Supporting Māori learner success#

Ākonga Māori and ākonga learning in and through te reo Māori across English medium, Māori medium and Kaupapa Māori education are top of mind for Budget 2025. Māori learners make up a significant (25%) and growing proportion of all learners within our schooling system.

A cornerstone of our commitment is the Māori Education Action Plan (the Action Plan), which takes a practical approach to strengthening outcomes for ākonga. This includes ensuring the availability of support for Māori language use and teaching across the education system and building a world-class curriculum.

Budget 2025 delivers targeted investment in learning support, curriculum and assessment, property and workforce development to help bring the Action Plan to life and ensure strong outcomes for ākonga Māori.

Māori Education Package#

Improving Māori language capability and cultural competency amongst the teaching workforce enables more meaningful and positive experiences that will support better educational outcomes for Māori.

Aligned to this, Budget 2025 provides $36.1 million to support 5 programmes of work to boost teacher skills and confidence to support ākonga Māori, and to support engagement and achievement in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects.

The 5 components of the package are:

• $14.7 million for up to 51,000 teachers and kaiako to develop skills in te reo Māori and tikanga to levels where they can confidently and comfortably use it in their classroom teaching for Years 0 to 8. This will align with the New Zealand Curriculum Learning Languages area and could benefit 470,000 learners.
• $10.0 million to establish a Virtual Learning Network (VLN) in which 15 kaiako will deliver online teaching and learning of STEM subjects in Kaupapa Māori and Māori medium education at Wharekura and secondary immersion levels for up to 5,000 ākonga in Years 9 to 13.
• $4.5 million to provide 5 te reo matatini texts, 5 STEM texts, and associated teaching materials, per year to 105 Wharekura, supporting up to 5,000 ākonga.
• $4.8 million to establish seven new Curriculum Advisor roles ringfenced for Kaupapa Māori and Māori medium education settings for Years 0 to 8, to support kaiako to use the redesigned Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, including Rangaranga Reo ā-Tā, Poutama Pāngarau, and Hihiria Weteoro, benefitting over 27,000 ākonga.
• $2.1 million to develop a Māori Studies Subject for Years 11 to 13 in The New Zealand Curriculum, offering approximately 170,000 ākonga in English medium secondary schools the choice and opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills of Māori cultural practices and Māori worldview.

These investments support the long-term success of Māori medium and Kaupapa Māori education pathways. It also supports Māori learners in English medium settings, and students learning through te reo Māori.

Training and support for teachers to develop te reo Māori language capability#

$14.7m for up to 51,000 teachers and kaiako in schools and kura to develop skills in te reo Māori and tikanga for those who wish to use it and teach it in the classroom.

This is expected to reach up to 473,927 students in Years 0 to 13.

An online option will provide access to a programme and resources for many more teachers than would otherwise be possible with classroom-based, in-person arrangements.

Virtual Learning Network for STEM subjects in Kaupapa Māori and Māori medium education #

$10.0m to establish a Virtual Learning Network in which 15 kaiako will deliver online teaching and learning of STEM subjects in Kaupapa Māori and Māori medium education at Wharekura and secondary immersion levels for up to 5,572 ākonga.

This will also fund the technology infrastructure required to deliver classes online. The design will cover remote and traditionally underserved locations. This initiative leverages technology to increase access to STEM learning and provides a mechanism for enabling collaboration and the sharing of resources between kaiako and ākonga to support achievement in STEM.

Curriculum resources in te reo matatini and STEM for Wharekura#

$4.5m to provide te reo Matatini and STEM resources and associated teaching materials to 105 Wharekura, supporting up to 5,572 ākonga in Years 9-13. The funding will:

• purchase 5 commercial literacy texts, and five commercial STEM texts per year for each Wharekura,
• update existing te reo matatini resources to align with the redesigned Te Marautanga o Aotearoa,
• develop kaiako support materials for te reo matatini, Pūtaiao, Hangarau, and Pāngarau to ensure there are appropriate resources to support NCEA corequisite requirements, and to teach STEM subjects at NCEA Levels 1-3.

