The funding will be used to invest in learning support, improve, and build kura, kōhanga reo and puna reo, and strengthen key partnerships with iwi groups.

$40 million for learning support coordination

Budget 2023 provides $40 million for learning support coordination in kaupapa Māori and Māori medium education schooling.

This funding will support the development of a new learning support coordination function in Kaupapa Māori and Māori Medium Education settings. Importantly it will provide resourcing for Māori-led design and delivery of solutions for those ākonga with learning support needs.

• The actual outputs purchased with this funding will be determined by the funded iwi and Māori education peak bodies.
• This funding is expected to benefit approximately 25,000 ākonga Māori who are learning in 325 schools and kura providing Kaupapa Māori and Māori medium education (levels 1 and 2).

$134.38 million funding for infrastructure growth and maintenance

This money will fund remediation projects, site acquisitions, and provision of roll growth classrooms for Kaupapa Māori and Māori Medium Education (MME) education settings. Maintenance funding is also provided to Kōhanga Reo and Puna Reo early childhood centres.

This investment is needed to meet the Government objective of 30% of ākonga Māori learning in Kaupapa Māori Education and MME environments by 2040.

How this funding will be used

This funding will be used for land acquisitions, redevelopment projects and the provision of roll growth classrooms. It also seeks to continue support for ECE’s managed by Kōhanga Reo and Puna Reo by providing maintenance funding to be used on their facilities.

$10 million for development of critical local histories

Almost $10 million has been allocated for work with up to 57 additional iwi on the development of critical local histories, as part of Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories curriculum.

Bringing local histories and stories to life, with iwi involvement, engages young learners and makes the curriculum more accessible and culturally inclusive, leading to better educational outcomes.