Expanding Charter Schools

The right school can change a child’s life. Charter schools give families more choice and educators the freedom to teach in ways that work for their students. Some cater for children with autism; others support high performance athletes. That freedom comes with clear standards for attendance and achievement, and schools can be shut down if they don’t deliver.

ACT brought charter schools back, and more than 2,000 students are already enrolled. We will protect them from Labour’s plans to shut them down and expand enrolments to 10,000 by the end of 2029, with the goal of a charter school option in every major town.

ACT will:

• Protect charter schools from Labour’s plans to shut them down.

• Set a target of 10,000 charter school enrolments by the end of 2029, with annual reporting on progress.

• Help more suitable state and state-integrated schools convert to charter schools by removing unnecessary barriers relating to employment, property and funding.

• Encourage new charter schools where there is sufficient demand and a suitable sponsor, with the goal of a charter school option in every major town.

• Manage funding for growth transparently through existing education budgets.

• Retain strong performance standards for attendance, achievement, financial management and student wellbeing, with schools held accountable for results.

In our team’s words:

ACT Leader David Seymour says:

“When schools are given greater freedom to innovate and respond to the needs of their students, families benefit and students thrive.

“Families have deliberately chosen to move outside the traditional system because it was not meeting their needs. Hipkins is saying Labour would force them back in.

“Charter schools cost less to establish than equivalent state schools, and are accountable to deliver results – they can be shut down if they don’t.”