Reinvesting into Budget 2025 education initiatives#

Delivering effective and fiscally sustainable public services remains a priority.

Budget 2025 is making significant investment in education, particularly in improving learning supports to lift student achievement.

The fiscal environment is constrained, and trade-offs have to be made so we can continue to build on the work that’s underway to transform the education system to address inequities and improve learners’ achievement and outcomes.

For Budget 2025, initiatives were discontinued, and their funding reinvested into initiatives and targeted supports that are evidence-informed, more equitable, and better align with education targets and government priorities. This reinvestment will enhance outcomes for learners and improve predictability and accessibility of education services.

Initiatives have been stopped due to reducing duplication of services, reducing underperforming programmes, and ending programmes do not have clear evidence on whether they’re delivering the intended outcomes. Others were underspends and there are initiatives that have reduced funding.

Reinvesting the funding in targeted interventions mean that learners who need more support will get it quickly and with greater intensity.

Kāhui Ako#

• $375.5m operating funding.

This initiative reprioritises funding from stopping funding for Kāhui Ako, which are groups of education institutions (mainly schools) that were formed to collaborate and share best practice. There are 220 Kāhui Ako covering 3,500 schools, early childhood centres and tertiary providers.

Stopping the programme means that teachers and principals no longer receive allowances or release time for Kāhui Ako activities, and schools will no longer receive Kāhui Ako grants and allowances for induction, travel, and networking. Other grants and allowances outside Kāhui Ako are not affected.

Funding is being reinvested into the Learning Support Package.

Regional Response Fund#

• $45.0m operating funding.

This initiative reprioritises funding from the Regional Response Fund which was established to support learners who were disengaged or at risk of disengaging from education post COVID-19. Funding is being reinvested into the Attendance in Schools Package.

Resource Teacher Literacy#

• $39.2m operating funding.

This initiative reprioritises funding from the Resource Teacher: Literacy service, which mainly works with English medium schools (Years 0 to 8), coaching teachers and directly supporting students.

This funding will be reinvested to deliver in-school supports to accelerate student progress and learning support interventions. This includes the structured literacy approaches staffing initiative and the Early Intervention Service expansion.

Kaupapa Māori and Māori medium education – reprioritising underspent funding#

• $36.1m operating funding.

This initiative reprioritises funding that was intended to provide equivalent investment in curriculum staffing ratio reductions for Kaupapa Māori and Māori medium education settings, as funded in English medium settings.

Funding for the curriculum staffing ratio reduction in Kaupapa Māori and Māori medium education settings was overestimated. The appropriate level of funding for these settings has since been confirmed and implemented.

Rather than being returned to the centre, the resulting surplus is being retained and reinvested into the Learning Support Package. This reallocation of underspent funding does not impact any existing programmes or resourcing for schools and kura.

Māori Education Package – reprioritised funding#

• $36.1m operating funding.

This initiative reprioritises funding by disestablishing the Wharekura Expert Teachers programme, disestablishing the 53 full-time teaching equivalent (FTTE) Resource Teacher Māori roles from the staffing order, and redirecting unallocated funding from the Māori Language Funding to Support Provision and Growth initiative.

This saving is being wholly reinvested into the Budget 2025 Māori Education Package.

Resource Teachers Learning and Behaviour – services to students in Years 11 to 13#

• $13.8m operating funding.

This initiative reprioritises funding from the Resource Teachers Learning and Behaviour service (RTLB) for students in Years 11 to 13, which is currently provided to schools as flexible funding.

The funding is not directly related to the implementation of the RTLB service, and it is not distributed based on need for the support, with minimal assurances on what it is used for. There has been no evaluation of effectiveness. Funding is being reinvested into the Learning Support Package.

Reading Together#

• $13.3m operating funding.

This initiative reprioritises funding from stopping 2 programmes: Reading Together Te Pānui Ngātahi and Early Reading Together.

The programmes were for parents and caregivers to learn how to support their children’s reading and literacy development and to make reading fun for whānau and families. Funding is being reinvested into curriculum and assessment initiatives that support a system-wide approach to raising achievement.

Learning support – Positive Behaviour for Learning School-Wide – participation grants#

• $12.1m operating funding.

This initiative reprioritises funding from the participation grant paid to schools that adopted the Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) School-Wide programme.

The programme uses a systematic approach to building a positive school culture to support children and staff in schools. Funding is being reinvested into new initiatives in the learning support system to target effective interventions for students with additional needs. Other PB4L funding is not affected by this reprioritisation.

Schools’ operational grant – Classroom set-up grant removed and vandalism funding reduced#

• $7.4m operating funding.

This initiative reprioritises funding from two components of the schools’ operational grant, removing the New Classroom Set-Up grant and reducing Vandalism Funding by 20%.

Funding will still be provided to schools for furniture and equipment. Funding will be redirected to support other education priorities. Funding is being reinvested into the Learning Support Package.

Pacific Education Programmes#

• $6.8m operating funding.

