# Question 102: I'm a Māori parent in a working household. I want to compare household costs and local services, and I also care about Te Tiriti and Māori participation in decisions. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. How do parties compare on Māori-medium education, te reo Māori and support for children at school?

Collected 31 October 2026

[NZ Election 2026 · Edition 7 study](https://nzbrands.ai/research/nz-election-2026/editions/7)

## ChatGPT

Answer ID: 249de4e9-b756-43e6-834c-3eacb9529fde

# 2026 New Zealand election: Māori education, te reo Māori and support for tamariki

For a whānau balancing work, household costs and your children's education, there are three important questions to consider:

1. Māori-medium education: Will there be enough funding, kaiako, classrooms and places in kōhanga reo, kura kaupapa Māori and other Māori-medium pathways?
2. Te reo Māori and Te Tiriti: Will te reo be actively supported in schools, and will Māori have meaningful authority in decisions about education?
3. Everyday support for children: What will happen to school lunches, learning support, teacher aides, school transport and affordable early childhood education?

There are significant differences between the parties on these issues in the 7 November 2026 election.

The comparison below covers National, Labour, ACT, NZ First, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori, with Opportunity also included where relevant. It distinguishes published election commitments from existing government policy and positions inferred from party records.

## 1. Māori-medium education and te reo Māori

Published policies and commitments available as at 30 October 2026.

| Party | Māori-medium education | Te reo Māori |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Te Pāti Māori | Proposes a Māori Education Authority, stronger Māori governance and investment in kaupapa Māori education. Has announced substantial targeted funding for kōhanga reo and kura. | Wants te reo strengthened and normalised throughout society, with community-led revitalisation. Proposes making te reo a core school subject through Year 10. |
| Greens | Supports Māori-led education and stronger Māori participation in education decisions. | Supports active promotion and protection of te reo. Its 2026 policy tracker identifies $50 million annually for te reo initiatives. |
| Labour | Supports Māori educational aspirations and has committed to restoring Treaty obligations for school boards. No equivalent dedicated Māori-medium capital investment package is evident in its published headline policies. | Generally supports revitalisation and opposed the coalition's English-first approach, but has not published an equally detailed standalone 2026 te reo investment commitment. |
| National | Has not published a comparable Māori-medium expansion package among its headline commitments. Its record should be considered alongside its coalition's education changes. | Supports te reo as an official language and its teaching, but the government has also directed government agencies towards English-first naming and communications. |
| ACT | Emphasises parental choice and school autonomy, including charter schools. Does not have a comparable Māori-led education authority commitment. | ACT's Nicole McKee argued in the October 2026 Kaupapa Māori debate against making te reo compulsory, emphasising choice. |
| NZ First | No substantial dedicated Māori-medium expansion programme identified in its published election commitments. It has expressed support for kōhanga reo in early childhood policy. | Supports an English-first approach to government naming and has opposed compulsory te reo learning. |

Sources: [Te Pāti Māori education policy](https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/education_training?utm_source=chatgpt.com), [Te Pāti Māori te reo policy](https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/te_reo_maori?utm_source=chatgpt.com), [Green Party 2026 manifesto](https://www.greens.org.nz/manifesto_2026?utm_source=chatgpt.com), [2026 party policy comparison](https://policy.nz/2026/party-vote/policies/te-ao-maori?utm_source=chatgpt.com), and [October 29 Kaupapa Māori debate coverage](https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/kaupapa-maori-debate-parties-talk-te-tiriti-gangs-and-future-of-te-reo-gx3b6zfn?utm_source=chatgpt.com). [Education & Training](https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/education_training)[Te Reo Māori](https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/te_reo_maori)[Manifesto 2026](https://www.greens.org.nz/manifesto_2026)[Kaupapa Māori Debate: Parties talk Te Tiriti, gangs and future of te reo](https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/kaupapa-maori-debate-parties-talk-te-tiriti-gangs-and-future-of-te-reo-gx3b6zfn)[NZ Political Parties 2026](https://www.nzvotecheck.com/parties)

### A particularly important commitment: Te Pāti Māori's investment in kura and kōhanga

Te Pāti Māori announced a specific Māori-medium education funding package in October.

According to its reported commitments:

- $250 million annually for kura Māori property investment over five years.
- $20 million annually for kōhanga reo capital funding.
- $50 million to address the backlog of kōhanga buildings needing construction or refurbishment.
- Twenty new kōhanga reo over three years.
- $30 million annually to restore Te Ahu o Te Reo Māori and develop language capability among education workers.

