New Zealand 2026 election: Education policy comparison

As at 19 October 2026 · National election scheduled for 7 November 2026

The main differences between parties concern the cost of early childhood education (ECE), what children should learn at school, how to support students with additional needs, and how much financial help people should receive for tertiary study and training.

National is campaigning on improving foundational skills, changing qualifications and expanding learning support. Labour is emphasising stability in curriculum decisions, lower school-related costs and school building improvements. The Greens propose making ECE free, while Te Pāti Māori emphasises Māori-led education and removing barriers to learning. Teaching the basics brilliantlyRelease: Labour to give parents confidence in their children’s educationGreen Budget: Early Childhood Education for EveryoneEducation & Training

The comparison below focuses on New Zealand-wide policies from the main parties and other parties with distinct education proposals. It distinguishes announced election commitments from policies that have not yet been clearly specified.

1. Childcare and early childhood education

National

Proposes a school-readiness check for every child before starting school, clearer developmental milestones in ECE, and better reporting to parents. It would connect children needing extra help with expanded early intervention services and prohibit screens and individual device use in ECE settings. Teaching the basics brilliantlyNational will lift school leaving requirements

Labour

Has announced policies on children's screen use and support for parents, including age-appropriate guidance for ECE settings. Its broader education approach includes stable, evidence-led curriculum decisions. A comprehensive new ECE fee-free package was not confirmed in the sources reviewed. Keeping Kids off ScreensRelease: Labour to give parents confidence in their children’s education

Green Party

Proposes progressively making ECE free. Its announced plan would initially cap charges at $10 per day per child, on top of the existing 20-hour entitlement, and expand that entitlement to 35 hours a week by 2029, making ECE free within that plan. It also proposes shifting public funding away from for-profit operators towards public and community-based centres. Green Budget: Early Childhood Education for Everyone

Te Pāti Māori

Emphasises Māori-led education, proper inclusion of mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) in learning, and greater Māori governance and decision-making. Its published education summary does not specify a comparable nationwide ECE fee cap or free-hours timetable. Education & Training

Key distinction: The Greens have a specific proposal to reduce and eventually remove ECE fees. National's published commitments focus more on school readiness, developmental progress and early intervention. These are different approaches to affordability and early learning.

2. Schools: curriculum, teaching and school costs

Party	Main proposals
National	Continue its focus on reading, writing and maths, structured literacy and regular assessment. Replace NCEA with new national qualifications from 2028, require students to complete Year 11 or turn 16 (whichever is later), and introduce consistent school start and finish dates. Teaching the basics brilliantlyNational will lift school leaving requirements
Labour	Establish an independent Council for Curriculum and Assessment, retain NCEA unchanged until 2029 while expert advice is considered, restore school boards' legal obligation to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and fund improvements at more than 2,000 schools. Release: Labour to give parents confidence in their children’s educationRelease: Labour will restore Te Tiriti commitment in schoolsStart Work Now
ACT	Emphasise academic standards, measurable achievement, school choice and accountability. Support charter schools and propose cheaper school uniforms and allowing children to use passing school buses with available seats. ACT also advocates stronger teacher powers to remove disruptive pupils from class. ACT New ZealandACT New Zealand
Greens	Emphasise inclusive education, student wellbeing and education as a public good, within a broader approach that puts Te Tiriti and community participation at the centre of policy. Manifesto 2026
Te Pāti Māori	Emphasise Māori-led decision-making and embedding mātauranga Māori throughout education, alongside Māori governance and solutions. Education & Training

School lunches, transport and uniforms

These policies could make a practical difference to family budgets:

• Labour: Bring back fresh, locally made school lunches from Term 1 2028, make uniforms more affordable by limiting compulsory branded items, and work to restore 43 rural school bus routes cancelled by National where possible. Release: Labour will cut the cost of getting kids back to school
• ACT: Proposes affordable uniform requirements and allowing children to travel on passing school buses that have spare seats. ACT New Zealand
• National: Proposes nationally consistent school start and finish dates to make childcare arrangements and work schedules easier for families. National will lift school leaving requirements

One important distinction is that Labour proposes pausing further changes to NCEA until expert advice has been considered, whereas National plans to proceed with replacing it from 2028. Release: Labour to give parents confidence in their children’s educationNational will lift school leaving requirements

3. Learning support and children with additional needs

Learning support covers children with disabilities, neurodivergence, developmental delays, behavioural or emotional needs, and difficulties with learning.

