Vote Education

In total, this year’s Vote Education package adds around $2.9 billion over the next 4 years to improve student outcomes.

The additional funding increases the total investment in schools and early childhood education by 3.6% in the coming year to $19.1 billion. The total includes $429 million of savings found within Vote Education that have been redirected to higher priority frontline areas within education.

Key investments made in the Budget include an additional:

• $1.5 billion for education property
• $478 million for Ka Ora, Ka Ako to continue the Healthy School Lunches Programme for 2 more years, including $8 million to introduce a targeted early childhood food programme
• $199 million over 4 years including a 3% increase for Schools Equity and Isolation Index based components and a 2.5% increase for the remaining components of school operating grants
• $191 million over 4 years for a cost adjustment of 2% to the Early Childhood Education (ECE) subsidy for under 2-year-olds, ECE subsidy for 2-year-olds and over, 20 Hours ECE, and Equity Funding
• $163 million over 4 years to support digital services in schools, including cyber security and equipment replacement
• $153 million over 4 years to establish charter schools | kura hourua
• $67 million over 4 years for the implementation of structured literacy in all state primary schools
• $53 million over 4 years for teacher supply, retention and attraction initiatives
• $45 million over 4 years to support the rapid increase in numbers of students that require English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) support
• $32 million for Holidays Act remediation for school employees, based on an updated estimate of liability
• $15 million over 4 years to increase funding for the School High Health Needs Fund
• $14 million over 4 years to support the ongoing delivery of period products in schools programme
• $13 million over 4 years to provide sustainable funding to playcentres.

You can find details of the Budget 24 Vote Education package, including fact sheets, in the links below.

$2.93 billion investment to lift educational achievement – Beehive.govt.nz

Special edition School and Early Learning Bulletins were sent on Friday 31 May 2024.

If you have any questions, email [email protected].

Implementing Government priorities

Each year the Ministry is allocated funding by the Government to progress significant initiatives across the education system. The Budget 2024 initiatives below are important to the public and Parliament.

Ka Ora, Ka Ako | Healthy School Lunches Programme

Ka Ora, Ka Ako aims to reduce food insecurity by providing a daily nutritious lunch to students in need of the greatest support to help them learn and thrive at school or kura. 

Ka Ora, Ka Ako is targeted at the top 25% of students in schools and kura facing the greatest socio-economic barriers. The lunch programme is being extended to up to 10,000 2-to-5-year-olds in early learning services beginning February 2025.

Charter schools

The Charter School Agency will report on the launch of charter schools | kura hauora.

Charter School Agency website 

Reporting

From January 2025, there will be a report on the following for each of these 2 initiatives:

• intended results
• deliverables and planned timeline
• amount allocated over the forecast period
• indicators of performance and value for money
• where you can find the reporting and how frequently it will be updated.

Information will also be included in our annual reports for 2024-25 onwards.