These are proposed commitments, not money already appropriated or delivered.

This is worth examining if your children are in kōhanga reo, kura kaupapa Māori, or you want those options to be available in your community.

## 2. Support for children at school and household costs

Education policy is also about whether children can get to school, eat properly, receive extra help and participate in school life without putting additional pressure on working parents.

Here are some of the key differences.

| Party | School lunches and food | Learning and child support | ECE and families |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Labour | Would restore its previous school lunch programme, with meals costing $5 for younger students and $6.50 for Years 9–13. | Proposes 1,000 additional teacher aides. | Supports stronger ECE affordability and teacher pay parity. |
| Greens | Would expand Ka Ora, Ka Ako to reach more schools, with locally made nutritious lunches. | Supports better access to disability and learning support services. | Proposes free ECE as a public good. |
| Te Pāti Māori | Proposes expanding school lunches. | Proposes free school counselling and stronger student support. | Supports Māori-led education and removing barriers to education for whānau. |
| National | No comparable restoration of the former universal school lunch model identified in the published commitments reviewed. | Proposes School Start Checks to identify children's developmental needs and connect them with early intervention. | Focuses on developmental milestones and restrictions on screen use. |
| ACT | No equivalent major school-lunch expansion commitment identified. | Emphasises teacher authority to manage seriously or persistently disruptive behaviour. | Emphasises parental choice and school autonomy. |
| NZ First | No equivalent major school-lunch expansion commitment identified. | No comparable additional teacher-aide commitment identified. | Supports funding parent-led Playcentres and kōhanga reo and reviewing ECE staffing ratios. |

Sources: [Labour's 2026 policies](https://www.labour.org.nz/our-policies/?utm_source=chatgpt.com), [Green Party manifesto](https://www.greens.org.nz/manifesto_2026?utm_source=chatgpt.com), [CCS Disability Action's 2026 party policy analysis](https://www.ccsdisabilityaction.org.nz/news/policy-analysis-2026?utm_source=chatgpt.com), and [National Council of Women election survey](https://www.ncwnz.org.nz/election_survey_2026?utm_source=chatgpt.com). [Labour's 2026 Election Policies](https://www.labour.org.nz/our-policies/)[Manifesto 2026](https://www.greens.org.nz/manifesto_2026)[Election 2026: Political Parties Policy Analysis](https://www.ccsdisabilityaction.org.nz/news/policy-analysis-2026)[Election Survey 2026 - National Council of Women of New Zealand](https://www.ncwnz.org.nz/election_survey_2026)

### What this could mean for a working household

There are some practical differences worth investigating:

- Food costs: Labour and the Greens have explicit school lunch commitments, although their proposed delivery models differ.
- Extra help at school: Labour's additional teacher aides and the Greens' learning-support proposals address different aspects of children's needs.
- ECE costs: The Greens' free ECE proposal is a significant change to the way early childhood education is funded.
- Māori educational pathways: Te Pāti Māori has the most detailed dedicated Māori-medium capital investment proposal in the material reviewed.

Remember that proposed savings are not necessarily immediate savings. Funding, eligibility, implementation dates and whether a programme covers your child's school all matter.

## 3. Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Māori participation in decisions

This is another major dividing line between the parties.

The question is not just whether Māori culture is recognised. It is whether iwi, hapū, whānau and Māori education organisations have a meaningful role in deciding how education is designed, funded and delivered.

| Party | Approach to Te Tiriti and Māori decision-making |
| --- | --- |
| Te Pāti Māori | Proposes constitutional change grounded in Te Tiriti, an independent Te Tiriti Commission, binding Waitangi Tribunal recommendations and stronger Māori-led institutions. |
| Greens | Supports Te Tiriti partnership, rangatiratanga, co-governance and stronger Māori authority in public decision-making. |
| Labour | Has historically supported Treaty-based partnerships and Māori participation in public services. Opposes the Treaty Principles Bill and supports restoring Treaty obligations removed from school boards. |
| National | Emphasises equal citizenship and a more limited interpretation of Treaty obligations. Its government removed some co-governance arrangements and disestablished the Māori Health Authority. |
| ACT | Supports redefining Treaty principles around equal individual rights and opposes ethnicity-based public decision-making arrangements. |
| NZ First | Emphasises one law for all, opposes separate Māori governance arrangements in public services and proposes a referendum on the Māori electorates. |