This initiative reprioritises funding from stopping 3 programmes for Pacific learners: Tu’u Mālohi, Pacific Reading Together and Developing Mathematical Inquiry Communities. It also removes the remaining funding from the refresh of the Action Plan for Pacific Education.

Funding is being reinvested into curriculum and assessment initiatives that support a system-wide approach to raising achievement. This funding will be redirected to Homework and Tutoring Services for Years 9 to 10 to Meet NCEA Co-requisites.

Study Support Centres#

• $6.4m operating funding.

This initiative reprioritises funding from stopping Study Support Centres (SSCs) run by schools, iwi and community groups. SSCs provided additional educational support for ~4,500 students who might have been at risk of under-achievement in Years 1 to 8, but the funding was unfairly distributed.

Funding is being reinvested into curriculum and assessment initiatives that support a system-wide approach to raising achievement.

Greater Christchurch Education Renewal Programme#

• $4.3m operating funding.

This initiative reprioritises funding from stopping the Greater Christchurch Education Renewal Programme, which supported Christchurch schools with earthquake recovery. The funding was used to strengthen leadership, enhance well-being, and foster collaboration with mana whenua, but is no longer required for earthquake recovery. Funding is being reinvested into the Learning Support Package.

Charter Schools | Kura Hourua – Reprioritised funding#

• $4.0m operating funding.

This initiative reprioritises funding from the Charter School Agency in the current financial year due to changes in the delivery profile against initial Budget 2024 assumptions. Funding is being reinvested into the Early Childhood Education Funding Review.

Teaching and Learning Research Initiative#

• $3.1m operating funding.

This initiative reprioritises funding from stopping the Teaching and Learning Research Initiative which is managed and coordinated by Rangahau Mātauranga o Aotearoa | the New Zealand Council for Educational Research.

The funding is used for collaborative research about teaching and learning in early childhood, school, and tertiary sectors, but will be reprioritised when the current 3-year contracts expire, from 2027/2028. Funding will be reinvested into curriculum and assessment initiatives that support a system-wide approach to raising achievement.

Network Hub Service#

• $2.8m operating funding.

This initiative reprioritises funding from stopping the Network Hub service, which provides central coordination, support and guidance for the 35 Networks of Expertise (NEX). NEX are subject associations and other peer-to-peer networks which deliver specialist subject support for teachers and kaiako.

Options for the coordination of NEX (including bringing some functions in-house within the Ministry of Education) will be considered alongside re-procurement of the NEX service during 2025. Funding will be reinvested into curriculum and assessment initiatives that support a system-wide approach to raising achievement.

Schools’ Operational Grant – Part-time students#

• $2.5m operating funding.

This initiative reprioritises funding from progressively phasing out the additional schools’ operational grant funding given to state schools where more than 20% of the students are registered as part time. Funding is being reinvested into the Learning Support Package.

Education Gazette#

• $2.1m operating funding.

This initiative reprioritises funding by moving the Education Gazette to an online-only format and reducing the number of issues from 16 to 12 each year, from 2025.

The Gazette is the Ministry’s magazine for informing and engaging education professionals, with readership exceeding 100,000. Funding is being reinvested into workforce initiatives to ensure quality teaching and leadership.

Professional Learning and Development redesign#

• $1.6m operating funding.

This initiative reprioritises funding from the Redesign of Professional Learning and Development programme which contributed to the design and development of the government’s structured literacy approaches.

This funding is not required as a number of structured literacy supports have been deployed earlier than originally planned. Funding is being reinvested into curriculum and assessment initiatives that support a system-wide approach to raising achievement.

Teaching Council Professional Learning and Development – Reduced funding#

• $1.0m operating funding.

This initiative reprioritises a portion of funding that is paid annually to the Teaching Council for its legislated optional functions – to provide leadership to the education profession, enhance the status of education leaders, and identify and disseminate best practice in education leadership.

Funding is being reinvested into curriculum and assessment initiatives that support a system-wide approach to raising achievement.

Early Learning Professional Learning and Development – Reprioritising underspent funding#

• $0.2m operating funding.

This initiative reprioritises underspent funding that was allocated for targeted professional learning and resource development to support the expanded early learning curriculum legal framework for Te Whāriki a Te Kōhanga Reo and Te Whāriki.

Funding is being reinvested into curriculum and assessment initiatives that support a system-wide approach to raising achievement.

Teachers' Tertiary study in literacy and maths programme#

• $0.2m operating funding.

This initiative reprioritises funding from stopping the Teachers’ Tertiary study in literacy and maths programme (also known as the Tertiary fees funding support scheme). It is an entitlement subsidy (up to 50%) to support teachers to study a mathematics or literacy paper at graduate or post-graduate level.

Funding is being reinvested into curriculum and assessment initiatives that support a system-wide approach to raising achievement.

Charter Schools Professional Learning and Development Funding – Reprioritising underspent funding#

• $0.1m operating funding.

This initiative reprioritises underspent funding which was provisionally allocated to state schools that converted to being charter schools in 2024/25 for professional learning and development. Funding was not required as no state schools converted in this period.

Funding is being reinvested into curriculum and assessment initiatives that support a system-wide approach to raising achievement.