Childcare, schools and higher education
If you are moving to New Zealand and bringing your family, you need to understand how early childhood education, school and tertiary study works here, what type of education is available, and how to choose a school that is right for your family.
How school is structured in New Zealand
In New Zealand, early childhood services are available for children under 5.
All children aged 6 to 16 years in New Zealand must either attend school or be educated at home. Most children start school when they turn 5.
Find out more on the Ministry of Education website.
Parents and caregivers — Ministry of Education
Compare your country
New Zealand has a well-respected and highly ranked education system. See how your country compares in the Legatum Institute's Prosperity Index.
Prosperity Index — Legatum Institute
Preschool care and education
Early childhood education (ECE) services provide education and care for children before they are old enough to go to primary school. ECE is not compulsory.
Most children in New Zealand get some form of early childhood education. For children aged 3 and 4, the first 20 hours per week are fully funded by the government.
20 Hours funding for early childhood education — Ministry of Education
Help paying for early childhood education — Govt.nz
The Ministry of Education has more information about early childcare, how to choose an ECE service, what happens in early learning services and what support is available.
Early learning — Ministry of Education
Choosing a preschool
New Zealand has lots of ECE services, but demand is high. Places can be hard to get, especially in the bigger cities and towns. Check early that the pre-school you are interested in has room for your child.
Choosing an early learning service — Ministry of Education
Primary, intermediate and secondary school education
There are 13 'Years' in the New Zealand school system. The Year shows how long a child has been at school.
Schooling is divided into 3 stages — primary, intermediate and secondary.
Schools (Years 0-13) — Ministry of Education
Primary and intermediate school
Schooling begins at primary school. Children can attend either a contributing primary school or a full primary school.
- Contributing primary schools are for Year 1 to Year 6 (primary school).
- Full primary schools are for Year 1 to Year 8 (primary and intermediate).
Contributing primary schools are more common than full primary schools.
If your child attends a contributing primary school, you will need to enrol them with an intermediate school to complete Years 7 and 8.
Secondary school
After your child finishes Year 8, they must attend a secondary school to complete their final school years. Secondary schools are for Year 9 to Year 13.
Secondary schools are often called colleges or high schools.
Tertiary education
In New Zealand, tertiary education covers all education after secondary school. It includes both higher education and vocational training.
School hours, terms and holidays
The school day usually starts at 09:00 and ends by 15:30.
The school year starts in January. There are 4 terms in a year, with 2-week breaks between them and a 6-week summer break at the end of the year.
For exact dates, check the Ministry of Education website.
School terms and holiday dates — Ministry of Education
Before and after school care
In New Zealand, children under the age of 14 must not be left alone without reasonable care and supervision.
There are many options for before and after school care in New Zealand, as well as programmes for children during the holidays.
Before school care (07:30 to 08.30) and after school care (15:00 to 17:00) is usually available from either private or community childcare providers. They usually also offer holiday programmes that run during business hours throughout the school holidays.
There may be a fee for before and after school care.
How to enrol your child in school
Children starting primary school for the first time at 5 or 6 years old are called 'new entrants'.
Some schools let new entrants start school at any time during the school year, usually when they turn 5.
Other schools use a system called 'cohort entry'. This means children start school in groups at the beginning of each school term.
Cohort or group entry for children starting school — Ministry of Education
Note
If your child is starting school as a newcomer to New Zealand, and they have already had some schooling, you can enrol them at any time of the year.
Domestic and international students
Your child can enrol as a domestic student if they:
- are a New Zealand resident or permanent resident
- are a New Zealand citizen (includes Tokelauans, Cook Islanders and Niueans)
- have a student visa based on your temporary work visa.
You may need to provide the school with evidence of your child's visa status.
Students who are not eligible to enrol as domestic students may be able to enrol as international students. If your child is not covered by the above list, check to see if they need a visa.
To enrol your child with a school, contact the school to find out their enrolment process.
Most children attend state schools (also known as public schools).
State schools are funded by the government and the education is free for domestic students up to 19 years of age. However, parents usually need to pay for things like school uniforms, stationery, exam fees and some course-related costs.
Parents may also be asked to pay for some learning experiences outside the classroom, like school trips or sports events and other activities that are not part of the school curriculum.
State-integrated schools are schools with a 'special character'. This means they may be run by a particular religious faith or use specialist education methods.
Education in state-integrated schools is also funded by the government, but they usually charge compulsory fees to help maintain their facilities.
Charter schools are government-funded but set their own curriculum and teaching methods. They cannot charge fees for domestic students, but can charge maintenance fees if they own their property.
Private schools are not government funded — they charge set fees by the school term or year. You may be able to get financial assistance to pay the fees.
Some private schools are also boarding schools, so students can live there during the term.
Home education, or home schooling, is an option in New Zealand.
Parents and caregivers who want to educate their child at home must get approval from their local Ministry of Education office.
Choosing a school
Children attending state schools are generally expected to go to the school that is nearest to where they live.
The Ministry of Education's website has more information about how to choose a school and how to enrol your children.
School zones and enrolment schemes — Ministry of Education
School zones
Schools in New Zealand are grouped into areas known as 'zones'. Children living inside the zone for a school are guaranteed a place there.
You can apply for your children to go to a school in a different zone, but children living in that school's zone will get first preference.
Private schools also generally do not have zoning restrictions.
To find out which schools you are zoned for, search the Education Counts website.
Find a school in your zone — Education Counts
Getting to school
When you choose a school, you will need to consider how your children will get to it.
You can find out more about bus routes, school bus safety and travel assistance for students with special needs on the Ministry of Education's website.
PTEs are places where you can get skills and qualifications to do a wide range of work.
They offer tertiary training and study, including industry training, professional qualifications, degrees and postgraduate study.
PTEs are independent and not publicly owned. Some can get funding from the government.
Study and train at private training establishments — careers.govt.nz
Institutes of technology and polytechnics offer flexible, career-focused learning through education and training programmes.
You can do apprenticeships, on-the-job training and learn while you work.
Find a learning provider — Te Pukenga
To become an apprentice, you must be over 16.
Learning at a wānanga means you can get qualifications while increasing your understanding of mātauranga Māori and tikanga Māori.
There are 3 wānanga in New Zealand.
New Zealand has 8 universities that offer a wide range of subjects and degrees. Usually you need to have 'university entrance' qualifications to enrol.