New Zealand’s education system has three levels:[RELATED INFORMATION LINK, RH SIDE]:
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New Zealand’s education system has three levels:
- early childhood education - from birth to school entry age
- primary and secondary schools - from 5 to 19 years of age (school is compulsory from 6 to 16 years of age)
schooling - tertiary education - higher and vocational education.
Our education system reflects our unique and diverse society. We welcome different abilities, religious beliefs, ethnic groups, income levels and ideas about teaching and learning. We have processes in place to give our students consistent, high-quality education at all levels.
For contact details and other data on early childhood services, schools and tertiary institutions in New Zealand, go to our directories of educational institutions
Early childhood education
Your child can take part in early childhood education (ECE) from birth to school entry age. ECE is not compulsory but around 95% of children go to an ECE service. All ECE services in New Zealand plan learning using the national curriculum Te Whāriki.
Between the ages of 3 and 5, your child can go to an ECE service for 20 hours a week for free. This funding is called 20 hours ECE.
Choosing an ECE service
There are different types of ECE services. It’s usually possible to visit before enrolling so that you can check you’ve made the right choice for you and your child.
When choosing a service, you will find:
- some run short sessions and some run all day
- services may be run by private individuals, government organisations, cooperatives or trusts
- different learning environments such as home-based or centre-based services
- different philosophies such as kindergarten, playcentre, Montessori or Rudolf Steiner programmes
- different levels of involvement expected of parents.
Teacher-led services
Paid staff are the main educators in teacher-led ECE services. You will find different levels of qualified and registered staff at different services.
- Kindergartens take children aged 2.5 to 5 years old. They employ qualified and registered teachers. Some offer morning and afternoon sessions and others offer extended sessions. You can get involved in a parent committee that supports each kindergarten.
- Home-based services are run by an adult educator who looks after small groups of babies and young children in their home or a child’s home. Qualified and registered teachers support the educators. You are usually charged fees.
- Education and care centres employ a variety of staff, including qualified and registered teachers, and can be privately owned, community owned or attached to a business or organisation. Many offer full-day sessions. You are usually charged fees.
Parent-led services
Parents are the main educators in parent-led ECE services - playcentres and te Kōhanga reo. Together you plan for the children’s learning and play and learn alongside them on session, as well as manage all other aspects of running the service. It’s expected that you will take courses to learn about how your child learns and develops.
Parent-led ECE services are run as cooperatives. They operate under the same regulations and curriculum as teacher-led services. You usually pay low fees.
Children at te Kōhanga reo learn in the Māori language and their education is based on Māori culture and values.
Primary and secondary schools
Primary and secondary schools are the second level of education. Your child’s education is free between the ages of 5 and 19 at state schools (schools that are government owned and funded) if they are a New Zealand citizen or a permanent resident.
Schooling is compulsory from age 6 to 16. Your child can start school on the day they turn 5 years old (they do not have to wait until the start of a new school year). Most children stay at school until they are around 17.
The education system for schools is made up of 13 Year levels. Your child’s primary education starts at Year 1 and goes to Year 8 (around 5 to 12 years of age). Your child’s secondary education goes from Year 9 to Year 13 (around 13 to 17 years of age).
Local schools
Many children go to a school close to where they live. Many schools have an enrolment scheme called zoning. If you live in an area close to a school (the school’s zone), your child is guaranteed to get a place at that school. If you want your child to go to a school outside the area where you live, you may have to apply and a place is not guaranteed.
Depending on the schools in your area, you may have the choice to send your child to a single-sex or co-educational school.
State, state-integrated and private schools
There are a range of school types for you to choose from. Most of the schools in New Zealand are owned and funded by the state. They teach the national curriculum. They are secular (non-religious).
There are two other types of schools - state-integrated and private. These are schools with a special character. They may have their own sets of aims and objectives to reflect their own particular values. They may teach a specific philosophy or religion.
State-integrated schools are schools that were private and have become part of the state education system. They are funded by the government and teach the national curriculum. You will usually pay school fees.
Private schools get some government funding but are mostly funded through charging parents school fees. They develop their own learning programmes and do not have to follow the national curriculum.
Māori-medium education (Kura Kaupapa Māori)
Kura Kaupapa Māori are schools that teach in Māori and education is based on Māori culture and values. They are owned and funded by the state, and they teach the national curriculum for Māori-medium schools, Te Marautanga o Aotearoa. Many kura are composite schools - they have both primary and secondary departments (they teach Years 1-13).
National curriculum
The national curriculum covers what subjects are taught at primary and secondary schools and the standards students should reach in each subject.
Your child’s primary education will focus on foundation learning across a range of subjects and competencies but especially in literacy and numeracy. At secondary school they will learn a broad and balanced curriculum, with some specialisation possible in Years 11 to 13.