Sources: [Te Pāti Māori's policy platform](https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/policy?utm_source=chatgpt.com), [Green Party manifesto](https://www.greens.org.nz/manifesto_2026?utm_source=chatgpt.com), [2026 Te Tiriti party comparison](https://whichparty.nz/topics/treaty?utm_source=chatgpt.com), and [2026 election policy analysis](https://www.nzvotecheck.com/parties?utm_source=chatgpt.com). [Policy](https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/policy)[Manifesto 2026](https://www.greens.org.nz/manifesto_2026)[Te Tiriti o Waitangi Policy: Where NZ Parties Stand in 2026](https://whichparty.nz/topics/treaty)[NZ Political Parties 2026](https://www.nzvotecheck.com/parties)

One important distinction:

Consultation is not the same as decision-making authority.

If you want Māori participation to mean more than being asked for feedback, examine whether a party proposes:

- Māori representation on education governing bodies.
- Māori authority over Māori-medium education.
- Proper funding for iwi and hapū education partnerships.
- Recognition of mātauranga Māori in the curriculum.
- Accountability to Te Tiriti when government makes education decisions.

These are useful ways to assess what parties mean when they talk about partnership.

## 4. Where the parties' proposals differ most

Here is a neutral summary of the main policy differences, without ranking parties.

Māori-medium education

- Te Pāti Māori: Specific funding for kura and kōhanga infrastructure and Māori-led education governance.
- Greens: Māori-centred education and stronger te reo investment.
- Labour: General education and Treaty-related commitments, without an equivalent published Māori-medium investment package.
- National, ACT and NZ First: No equivalent dedicated Māori-medium expansion programme identified in the commitments reviewed.

Te reo Māori

- Te Pāti Māori: Compulsory core subject through Year 10.
- Greens: Active promotion and substantial proposed investment.
- Labour: Supportive of revitalisation, without a comparable standalone funding commitment.
- ACT: Opposes compulsory learning.
- National: Supports teaching te reo but has adopted English-first government naming.
- NZ First: Supports English-first government naming and opposes compulsory te reo.

Everyday school support

- Labour: 1,000 additional teacher aides and restoration of its school lunch programme.
- Greens: Expanded school lunches, free ECE and stronger learning support.
- Te Pāti Māori: Expanded lunches, free counselling and student support.
- National: Developmental checks and early intervention.
- ACT: Classroom behaviour and parental choice.
- NZ First: ECE workforce and community early-learning support.

## 5. Questions worth asking before you vote

For a working Māori household, I would look beyond the announcements and ask each party the following:

1. Kōhanga and kura: How many additional places will be funded, and where will the kaiako come from?
2. Te reo: Will my child be able to learn te reo Māori regardless of whether they attend a mainstream school or kura?
3. School costs: What will parents actually pay for lunches, uniforms, transport and school activities?
4. Learning support: How quickly can children access teacher aides, speech-language therapy, learning support and counselling?
5. ECE: Will working parents have access to affordable, quality early childhood education?
6. Te Tiriti: Will Māori have genuine decision-making power, rather than simply being consulted after decisions are made?
7. Accountability: What measurable outcomes will parties report on Māori educational achievement, attendance, language proficiency and access to Māori-medium education?

## 6. Useful independent election resources

These can help you check the detail rather than relying solely on campaign speeches.

- [Policy.nz – 2026 education policies](https://policy.nz/2026/party-vote/policies/education?utm_source=chatgpt.com): Compare school, ECE and tertiary education commitments.
- [Policy.nz – Te ao Māori policies](https://policy.nz/2026/party-vote/policies/te-ao-maori?utm_source=chatgpt.com): Compare Treaty, language and Māori wellbeing policies.
- [Te Pāti Māori – official policies](https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/policy?utm_source=chatgpt.com).
- [Green Party – 2026 manifesto](https://www.greens.org.nz/manifesto_2026?utm_source=chatgpt.com).
- [Labour – 2026 policies](https://www.labour.org.nz/our-policies/?utm_source=chatgpt.com).

## 7. One final consideration for your whānau

I would keep three separate measures in mind when comparing parties:

- Whānau wellbeing: Does the policy make it easier to afford food, housing, childcare and school costs?
- Mokopuna futures: Does it give children access to good teaching, learning support, cultural identity and educational opportunities?
- Rangatiratanga: Does it give Māori meaningful influence over decisions affecting Māori children, language and communities?

A party can offer practical financial assistance without supporting Māori decision-making. Equally, a party can support Māori governance while having different proposals for the immediate costs facing parents.

