Education Budget 2022 Highlights

Vote Education additional operating investment and New Tertiary Education Funding.

Vote Education

Budget 2022 provides additional operating investment of $1.66 billion and capital investment of $815 million over four years for Vote Education, which includes: 

  • $292.55 million of operating funding and $7.84 million of capital funding to implement the Equity Index and remove school deciles, including a $75 million annual increase to equity funding for schools and kura. Funding is also included to begin work to develop a new Equity Index for early learning.
  • $265.6 million of new operating funding in another step towards pay parity between certificated teachers in education and care services, and their equivalents in kindergartens, building on the $170 million provided through Budget 2021 and the $151 million provided through Budget 2020. There is also funding set aside to improve pay for kaimahi in kōhanga reo.
  • Significant further investment into school infrastructure, totalling $777 million in capital investment, including:
    • $280 million for continuing the National Education Growth Plan, $85 million to purchase land for new schools and $88 million for the Christchurch Schools Rebuild Programme.
    • $219 million over nine years for furniture and equipment grants.
    • $105 million for Māori medium and Kaupapa Māori school property.
  • Further steps in reforming the Tomorrow’s Schools system, building on $185 million invested through Budget 2021 and the establishment of Te Poutāhū | Curriculum Centre as a key enabler of curriculum change. New funding includes:
    • $22.3 million to fund new Leadership Advisor positions, with the nature of these roles to be designed in collaboration with the education sector and communities.
    • $40 million to establish a new Regional Response Fund to meet local education needs, with a strong initial focus on ensuring students are going to school and are engaged in their learning.
    • $62 million to drive key shifts in teaching and learning, with a particular focus on literacy, communication and maths.
  • $231.8 million increase for Early Childhood Education subsidies(external link) over the next four years to fund a 2.75% increase to the universal subsidies and targeted subsidies, to maintain quality and affordability.
  • $184.4 million boost to Schools’ Operational Grants over the new four years to fund a 2.75% universal increase. This will help state and state-integrated schools meet increased operational costs.
  • $64.65 million operating funding to support provision and growth of te reo Māori, including a boost to Māori Language Programme Funding going directly to schools and kura operating at the highest levels of immersion. Another $5 million will go towards supporting the workforce Iwi Māori scholarships.
  • $15.5 million to scale up Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu support for at-risk young people to reengage in school, in line with its proven ‘Big Picture’ approach, supporting around 2,500 at-risk students annually once fully implemented.
  • An increase of $13 million in new operating funding to support Pacific bilingual and immersion education, with funding to support the workforce and develop new curriculum resources. $5 million in repurposed funding will go towards expanding Tapasā to help teachers and leaders in early learning and schools develop their cultural competencies.
  • $11.2 million to deliver 14 new Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) School-Wide practitioners so each school using this service receives support tailored to its needs.
  • $7.7 million to expand Check & Connect: Te Hononga and Te Mana Tikitiki, which provides targeted and intensive supports for Māori and Pacific learners at risk of disengaging, using kaupapa Māori and bicultural evidence-based approaches.
  • $6.4 million to maintain Community Learning Hubs in Christchurch, Wellington in Auckland, to strengthen connections between ethnic communities and schools.

$90 million is already being provided through Vote Health to expand Mana Ake, continuing and expanding services for 195,000 primary and intermediate aged children.

Education Summary of Initiatives 2022

New Tertiary Education Funding

Budget 2022 provides additional operating investment of $350 million over four years and capital investment of $40 million over two years for tertiary education, which includes:

  • $267 million over four years for an across-the-board 2.75% increase to tertiary tuition and training subsidies(external link) and $73 million in funding for increased enrolments. This investment recognises the support providers need to maintain quality and ensure their delivery remains relevant and responsive to learner, community and employer needs. $40 million of 2021/22 funding is also being carried into 2022/23 to provide additional funding for enrolments in 2023.
  • $40 million capital injection for Te Pūkenga – New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology to co-fund prioritised remediation and upgrades of infrastructure across its former Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics across 2022/23 and 2023/24.
  • $10 million of new operating funding to establish Te Tahua o Te Reo Kairangi, a new fund to support new or existing programmes delivering higher levels of te reo Māori proficiency.

$317 million is also being provided through Vote Social Development to meet demand for the Apprenticeship Boost and extend it to the end of 2023. The $230 million extension of Apprenticeship Boos was announced on Monday 9 May.

Alongside Budget 2022 announcements, the Tertiary Education Commission has published 2023 subsidy rates, including the rates for the unified funding system for vocational education, which implements the $279.5 million announced for vocational education and training in Budget 2021. The rates and more detail can be found on the TEC’s website.

Tertiary Education Summary of Initiatives 2022 

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