The resources will be in te reo Māori, relevant and appropriate for each wāhanga ako, clear and easy to use, visually engaging, and up to date. They will be levelled to the new curriculum so that it is easy to see the progressions, and kaiako can easily identify where ākonga are at in their learning, and appropriate next steps.

Curriculum advisory service for Kaupapa Māori and Māori medium education#

$4.8m to establish seven new Curriculum Advisor roles ringfenced for Kaupapa Māori and Māori medium education settings for Years 0-8.

These roles will support kaiako to understand and use the redesigned Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, including Rangaranga Reo ā-Ta, Poutama Pāngarau and Hihira Weteoro, ensuring effective and evidence-based teaching practices which will benefit up to 21,548 ākonga.

The allocation will be based on Ministry of Education data and engagement with national representatives to ensure the resource is targeted to need.

Māori Studies Subject development at Years 11 - 13#

$2.1m to develop a Māori Studies subject for Years 11-13 in the New Zealand Curriculum.

This will be an optional specialist subject. It will provide approximately 176,000 ākonga in English medium secondary schooling with the choice opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills of Māori cultural practices and Māori worldview.

Property#

To raise achievement levels, all students need warm, dry, safe classrooms. Budget 2025 provides an additional $50m capital. This will deliver up to an additional 50 new classrooms across the Māori medium education and Kaupapa Māori education network, to meet the increasing demand for learning through te reo Māori. This is expected to benefit 1,100 ākonga Māori.

Expanding the Māori Medium and Kaupapa Māori network – Contingency#

• $10.5m operating funding
• $50.0m capital funding.

This initiative funds up to an additional 50 new classrooms across the Māori medium and Kaupapa Māori education network to meet the increasing demand for learning in te reo Māori. This is expected to benefit 1,100 ākonga. The Ministry will work with iwi, hapū and peak bodies for Kaupapa Māori education to identify areas that are not currently served by a complete immersion pathway.

The prioritisation and delivery timelines of the new kura and classrooms are still being confirmed. The final list will be available on the Ministry’s website in July.

Kōhanga Reo#

Budget 2025 continues to invest in the future of the Kōhanga Reo network by providing $4.1 million to help meet increasing ICT costs and to strengthen data capability.

This supports the Government’s commitment to collect reliable data to drive consistent improvements in outcomes for students. It will also increase understanding of learner pathways through Kaupapa Māori settings, and benefit the ~8,500 tamariki attending Kōhanga Reo.

Kōhanga Reo data administration#

• $4.1m operating funding.

This initiative supports the sustainability and data capability of the Kōhanga Reo Network. 17% of all tamariki Māori attending early learning services are enrolled with Kōhanga Reo, equating to approximately 8,500 children.

This funding equips Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust to assist Kōhanga with:

• their mandatory data submissions,
• meeting the requirements of the kaimahi pay scheme, and
• the transition to the Early learning Information System.

In addition, improving the quality and consistency of data collection will strengthen the understanding of learner pathways through Kaupapa Māori settings.

WAI 3310 Waitangi Tribunal Education Services and Outcomes Kaupapa Inquiry – Claimant costs#

• $3.5m operating funding.

The Ministry of Education is responsible for leading and coordinating the Government’s response to the Waitangi Tribunal Education Services and Outcomes Kaupapa Inquiry – WAI 3310. 

This funding will cover costs associated with claimants’ and witnesses’ attendance and participation in the WAI 3310 process. 

In doing so, this supports improved access to justice for current and future claimants, and gives greater visibility to past inequities and systemic failures that have impacted Māori education outcomes.

How is this being funded?#

Investment is funded through a mix of new Crown funding and reprioritisation. The Government is taking a strategic approach to considering which services to scale to create more equitable resourcing and greater impact to deliver the best outcomes for children in the classroom.

