of the year and be fully in place from early 2026.
Charter schools
have returned to New Zealand this year under the coalition government
. They were previously shut down by former Education Minister Chris Hipkins in 2018.
Seven of the publicly-funded, private schools opened in Term 1.
The Charter School Agency said the charter school authorisation board was considering 52 applications from organisations wanting to set up new charter schools next year, as well as two applications from state or state integrated schools wanting to convert.
A
new school property entity
is being set up to manage building, maintaining, and administering the school property portfolio.
Stanford said the new Crown agent will sit separate from the Ministry of Education, which will keep responsibility for education policy and network decisions.
Announcing the launch of the New Zealand School Property Agency, Stanford said schools had been kept waiting for classrooms and refurbishments they badly needed.
A new 600-student primary school
was also announced for Massey in Auckland
.
The government
announced $28 million will be spent on building more "safe, warm and dry classrooms" for tamariki
in Māori full immersion schools.
Twenty new classrooms will be built across four providers, and work will begin on the first stage of a new school north of Auckland.
The new development, for Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngāringaomatariki in Kaiwaka, will eventually have 19 classrooms.
It was announced in this year's budget that the Kāhui Ako - Communities of Learning - scheme
was to be disestablished
.
The scheme grouped schools together to work on common problems with extra pay for one principal to oversee each group and for select teachers to share good practice between and within schools.
A report said there were 220 Kāhui Ako, involving 1958 schools and 1506 early learning centres, and more than 4000 teachers received extra pay for Kāhui Ako roles.
From November, eligible student-visa holders
will be able to work more hours a week
, from 20 to 25 hours, and work rights will be extended to all tertiary students in approved exchange programmes.
The government will also consider introducing a short-duration work visa of up to six months to allow international graduates who do not qualify for post-study work rights time to seek jobs under the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) pathway.
It would also look at updates to make it easier for students to apply for multi-year visas.
The goal was to boost tertiary education's annual economic contribution to $7.2 billion, by lifting enrolments from 83,700 in 2024 to 119,000 in 2034.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Education Minister Erica Stanford visit Sherwood Primary School in Browns Bay, Auckland.
Photo:
RNZ / Marika Khabazi
There were several
big spending announcements
in this year's budget. Stanford said new education initiatives in the Budget totalled $2.5 billion over four years, though about $614m of that total was reprioritised from "underperforming" initiatives.
The government's total spend on early childhood and school education would grow by roughly $400m to $19.85b in 2025-26, but drop to $19b and $18.9b in subsequent years.
There was also a $720m increase for learning support.
The increase included $266m to extend the early intervention service from early childhood through to the end of Year 1 of primary school, including employing 560 more early intervention teachers and specialists and helping an additional 4000 children.
It also included $192m over three years to provide learning support coordinators in 1250 more primary schools, $122m to meet increased demand for the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme for students with the highest needs, and $90m to build 25 new satellite classrooms for specialist schools.
Stanford said the government was building up to adding 2 million extra teacher aide hours by 2028.
The other big education initiative in the Budget was $298m for curriculum, nearly half of it targeted to maths and literacy, and about $76m for a new standardised reading, writing and maths test for schools.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero
,
a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
an hour ago
- Scoop
Palestine Action Ban ‘Disturbing' Misuse Of UK Counter-Terrorism Legislation, Türk Warns
GENEVA (25 July 2025) – The UK Government's decision to proscribe the 'Palestine Action' protest group under terrorism legislation raises serious concerns that counter-terrorism laws are being applied to conduct that is not terrorist in nature and risks hindering the legitimate exercise of fundamental freedoms across the UK, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk warned today. The UK Government proscribed Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act 2000 after some of its members broke into a military airfield in June and reportedly spray-painted two military aircraft, among other incidents of property damage. 'UK domestic counter-terrorism legislation defines terrorist acts broadly to include 'serious damage to property'. But, according to international standards, terrorist acts should be confined to criminal acts intended to cause death or serious injury or to the taking of hostages, for purpose of intimidating a population or to compel a government to take a certain action or not,' said Türk. 'It misuses the gravity and impact of terrorism to expand it beyond those clear boundaries, to encompass further conduct that is already criminal under the law.' The ban, among other things, makes it a criminal offence to be a member of Palestine Action, express support for the group, or wear an item of clothing that would arouse 'reasonable suspicion' that a person is a member of or supports the organization. Such conduct is punishable by criminal penalties, including fines and prison sentences of up to 14 years. 'The decision appears disproportionate and unnecessary. It limits the rights of many people involved with and supportive of Palestine Action who have not themselves engaged in any underlying criminal activity but rather exercised their rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association,' the High Commissioner said. 'As such, it appears to constitute an impermissible restriction on those rights that is at odds with the UK's obligations under international human rights law.' 'The decision also conflates protected expression and other conduct with acts of terrorism and so could readily lead to further chilling effect on the lawful exercise of these rights by many people,' he added. Since the UK Government's ban came into effect on 5 July, at least 200 people have been arrested under the UK Terrorism Act 2000, many of them while attending peaceful protests. 'I urge the UK Government to rescind its decision to proscribe Palestine Action and to halt investigations and further proceedings against protesters who have been arrested on the basis of this proscription. I also call on the UK Government to review and revise its counter-terrorism legislation, including its definition of terrorist acts, to bring it fully in line with international human rights norms and standards,' the High Commissioner said.