Schools that teach in the English language use the New Zealand Curriculum. Schools that teach in the Māori language use Te Marautanga o Aotearoa (a curriculum based on Māori philosophies).
- Read the New Zealand Curriculum for English-medium schooling
- Read Te Marautanga o Aotearoa for Māori-medium schooling
National Certificate of Educational Achievement
The National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) is the national senior secondary school qualification. Your child will usually be assessed during their last three years at school (Years 11 to 13). They can achieve NCEA at three levels in a wide range of courses and subjects.
Special education
If your child has special education needs, they will most likely go to their local school. These schools get additional funding, teacher aide time and specialist help to support your child with their learning.
There are also a number of special schools, including two for deaf and hearing impaired students, and one for blind and vision impaired students.
Home and distance learning
If attending a school is currently not the best option - you might live a long way from the nearest school, travel overseas or have other reasons - your child can learn with New Zealand’s Correspondence School Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu.
Correspondence School Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu teaches early childhood, primary, secondary and special needs students. It uses multimedia and online learning. Your child can also study one or two courses if a subject they want to study is not available at their school.
Tertiary education
Tertiary education is after secondary school. It includes higher and vocational education. Courses range from programmes to help students into work to certificates and diplomas to postgraduate study and research. Full and part-time distance learning options are available at most tertiary institutions.
The government gives some funding to state tertiary institutions. Students pay about 30% of the cost of their courses. New Zealand students can borrow a loan from the government to pay for their courses until they are earning. Tertiary institutions can be state or privately owned.
To help you make the best choice from the many options available, the Careers New Zealand website has information about programmes offered by tertiary providers
Technical and vocational education
At upper secondary school level, students may begin to specialise in vocational learning. Students can get help into work or further education from a number of programmes and institutions.
- Youth Guarantee gives young people further options to get NCEA level 2 qualifications. Students plan their study to reach their career goals, including getting further education.
- Trades academies teach trades and technology programmes to students in Years 11 to 13 (ages 15 to 18). They are run through schools and other providers.
- Institutes of technology and polytechnics teach professional and vocational education and training from introductory studies to degrees.
- Industry training organisations represent particular industries(eg agriculture, building and construction, motor trade etc). They offer training and qualifications for those sectors. They funded by the government and industry.
- Private training establishments offer specific vocational courses at certificate and diploma level (eg travel and tourism).
Community education
Adult and Community Education is a programme of foundation skills (such as literacy, numeracy and language courses) and personal interest topics for adults. Schools, wānanga and other community organisations teach Adult and Community Education.
Wānanga
New Zealand has three wānanga (state-owned Māori teaching and research institutions). They teach according to āhuatanga Māori (Māori tradition) and tikanga Māori (Māori custom). They offer certificates, diplomas and degrees. Some teach in specialised areas up to doctorate level.
Universities
New Zealand has eight state-funded universities. They offer degrees with a large choice of subjects and each also has strengths in specialised professional degrees.
All are well-recognised internationally. They work with universities in other countries on research and teaching programmes, and with the business community in New Zealand and overseas on research and development.
Further information
Te Whāriki - early childhood education curriculum
http://www.educate.ece.govt.nz/learning/curriculumAndLearning/TeWhariki.aspx
New Zealand Curriculum
http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz
Te Marautanga o Aotearoa - national curriculum for Māori-medium schools
National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA)
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-standards/qualifications/ncea/
National Standards Policy
http://www.minedu.govt.nz/theMinistry/EducationInitiatives/NationalStandards.aspx
Ka Hikitia - Māori education strategy
http://www.minedu.govt.nz/theMinistry/PolicyandStrategy/KaHikitia.aspx
Pasifika Education Plan
New Zealand Qualifications Framework
www.nzqa.govt.nz/studying-in-new-zealand/nzqf
Youth Guarantee
Trades Academies
TeachNZ - working as a teacher in New Zealand
Education Counts - education statistics
Our system is designed to recognise different abilities, religious beliefs, ethnic groups, income levels, ideas about teaching and learning, and allows education providers to develop their own special characters.
New Zealand has strong quality assurance systems which ensure consistent, high quality education across all levels of the education system, both public and private.
Education for All
Our education system reflects our unique and diverse society.
The Ministry holds directories of educational institutions for ECE services, schools and tertiary providers. The downloadable lists contain contact details, institution and regional information, and for schools, decile and roll information.
Early Childhood Education
Early Childhood Education (ECE) in New Zealand covers the years from birth to school entry age. ECE is not compulsory in New Zealand but participation rates have increased steadily over the last ten years (to around 95%). Currently all three, four and five-year-old children are able to go to ECE services for six hours a day, 20 hours a week at no charge. This funding is known as 20 hours ECE and applies to all teacher-led ECE services, kōhanga reo and Playcentres.