In line with the Māori Education Action Plan priority area to clarify and optimise what we spend on Māori education, a total of $36.1m reprioritisation over four years will be realised by:

• disestablishing the Wharekura Expert Teachers Programme (-$4.192m)
• disestablishing 53 FTTE Resource Teacher: Māori roles from the staffing order (-$15.944m)
• re-allocating untagged funding from the Māori Language Funding to Support Provision and Growth initiative (-$16.000m).

Reinvestment of this funding continues the strategic shift currently underway, to embed effective in-school and kura expertise to accelerate student achievement, particularly in foundational areas of literacy, te reo matatini, maths and pāngarau.

This funding will be wholly reinvested into the Budget 2025 Māori Education Package, which has been designed to align with priority areas identified in the Māori Education Action Plan, and wider Government targets to lift achievement and attendance.

This will support ākonga Māori in Māori medium and Kaupapa Māori education settings by increasing access to STEM learning, supporting the attainment of te reo matatini co-requisites and supporting kaiako to deliver the redesigned curriculum.

Training and support for teachers to continue developing their te reo Māori proficiency, and the new Māori Studies subject will enable better educational outcomes for ākonga Māori, students learning in and through te reo Māori, and students selecting Māori Studies as a specialist subject.

Curriculum and Assessment initiatives with impacts for ākonga Māori#

The majority (90%) of Māori learners in schools are in English medium settings, so consistency of what is taught and when, and the use of evidence-informed teaching practices responsive to the needs of individual students, is key to equipping Māori learners with the foundational knowledge they need to succeed.

A comprehensive package of curriculum and assessment interventions will lift achievement across the schooling system. These initiatives are expected to have a positive and measurable impact on Māori learners in Kaupapa Māori, Māori medium, and English medium settings.

Early maths and pāngarau check#

This initiative aims to lift foundational maths and pāngarau achievement for over 16,000 ākonga Māori in the first two years of kura, within the first year of national rollout, reducing the risk of ākonga Māori being left behind during critical early learning years.

The tool will be developed in te reo Māori, for use in Māori medium settings, which is expected to benefit 4,000 ākonga Māori. Approximately 12,000 ākonga Māori will benefit from the maths checks in English medium settings.

Maths and pāngarau tutoring for Year 7-8 students#

This intervention will deliver small group teaching supported by a digital learning tool to students who need additional pāngarau support.

Small group instruction enables teaching strategies to be targeted to individual need. Students in Kaupapa Māori and Māori medium education will receive teaching that incorporates culturally relevant resources and teaching practices.

Maths and pāngarau – Targeted staffing for Years 0-6#

143 targeted maths and pāngarau FTTE will be allocated to Kaupapa Māori, Māori medium, and English medium schools and kura, focused on supporting learners who are not meeting curriculum expectations in maths and pāngarau.

These roles will provide in-kura support and mentoring to kaiako to strengthen pāngarau pedagogy, and help ensure progression-based, reo Māori-rich Pāngarau teaching that reflects Kaupapa Māori values and learner identities.

Structured literacy approach – Staffing expansion#

Additional structured literacy approach staffing will be expanded to Years 0 to 6. This funding increases ongoing structured literacy approaches staffing, expanding them to Years 0 to 6. It maintains the 2025 1-year expansion of 46 additional FTTE and adds a further 32 FTTE. This brings the total ongoing staffing resource to 349 FTTE and addresses further demand for this support. This investment means more learners will benefit from targeted teaching support to accelerate their literacy progress.

Science and pūtaiao kits for Years 0-8#

Dedicated science kits will be developed to support Pūtaiao and will be available in bilingual formats, which is expected to strengthen ākonga Māori science achievement and greater representation in future science pathways.

Assessment tool for Years 3-10 in reading, writing, maths, pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau#

The new assessment tool for Years 3 to 10 will be dual language, with a separate item bank in te reo Māori. This will enable the collection of student achievement data and identification of ākonga Māori that require additional supports to achieve at the expected curriculum level.