Those are separate considerations, and it is worth weighing both.

One thing I'd be interested in exploring further is the actual cost to your household. We could compare proposed school lunches, ECE costs, school transport, uniforms and other family expenses alongside Māori education and Te Tiriti commitments, so that the financial and cultural implications are both visible when you make your decision.

---

Worked for 11s

Searching the web

Searching the web

Searched 20 websites

## Gemini

Answer ID: 6e4d76e2-f884-488b-8833-96e683e0f730

As a Māori parent balancing household costs while wanting to ensure your tamariki thrive in a culturally grounded, supportive schooling environment, navigating the 2026 General Election choices involves looking at starkly contrasting political philosophies. Parties view Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Māori-medium education, te reo Māori, and systemic support for children through very different lenses.

Here is how the political landscape shapes up on these kaupapa:

---

### 1. Māori-Medium Education and Te Reo Māori
* **Te Pāti Māori & The Green Party:** 
  * **Te Pāti Māori** campaigns heavily on self-determination (*tino rangatiratanga*). Their policies include establishing an independent **Māori Education Authority** to shift governance into Māori hands, making te reo Māori a core subject up to Year 10, creating a Kōhanga Reo Act with secure baseline funding, and expanding capital investment into Māori-led education. 
  * **The Green Party** aligns closely by supporting Māori-led education systems, embedding *mātauranga Māori* securely across learning, and removing systemic barriers for whānau.
* **Labour Party:** 
  * Focuses on sustained funding for kōhanga reo and immersion pathways, previously championing initiatives like *Te Ahu o te reo Māori* to upskill teachers. They generally support state-backed growth of Māori-medium education infrastructure and integrating culturally responsive frameworks within public schooling.
* **National, ACT, and New Zealand First (Centre-Right / Coalition Bloc):**
  * Generally favour a universal approach to public education rather than ethnically targeted authorities. 
  * **National** focuses heavily on core foundational basics (structured literacy and numeracy hours) and standardized metrics (like School Start Checks and developmental tracking). While they do not support separate governance authorities, state funding for kura kaupapa remains protected under mainstream frameworks, though emphasis is placed tightly on academic outcomes and English/Māori baseline basics.
  * **ACT** emphasizes school choice, expanding partnership/charter schools, and streamlining curriculum options, often pushing back against race-based co-governance models or mandated targets for te reo across the wider state sector.

---

### 2. Support for Children at School (Cost-of-Living, Lunches, and Wellbeing)
For working households feeling the pinch of household costs, school support policies directly impact the family budget:

* **Te Pāti Māori, Greens, and Labour (Left / Progressive Bloc):**
  * **School Lunches:** Strongly committed to expanding or protecting universal school lunch programmes (Ka Ora, Ka Ako) to ease grocery pressures on working households. Te Pāti Māori and the Greens advocate for expanding these further alongside free in-school counselling and targeted support.
  * **Incomes & Cost Relief:** Labour, Greens, and Te Pāti Māori tie child wellbeing closely to household income support—proposing changes like lifting baseline benefits/wages, removing financial penalties, and increasing working-family tax credits or universal child payments (e.g., Green Party's Best Start extensions) to help with after-school care, transport, and equipment costs.
* **National and ACT (Centre-Right Bloc):**
  * **Targeted Support vs. Universal Costs:** National has maintained a focus on classroom-level resourcing—such as investing in teacher aides and Learning Support Coordinators in schools—to help children with diverse learning needs. Rather than broad-based cash transfers or universal free schemes, their economic relief focuses on tax adjustments, FamilyBoost childcare subsidies, and reducing student loan or living costs for young adults later on.
  * **Classroom Environment & Discipline:** ACT and National emphasize tighter rules on behavior and attendance (such as phone bans, strict enforcement of attendance, and tools for teachers to manage disruptive classrooms), arguing that orderly classrooms are the best form of support for achieving student success.

---

### 3. Te Tiriti, Participation, and Decision-Making
* **Māori-Led Solutions vs. Universal Democracy:** 
  * If your vote is guided by *Te Tiriti o Waitangi* as an active partnership and you want to see Māori sitting at the decision-making table with genuine authority (co-design and co-governance), **Te Pāti Māori and the Green Party** explicitly build their educational and social policies around this framework.
  * **Labour** takes a middle path, emphasizing partnership, localized iwi/hapū engagement, and Crown-Māori relations within existing public service structures.
  * **National, ACT, and NZ First** actively campaign against what they term "race-based co-governance," preferring a model of universal citizenship where public services treat all New Zealanders identically, regardless of ethnicity. They argue that public funding should be allocated based on individual socioeconomic need rather than ethnic identity.