NZ Herald
an hour ago
- NZ Herald
‘Like brothers' - the friendship between Thaksin Shinawatra and Hun Sen spanned three decades
Now, a rift has opened up between the two men, bewildering even Thaksin himself and shocking insiders. And the fallout has been severe, with Thai and Cambodian troops exchanging fire in the deadliest clashes in over a decade. Analysts say they worry that the animosities could spiral out of control. 'I was surprised how two close friends for so many years ended up practically overnight in such an escalation,' said Kantathi Suphamongkhon, who was Thailand's foreign minister from 2005 to 2006 when Thaksin was premier. 'This is something that I never expected — how that friendship can break apart so spectacularly.' Clashes at the border over four days have sent hundreds of thousands fleeing from their homes and bringing the death toll to at least 33 people. In the hours after fighting began last week, Thaksin and Hun Sen lobbed insults at each other on social media. Thaksin said many countries had offered to mediate but that he wanted to 'let the Thai military do their duty to teach Hun Sen a lesson about his cunning ways first'. Hun Sen fired back at Thaksin on Facebook while referring to himself in the third person: 'Now, under the pretext of taking revenge on Hun Sen, he is resorting to war, the ultimate consequence of which will be the suffering of the people'. Analysts say Hun Sen has sought to exploit the turmoil within the Thai Government to shore up his own legitimacy. Even opposition figures in Cambodia have taken the Government's side, arguing that the disputed temples that lie along the border belong to the country. A crisis can also help solidify the nationalist credentials of Hun Manet, the current Prime Minister and Hun Sen's son, who has implied that Cambodia's one-party rule is better than the domestic chaos in Thailand because there is 'no confusion or conflicting orders'. The political standing of Thaksin, a billionaire tycoon, and his ruling Pheu Thai party have both weakened since he struck a deal with the royalist-military establishment in 2022 to end 15 years of exile, alienating some of his core supporters. Despite that deal, in recent months, the Thai Government has appeared increasingly at odds with the country's powerful military. And while he is still the most influential person in Thai politics, Thaksin's hold on power is tenuous — he is fighting a criminal royal defamation charge that could send him to prison for as long as 15 years. For decades, Thaksin and Hun Sen worked to anchor their personal and political fortunes together. In 2001, they signed a memorandum of understanding to pursue the extraction of oil and gas in the Gulf of Thailand. But that plan ultimately fizzled because of resistance from Thaksin's rivals. Hun Sen and Thaksin remained close even after Thaksin was ousted in a 2006 coup. Hun Sen appointed Thaksin as an economic adviser to the Cambodian government, and allowed him and his sister, Yingluck, who was also overthrown in a coup, to seek refuge in his home in Cambodia. Hun Sen later said he named the bedrooms the 'Thaksin room' and the 'Yingluck room.' In Thailand, though, this closeness with Hun Sen has often been regarded with suspicion by Thaksin's political opponents, particularly those in the military and conservative establishment. Thaksin has never been able to shake off the view held by many that he is interested only in his personal gain. 'The aspirations and the dream of wealth of the two families have not been realised,' said Kasit Piromya, another former foreign minister of Thailand. He said Hun Sen probably saw this as a failure on Thaksin's part. 'Hun Sen was in total control of his country, and he could carry out his end of the bargain. But Thaksin has been losing that lustre and control of the Thai society for the past 20 years.' After Thaksin returned to Thailand in 2023, he increasingly positioned the country to be an economic competitor to Cambodia. He floated the idea of an entertainment complex that would rival the casinos in Cambodia, a lucrative source of revenue for Hun Sen and his fellow tycoons. Analysts say Hun Sen was probably feeling threatened by Thailand's warning to cut off electricity in the border area and its subsequent arrest warrants against tycoons operating casinos and online scam compounds in the area. The relationship between the two historical rivals has long been fraught because of the dispute over the undefined 800km-long border as well as over claims to ancient temples. In 2003, Cambodians rioted in the capital, Phnom Penh, after a Thai actor was reported to have said that Angkor Wat, the Cambodian temple, belonged to her country. Much of the fighting has centred around the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple. The International Court of Justice awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, but Thailand has continued to claim the