Read the early childhood education Curriculum – Te WhārikiLearn more about 20 hours ECE [Word; 292kb]
School education
Schools provide the second level of education. Free education is provided to New Zealand citizens or permanent residents in state (government owned and funded) schools between the ages of five and 19.
The education system for schools is made up of 13 Year levels. Schooling is compulsory from ages six to 16 (Year 11) although most students carry on to Years 12 and 13.
Both single-sex and co-educational secondary schooling options are available and state schools are secular. Most schools are English language, but some schools teach in the Māori language (Kura Kaupapa Māori).
Māori-medium education (Kura Kaupapa Māori)
Kura Kaupapa Māori are schools in which the principal language of instruction is Māori and education is based on Māori culture and values.
Special education
There is additional support for students with special education needs.
Most students with these needs attend their local school. Additional funding is available, as well as teacher aide time and specialist support. There are also a number of special schools including two for deaf and hearing impaired students, and one for blind and vision impaired students.
Primary education
Children may start school at age five and the majority do so, although schooling is not compulsory until age six.
Primary education starts at Year 1 and continues until Year 8, with Years 7 and 8 mostly offered at either a primary, or a separate intermediate school. Primary education focuses on strong foundation learning, especially in literacy and numeracy.
Secondary education
Secondary education covers Years 9 to 13 (ages 13 to 18/19). In secondary schools the timetable is arranged around subjects and although students continue to experience a broad and balanced curriculum some specialisation is possible especially in Years 11 to 13.
The National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA)
NCEA is the national senior secondary school qualification. Students are able to achieve the NCEA at three levels – for most students these correspond to the final years of secondary schooling – via a wide range of courses and subjects, both within and beyond the traditional school curriculum.
National School Curriculum
Read the New Zealand Curriculum for English-medium schoolingRead Te Marautanga o Aotearoa for Māori-medium schooling
Home and distance learning
New Zealand’s Correspondence School – Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu provides distance learning using multimedia and online learning for early childhood, primary, secondary and special needs students.
Tertiary education
Tertiary education includes all post-secondary education including higher and vocational education.
Tertiary education institutions offer courses which range from transition (school to work) programmes, through to postgraduate study and research.
Distance learning options are available at tertiary level – full and part-time learning programmes are available.
Government partly funds state tertiary institutions. Students need to contribute about 30 per cent of the cost of their courses. New Zealand students can borrow a student loan from the government to pay for their courses until they are earning.
The Careers New Zealand website has information about programmes offered by New Zealand tertiary providers .
University Education
New Zealand has eight public state-funded universities, all of which are well recognised internationally.
Wānanga
New Zealand has three Wānanga (publicly-owned teaching and research institutions). These focus on knowledge regarding āhuatanga Māori (Māori tradition) according to tikanga Māori (Māori custom). They offer certificates, diplomas, and bachelor-level degrees, with some providing programmes in specialised areas up to doctorate level. The Tertiary Education Commission has further information about Wānanga .
Technical and Vocational Education
The following organisations offer technical and vocational education in New Zealand:
Trades Academies: run through schools and other providers that deliver trades and technology programmes to students in Years 11 to 13 (ages 15 to 18).Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics: provide professional and vocational education and training from introductory studies through to full degree programmes.Industry Training Organisations: government and industry-funded bodies that represent particular industry sectors- agriculture, building and construction, motor trade.Private Training Establishments: offer specific vocational niches at certificate and diploma level, for example, travel and tourism.
Youth Guarantee
The Youth Guarantee aims to provide young people with more choices, ways and places to achieve NCEA Level 2 or equivalent, allowing them to transition to further education and the workforce.
Community education
New Zealand’s Adult and Community Education (ACE) supports the continuing education needs of adults.
Related information
Early Childhood Education Curriculum - Te Whāriki
http://www.educate.ece.govt.nz/learning/curriculumAndLearning/TeWhariki.aspx
New Zealand Curriculum
http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz
National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA)
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-standards/qualifications/ncea/
National Standards Policy
http://www.minedu.govt.nz/theMinistry/EducationInitiatives/NationalStandards.aspx
Māori Education Strategy
http://www.minedu.govt.nz/theMinistry/PolicyandStrategy/KaHikitia.aspx
Pasifika Education Plan
http://www.minedu.govt.nz/NZEducation/EducationPolicies/PasifikaEducation/PasifikaEducationPlan2013.aspx
New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF)
www.nzqa.govt.nz/studying-in-new-zealand/nzqf
Youth Guarantee (Vocational Pathways)
http://youthguarantee.net.nz
Trades Academies
http://www.minedu.govt.nz/NZEducation/EducationPolicies/Schools/Initiatives/TradesAcademies/TradesAcademies.aspx
TeachNZ
www.teachnz.govt.nz
Education Counts, education statistics
www.educationcounts.govt.nz