### Summary for the Voting Booth
* **Vote Left/Te Pāti Māori** if your priority is structural change via Māori-led education authorities, expanded free school support (lunches/counselling), active Te Tiriti partnerships, and state policies explicitly targeted at uplifting whānau out of economic hardship.
* **Vote Centre-Right** if your priority is standardized educational basics, classroom discipline, school choice (including charter models), and economic relief through tax/household cost management rather than targeted ethnic governance structures.

## Google AI Mode

Answer ID: 056d92ea-96e2-4577-8610-9a86574907f3

When weighing your vote as a Māori parent in a working household during the 2026 general election, the political landscape offers sharply contrasting approaches to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, te reo Māori, Māori-medium education, and general school support.

Party positions cluster into distinct approaches regarding how they view the Crown-Māori relationship and support for tamariki:

Te Pāti Māori, Green Party, and Labour (Centre-Left to Indigenous-Led)

 * **Te Pāti Māori:** Focuses heavily on _tino rangatiratanga_ (self-determination) and systemic transformation. They advocate for independent Māori-led authorities across public sectors, making the Waitangi Tribunal recommendations binding, entrenching Māori seats, and significantly expanding funding for te reo Māori and whānau-led or immersion education systems designed by Māori, for Māori.

 * **Green Party:** Emphasises a strong commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi as a foundational constitutional document. Their education policies align with resourcing kura kaupapa and immersion pathways, embedding robust te reo Māori and local indigenous history across the entire curriculum, and tackling child poverty through universal support systems (such as free school lunches and expanded mental health or wellbeing support in schools) that disproportionately benefit working-class and Māori households.

 * **Labour Party:** Positions itself around equitable public service delivery and partnership under Te Tiriti. Labour generally supports the continuous growth of Māori-medium education (kura kaupapa and wharekura), funding targeted learning supports (like extra teacher aides or school lunch programmes), and protecting public sector use of te reo Māori against rollback.

National, ACT, and New Zealand First (Centre-Right Coalition Approach)

 * **National Party:** Focuses on mainstream economic management and educational achievement metrics (such as baseline literacy and numeracy standards). While supporting core curriculum requirements, the current government framework led by National has focused on scaling back specific co-governance elements, reviewing how the principles of the Treaty are defined in legislation, and moderating the formal or institutional use of te reo Māori in favor of a universal public service approach. Their school support mechanisms lean toward standardized testing, structured literacy, and operational funding adjustments rather than race- or culture-specific funding streams.

 * **ACT Party:** Advocates for the complete removal or strict redefinition of "Treaty principles" from all legislation, arguing for equal citizenship without race-based provisions. In education, their focus is on school choice, charter/partnership schools, and standard academic auditing rather than targeted Māori language or immersion funding initiatives.

 * **New Zealand First:** Takes a populist stance against what it terms "separatism," pushing to remove te reo Māori operational requirements and bilingual branding from government departments, health agencies, and educational frameworks, emphasizing English as the primary operational language of the state.

* * *

Comparing Key Priorities for a Working Māori Household

Focus Area| Labour / Greens / Te Pāti Māori| National / ACT / NZ First
---|---|---
**Te Reo & Kura Support**| Expansion and active protection of Māori-medium education, curriculum integration, and public funding for language initiatives.| Streamlining public services toward English/dual usage, re-evaluating co-governance, and prioritizing core literacy over specific cultural frameworks.
**Te Tiriti o Waitangi**| Strengthening Treaty principles in law, binding Waitangi Tribunal powers, and incorporating indigenous partnership in public decisions.| Re-interpreting or removing Treaty principles from legislation to ensure a uniform legal standard for all citizens.
**School & Household Support**| Universal or targeted welfare supports inside schools (e.g., lunches, decile-free equity funding, mental health access).| Focus on school choice, structured performance metrics, and economic tax relief rather than targeted identity-based funding.

To dive deeper into specific candidate profiles or local electorate dynamics in your area, you can explore the comprehensive comparisons on Policy.nz or check local electorate coverage via RNZ Politics and Whakaata Māori.

## AI Overviews

Answer ID: 76c530f8-a105-42d5-ad8d-aeb3e4c1469b

For the **2026 New Zealand general election** , political parties have drawn distinct battle lines over the role of **te reo Māori** , the structure of **Māori-medium education** , and the delivery of school-level support for tamariki. As a working household that values Te Tiriti and local services, your choices reflect contrasting visions for how governance and funding should be shared.