surrounding land. According to Kantathi, Hun Sen in 2006 invited Thaksin to make a friendly visit to the Preah Vihear temple and land a helicopter near it. Kantathi said he urged Thaksin not to go, warning that Cambodia could use the visit to strengthen its territorial claims to the areas claimed by both Cambodia and Thailand. A visit by a Thai prince in the early 1930s, when Cambodia was a French colony, was later cited by Cambodia to bolster its argument at the International Court of Justice, he said. The Thai prince did not complain about the hoisting of the French flag during his visit, which the court said amounted to his tacit consent to French-Cambodian control. Thaksin ultimately cancelled the trip. The proposed trip has not been made public, but Jakrapob Penkair, a longtime associate of Thaksin, confirmed that Thaksin had told him about it. Thaksin could not immediately be reached for comment. Hun Sen's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The dispute over the temple escalated significantly in 2008 when Cambodia listed Preah Vihear as a Unesco World Heritage Site, leading to deadly military encounters in 2008 and 2011. This year, tensions rose again when Thai and Cambodian soldiers clashed briefly, killing a Cambodian soldier in late May. Two weeks after that, Thaksin's daughter and the then prime minister of Thailand, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, tried to call Hun Sen to discuss the crisis. She was unable to reach him, but Hun Sen later called Paetongtarn's personal number, according to Thaksin, who recounted his version of the events at a seminar in Bangkok. Three days later, Hun Sen posted the audio recording of that call on Facebook. The Thai public heard Paetongtarn calling Hun Sen 'uncle' and telling him to ignore 'the opposite side', a reference to the Thai military. It led to calls for her resignation and multiple complaints. One complaint filed by 36 senators at the Constitutional Court led to her suspension this month. Thaksin said, 'I was wrong to trust someone like Hun Sen'. Upon learning that 12,000 Cambodian troops had been mobilised to the border last month, he called the translator who had facilitated his daughter's call with Hun Sen and told him: 'You tell your boss — our children are prime ministers of both countries. Are we going to war now?' The initial clashes may have been an indication of the dangerous direction the two countries are heading. Thailand said Cambodia fired rockets into civilian areas and that it responded by sending F-16 fighter jets to bomb targets in Cambodia — a rare deployment of the jets for combat in the region. Cambodian officials said Thai soldiers had opened fire on Cambodian troops first, at a temple. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Written by: Sui-Lee Wee ©2025 THE NEW YORK TIMES
RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
Christopher Luxon defends voting changes after Judith Collins raises problems
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has said people need to get organised for elections. (File photo) Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii The Prime Minister says the public still have plenty of time to get enrolled to vote despite scrapping same-day enrolment for elections. Last week the government announced legislation to overhaul electoral laws it said had become "unsustainable". The government agreed to close enrolment before advance voting begins, with people needing to enrol or update their details by midnight on the Sunday before advance voting starts on the Monday morning (in other words, 13 days before election day). The legislation sets a requirement of 12 days advance voting at each election, and the changes would mean special vote processing could get underway sooner. On Monday morning, Newsroom reported Attorney-General Judith Collins, had said the proposed law changes clashed with constitutional rights in a report. She indicated 100,000 or more people could be directly or indirectly disenfranchised by rules banning enrolment in the final 13 days before an election. Collins declined an interview with Morning Report on the issue. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, told Morning Report , Collins had a statutory responsibility to review legislation to make sure it was consistent with the bill of rights. "As a government we think enrolment should happen before early voting starts," he said. Luxon pointed to Australia as an example of a country that does not allow enrolment on the same day as voting. "We want everyone to participate but it's just done two weeks before elections day. It's not uncommon, it gives people plenty of time to get enrolled and get sorted. "All we're saying is we want everybody to participate in our democracy... not an unreasonable request." On Election Day 2023 110,000 people enrolled to vote or updated their details. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