Early oral language – Strengthening early learning#

The ENRICH programme will be delivered in both English and Māori medium early learning services. Oral language resources developed for early learning teachers will support both te ara Whānui and te ara Māori pathways in Te Whāriki, and ENRICH and Kōwhiti Whakapae programme resources are available in te reo Māori.

Homework and tutoring services for Years 9-10 to meet NCEA co-requisites#

This initiative provides funding for new homework and tutoring services for learners in Years 9 to 10 at schools with 50% or more Pacific learners. Māori students whose schools participate in the initiative, will have the benefit of getting extra support outside of regular classroom teaching to meet the co-requisites.

Learning support initiatives with impacts for ākonga Māori#

Ākonga Māori are overrepresented in the percentage of learners accessing learning support. As such, the Budget 2025 Learning Support Package will have a significant impact on these learners.

As a result of Budget 2025, there will be more learning support specialists working with ākonga, whānau, and kaiako to maximise the attendance, engagement and achievement of all learners including ākonga Māori. Targeted investment in the early years will also support the early identification of and response to the needs of ākonga Māori in all educational settings.

The package includes a significant investment in a specialist workforce so we can provide the right support to learners with additional needs at the right time. To support implementation of the investment into the Early Intervention Service, the Ministry is developing a Workforce Action Plan which includes recruiting more learning support specialists and building the cultural competence of the specialist learning support workforce. These actions will support meeting the needs of ākonga Māori in all educational settings.

As part of the rollout of Learning Support Coordinators to all schools and kura, rumaki reo and Māori immersion Level 1 and 2 roles are included in the staffing calculations for 2026, pending the design of a learning support coordination function for rumaki reo. The Ministry is working with Ngā Kura ā Iwi o Aotearoa and Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Aotearoa to develop a learning support coordination function for their affiliated kura. Engagement with kura motuhake is expected to begin by Term 3 this year.

In 2024, ākonga Māori represented:

• 32% of learners supported by the Early Intervention Service
• 44% of learners who used the Behaviour Service
• 34% of learners who used the Communications Service
• ~50% of learners supported by Te Kahu Tōī,

And, as at 15 April 2025:

• 30% of total enrolled students receiving Ongoing Resourcing Scheme support.

Providing more consistent and effective supports to schools will improve outcomes for ākonga Māori with additional needs in all educational settings.

Workforce initiatives with impacts for ākonga Māori#

The Government is investing in growing, promoting and supporting education professionals across Kaupapa Māori, Māori medium and English medium settings.

Aspiring Principal Programme and expanding the Leadership Advisory Service#

This initiative supports the delivery of the Māori Education Action Plan by supporting the growth of a pipeline of future tumuaki who are grounded in te ao Māori, are culturally confident, and are better equipped to lead with the values, knowledge, and language revitalisation goals of their communities at the centre. 

In addition to each education region receiving a Leadership Advisor, four additional specialist advisors will support rural schools, small schools, and Māori and Pacific principals.

Teacher fees and levies – Teaching Council Funding#

All Māori teachers who are registered and certificated with the Teaching Council will benefit from this initiative.

Teacher supply – Attraction and growth#

The Māori Education Action Plan includes a commitment to expand the School Onsite Training Programme in Kaupapa Māori education and Māori medium education settings. This initiative delivers an additional 530 SOTP places over four years. Allocation is application based, and the process for assessing applications is currently under development.

Professional Learning and Development for literacy, maths, and assessment#

~1,500 ākonga Māori being taught in Kaupapa Māori and Māori medium education, and ~2,470 being taught in English medium across Years 0-10 will benefit from the improvements their teachers make to their teaching through this PLD initiative.

Attendance in Schools Package impacts for ākonga Māori#

This initiative funds a comprehensive overhaul of attendance services to increase attendance rates and reduce chronic absence and non-enrolment.

Chronically absent and non-enrolled Māori students who are, or have been, learning in and through te reo Māori in English medium schools will receive support from Attendance Service providers.

New services will be developed to support the approximate 1,000 chronically absent ākonga attending Māori medium and Kaupapa Māori kura.