National

National has committed to expanding Learning Support Coordinators across all schools with Years 1–8 students from 2028, adding teacher-aide hours and training, and expanding early intervention. Its announced package builds towards two million additional teacher-aide hours annually from 2028. It has also reformed the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) funding model to guarantee funding for verified students with high and complex needs. Budget 2025: Largest boost to Learning Support in a generationTeaching the basics brilliantly

Labour

Labour's announced approach includes giving schools greater curriculum stability, using independent expert advice, restoring the legal commitment to Te Tiriti in schooling, and improving school buildings. These commitments may affect inclusion and school environments, but I did not find a directly comparable new nationwide teacher-aide-hours commitment in the policies reviewed. Release: Labour to give parents confidence in their children’s educationRelease: Labour will restore Te Tiriti commitment in schoolsStart Work Now

Greens and Te Pāti Māori

The Greens' manifesto emphasises inclusive education and supporting students' individual needs. Te Pāti Māori focuses on Māori-led education and removing barriers to learning. Their published summaries do not specify a directly comparable nationwide teacher-aide-hours target. Manifesto 2026Education & Training

For families who need specific support, the most useful questions to ask each party are:

• Will children receive specialist help sooner, and will eligibility for support change?
• Will funding cover all eligible children with high and complex needs?
• Will schools have enough teacher aides, specialist staff and Learning Support Coordinators?
• How will support work for neurodivergent children and students who struggle in mainstream classrooms?

The key distinction in the published commitments is that National has given relatively specific staffing and funding targets, while the other parties' summaries reviewed here are less specific on comparable measures.

4. Tertiary education, university fees and student support

This is one of the clearest differences between the major parties: should government support focus on reducing the cost of studying, or on helping graduates earn more and repay their loans?

Party	Main tertiary proposals
National	Reduce compulsory student loan repayments from 12% to 10% of income above the repayment threshold from 1 April 2027 for borrowers living in New Zealand. Introduce tougher recovery measures for borrowers overseas who default. Back Pocket Boost for Graduates
Labour	Emphasises school-to-work pathways and trade training. Its education proposals include funding school improvements and supporting apprenticeships. A new comprehensive tertiary-fee or student-allowance package was not confirmed in the sources reviewed. Start Work NowKeeping Kids off Screens
Greens	Propose a broader overhaul of tertiary education and student support. A specific new commitment announced in October 2026 would pay students $380 a week during compulsory placements for nursing, teaching, social work and other specified essential professions, plus a $1,500 relocation payment for eligible students who need to move. Manifesto 2026Greens announce paid placements for nurses, teachers, and social workers
ACT	Emphasises choice and equal treatment in tertiary education, including opposing universities allocating support on the basis of ethnicity. ACT New ZealandPolicies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026
Te Pāti Māori	Emphasises Māori-led education and training, Māori governance and removing barriers that prevent whānau from accessing education. Education & Training
New Zealand First	Its previously published education policy proposed shifting Fees Free from the first year to the third year for full-time students who successfully pass their coursework, alongside free apprenticeships in in-demand occupations. These are from its 2023 policy document, so check the party's latest election commitments before treating them as its 2026 position. 2023 Election Policies

An important change to Fees Free

The current government has announced that final-year Fees Free will end at the close of 2026. Budget 2026 redirects funding towards vocational pathways, including doubling Trades Academy places from 10,000 to 20,000 and providing 1,000 additional Youth Guarantee places for young people with no or low qualifications. Education - Budget 2026Budget 2026: Securing New Zealand's Future

These are government decisions already announced, rather than new promises unique to National's 2026 campaign.

For students and graduates, the differences to examine are:

• Upfront affordability: whether tuition fees, living costs or compulsory placements receive additional support.
• Student loans: whether repayments become smaller, or the loan balance is reduced or forgiven.
• Trades and apprenticeships: whether training is free, subsidised or accompanied by financial support.
• Access and equity: whether support is universal or targeted towards particular groups or professions.

5. At-a-glance comparison

Lower childcare costs

The Greens have the clearest published plan for progressively free ECE. National's commitments focus on developmental checks, readiness for school and early intervention.

School curriculum and qualifications

National wants to continue its current reforms and replace NCEA from 2028. Labour wants an independent expert council and to retain NCEA unchanged until 2029 while future decisions are considered.

Learning support

National has published specific commitments on teacher-aide hours, Learning Support Coordinators and early intervention. Other parties emphasise different aspects of inclusion, school stability or Māori-led provision.

University and tertiary costs

National proposes lower compulsory repayments for domestic student-loan borrowers. The Greens' new paid-placement proposal offers direct financial support during specified professional training. Te Pāti Māori focuses on removing barriers, while ACT emphasises equal treatment.

Where to check the full policies

These are useful sources for verifying the details and any new announcements made during the final campaign period:

• Policy.nz — 2026 education policy comparison: compare policies across ECE, schools, tertiary education, student support and vocational training.
• National — education policy
• Labour — 2026 election policies
• ACT — education policy
• Green Party — 2026 manifesto
• Te Pāti Māori — education and training

One final caveat: election policies can change, and not every party has published an equally detailed plan in each of these four areas. The comparison reflects publicly available commitments as of 19 October 2026; where a specific 2026 commitment could not be verified, I have identified that rather than assuming an older policy remains current.