Key initiatives#

The following key initiatives will be implemented.

• $15 million to enable industry skills boards to develop at least 8 new secondary subjects, each focused on a specific industry (for example, construction or primary industries). These will support more students to get high-quality vocational education and training while in secondary school.
• $68.9 million to double the number of places in trades academies to 20,000 by 2030. Trades academies provide a secondary-tertiary programme that is industry-focused learning providing vocational education and training for secondary students.
• $61.2 million to provide resources to support the refreshed curriculum for Years 9 to 13.
• $20.1 million for teacher professional learning and development for the refreshed curriculum for Years 11 to 13.
• $29.5 million to start the replacement of the 20-year-old legacy technology system in NZQA which holds over 4.4 million learner achievement records.

Industry skills boards#

• $15 million opex

This will enable industry skills boards to develop at least 8 new secondary school subjects, each focused on a specific industry (for example, construction or primary industries).

This will support more students to get high-quality vocational education and training while at school, to assist them into higher education or employment, including apprenticeships.

Expanding vocational training opportunities#

• $68.9 million opex

This will create 10,000 new places in trades academies by 2030. Trades academies are a secondary-tertiary programme that provides secondary school students with access to high-quality industry-led learning.

Trades academy places are currently insufficient to meet student demand.

Senior secondary subjects#

Resources to support the refreshed curriculum for Years 9 to 13#

• $53.7 million opex
• $7.5 million capex

This will fund the development of resources for all secondary curriculum subjects in the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa. It supports:

• the development of curriculum-aligned resource packages with teacher guidance and activities
• improvements and ongoing maintenance of Tāhūrangi, our curriculum website
• a fund for schools and kura to purchase English and Te Reo Rangatira texts.

Teacher professional learning and development for the refreshed curriculum for Years 11 to 13#

• $20 million opex
• $0.1 million capex

This will fund professional learning and development for secondary teachers to deliver the refreshed senior secondary curriculum and new national secondary qualifications for Years 12 to 13.

This will reach approximately 32,620 teachers of Years 11 to 13 across 100 subjects.

New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA)#

Delivery of NCEA and New Zealand Scholarships#

• $44.5 million opex

This will fund a gap between what NZQA currently receives and the actual cost of delivering assessment for our national qualification.

The gap has been driven by increases in the number of subjects and in the support required for special assessment conditions, internal
assessment and quality assurance activity. 

The funding includes supporting the cost of special assessment conditions arrangements for more than 19,000 students.

Strategic Technology Enhancement Project#

• $29.5 million opex

This funding will support the Strategic Technology Enhancement Project (STEP), which replaces NZQA’s 20-year-old IT infrastructure.

This IT system provides the foundation for nationally significant service:

• delivering NCEA to over 220,000 students across 500 schools
• holding records of achievement for over 4.4 million learners.

STEP will support NZQA’s core business functions, integration with the wider education and social sector and future changes to the national qualification system.

Implementing the new secondary school qualification#

• $8.4 million opex

This will provide time-limited funding for NZQA to begin developing the new secondary school qualification. It includes development and testing of internal and external assessments for the new Years 11 to 13 curriculum subjects. 

This funding will cover the first phase of work to be undertaken in 2026/27, including specialist workforce to deliver development of internal and external assessments and other associated products for testing (includes training costs) for 128 subjects across Years 12 and 13.

Administration payment for administering NCEA assessments#

• $5.6 million opex

This will go towards the administrative costs of schools’ and kura to deliver NCEA co-requisite external assessments.

Funding will be administered by NZQA. It includes funding to support approximately 110,000 students.

Piloting AI and machine learning in NCEA and New Zealand Scholarship#

• $2.1 million opex

This initiative will provide funding to NZQA for the first phase of work to develop pilots and proof of concepts for auto text scoring, AI and machine learning to support marking, moderation and exam development for our national qualification. AI and machine learning applications may enable greater consistency and standardisation, operational efficiency and speed.

Rockquest events#

• $0.2 million opex

This will provide additional funding in recognition of ongoing cost pressures for funded events and programmes delivered by Rockquest Promotions Ltd.

These events provide students with hands-on real-world creative experiences across live performance, digital media and visual arts.
Continued Government support enables these opportunities to remain available to schools nationwide.