Education in New Zealand

Education in New Zealand is generally provided free of charge for primary and secondary schooling. Some schools will ask for a donation from the parents, this can be known as school fees or parental contribution.

From the ages of 3 – 5 children can attend a play centre or kindergarten. There are also privately owned and government funded centres for children aged 0-5.

Primary and secondary education is compulsory for all children aged between 6 and 16. Children can leave school at the age of 15 with both their parents and the schools permission. They also have the right to remain in education until the age of 18.

Primary schools tend to end in year 8 and secondary schools go up to year 13. The years 7 and 8 at primary school are usually seen as intermediate school.

State and state integrated schools are both funded by the government while private schools charge fees and only get about 25% of their funding from the New Zealand government.

Some schools run a system similar to catch-ment areas in the UK. In New Zealand they are known as home zones. If you live in a home zone for a particular school your children will have a right to attend that school. If there are any places available after the children from the home zone, then children who live outside the home zone can apply to that school. Some children from outside the home zone will have preference over others, for instance, if they already have a brother or sister at the school already or if their parents are on the board.

For further education you can go to one of the many colleges of education, polytechnics or universities. These establishments you can study for a further qualification such as a Bachelors degree. Those courses can take up to 3 years. If you complete the Bachelors you can then study for a Masters degree. There are grants and bursaries available to help with the costs of further education.

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