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Ministry of Education New Zealand
Secondary school student in a classroom

After a significant focus on primary education and learning support through Budgets 2024 and 2025, Budget 2026 moves the focus to secondary achievement and assessment. There is significant investment in the secondary curriculum, providing resources for students and critical professional development for teachers.

More resource is also being invested into industry-focused education for secondary students, so that more students leave school with the right skills that match real-world labour market demands, especially in the trades.

Budget 2026 also has substantial investment in other priority education areas, such as $160 million in additional operating grant funding for schools and $558.5 million into growing and maintaining school property.

Budget 2026