The major parties approach these areas across three core pillars:

* * *

1\. Māori-Medium Education & Governance

The parties offer completely different paths for who should hold the authority over Māori education:

 * **Te Pāti Māori:** Promises a fundamental shift in decision-making by establishing an independent, iwi-backed **Māori Education Authority**. They advocate for a clear, fully funded pathway from Kōhanga Reo through to Kura Kaupapa and Wharekura, arguing that immersion environments consistently outperform mainstream environments for tamariki Māori. principalstoday.co.nzTeachers, schools and the electionEducation policy guide | RNZTe Pāti Māori launched its education policy in Rotorua calling ... by Te Karere on Facebook - 3 minutes 51 seconds

 * **Green Party:** Strongly supports the creation of a **Māori Education Authority** and opposes recent central government actions that altered school boards' obligations to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

 * **Labour Party:** Commits to returning to a model of **genuine partnership with Māori** in education decisions. They have formally opposed curriculum and structural changes enacted without iwi engagement and promise targeted funding, such as $21 million annually for Māori-led trades training through marae and iwi trusts. labour.org.nzRelease: Labour will partner with Māori in education

 * **National Party:** Focuses on centralized curriculum standards rather than separate governance structures. National’s platform emphasizes standardizing core capabilities for all children through its rigid "structured literacy and math" framework. national.org.nzNational's plan for parents | National PartyNational Will Keep An Hour of Reading, Writing and Maths by New Zealand National Party on Facebook - 23 seconds

 * **ACT Party:** Champions **charter schools** as the primary vehicle for choice. ACT highlights that it has established six Māori-led charter schools, arguing that localized, contract-based funding gives Māori communities direct operational control without needing a separate state education bureaucracy.

* * *

2\. Te Reo Māori in Schools

Funding for the language and its place in the everyday curriculum varies by political alignment:

 * **Te Pāti Māori & Green Party:** Both push for systemic normalization. Te Pāti Māori intends to make te reo Māori a **core, compulsory subject up to Year 10** and remunerate kaiako based on language fluency. The Greens have welcomed an initial $200 million investment proposal specifically to help existing kaiako upskill in te reo. stories.theconversation.comElection policy tracker: what the parties are promisingTe Wiki o te Reo and the election: Comparing te reo MāoriThe future of te reo Māori has come under the spotlight, with ... by RNZ on Instagram - 1 minute 29 seconds

 * **Labour Party:** Supports widespread access to the language and embedding Aotearoa New Zealand histories within schools, protecting the use of te reo across public and educational systems. policy.nzPolicies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026

 * **National & ACT:** Focus strictly on choice and core English literacy. They support limiting mandatory language requirements in mainstream contexts, preferring to keep te reo optional for general state schools while maintaining focus on the mandatory hour-a-day allocations for reading, writing, and mathematics.

* * *

3\. Support for Children at School (Household & Learning Support)

For working households balancing costs, the practical assistance a school provides is a crucial factor:

Party| School Lunches & Transport| Learning Support & Teacher Aides| Financial Relief for Parents
---|---|---|---
**Te Pāti Māori**| **Expand** Ka Ora, Ka Ako lunches; free student public transport.| Free school-based counselling; workforce development for kaiako.| Write off student loans after 5 years of local work; clear living cost debt.
**Green Party**| **Expand** school lunches; protect universal services.| Expand access to learning support; establish a single specialist care agency.| Universal student allowances; return to fully fees-free tertiary education.
**Labour Party**| Maintain school lunches; **$20 weekly public transport cap** across services.| Support for Māori-led trades training and school equity.| Cut existing student loan balances by 10%; interest freeze for returning Kiwis.
**National Party**| Rationalized approach to social spending.| Standardized curriculum delivery across all public classrooms.| **$120/week FamilyBoost childcare rebate** ; broad tax relief for working families.
**ACT Party**| Focuses on targeted spending rather than universal expansions.| Broaden rules allowing teachers to use proportionate physical interventions for safety.| Focus on reducing school cost pressures by **limiting compulsory branded uniform items**.

* * *

If you would like to explore specific local angles, please let me know:

 * Which specific **electorate** or **region** you live in (to check local service changes)?

 * If you are enrolled on the **Māori Electoral Roll** or the **General Roll**?

 * Whether you want to see a deeper breakdown of the **wealth and tax policy options** that impact working household costs.