Arapono
Election CentreYour VotePartiesPolicies
Learn
Log inSign up free
Data sourced from:
New Zealand ParliamentElectoral CommissionStats NZNew Zealand TreasuryRadio New Zealand (RNZ)Beehive
Arapono

Navigating New Zealand Politics

An independent, non-partisan political information platform for New Zealanders.

  • Instagram
  • Facebook

Learn

  • Find what matters to you
  • Your Plan
  • How Parliament Works
  • Glossary
  • About Arapono
  • Our Sources

Explore

  • Command Centre
  • Elections
  • Battlegrounds
  • Interactive Map
  • MPs Directory
  • Party Policies
  • Budget 2026
  • Bills Tracker

Account

  • Sign Up Free
  • Log In

Legal

  • Help & FAQ
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Submit a Correction

© 2026 Arapono. All rights reserved.

Arapono is an independent platform. All information is sourced from official NZ government and electoral sources. We are not affiliated with any political party.

All parties on Education
Education · Party position

ACT on Education

Parent choice, core knowledge, and school accountability

ACT wants parents to have more say in where their child goes to school. They support bringing back partnership schools (publicly funded but independently run) and want the curriculum to focus on reading, writing, maths, science, and history. They also want schools to be judged on results, and the best teachers to be paid more.

What they say they'll do

  • Introduce Student Education Accounts — publicly funded accounts parents can spend at any registered school or provider
  • Publish detailed, comparable school performance data for parents
  • Raise teacher training standards with a focus on evidence-based literacy and numeracy methods
  • Introduce performance-based pay so schools can reward their best teachers
  • Restore and expand partnership (charter) schools — publicly funded but independently run
  • Keep curriculum focused on core subjects: reading, writing, maths, science, and history

Who this affects

Parents and families
A Student Education Account would give parents a publicly funded amount they could direct to any registered school or provider, rather than being tied to a local school.
School students
The curriculum would centre on core subjects like reading, writing, maths, science, and history, and school attendance reporting would be strengthened to reduce truancy.
Teachers
Teacher training would be reshaped around evidence-based methods, and schools would be able to offer higher pay to teachers whose students show strong progress.
Families considering non-mainstream schools
Partnership schools — publicly funded but independently run — would be available as an option alongside state schools.

In their own words

“Every child should have access to a quality education that equips them with the knowledge and skills to succeed in life.”
“Introduce a Student Education Account system — every child to have a publicly funded account parents can use at any registered school or provider.”
“Reward the best teachers — performance-based pay enabling schools to pay their best teachers more based on student progress.”
Verify at ACT — Education (act.org.nz/education)

Summarised neutrally from ACT’s own official policy (as at 2026-06-23) and checked by an editor. Nothing is paraphrased without the source linked. Read the original ↗ Arapono is non-partisan. Compare all parties on Education →

In depth — from ACT’s policy document · 2 August 2026

Teacher authority and classroom disruption

ACT would give teachers an explicit legal power to order a disruptive student out of the classroom, with reasonable force available if the student refuses twice. Staff acting in good faith would get clear legal protection, an assault on anyone at school would automatically trigger removal and a stand-down or suspension, and parent meetings would become mandatory for serious or repeated behaviour — enforced with fines of up to $3,000 and liability for deliberate property damage.

Teachers affected
About half
Time lost
40–50 min a day
PISA ranking
Lowest in the OECD
Read the full breakdown7 sections · 4 quotes · 7 open questions

Coverage at a glance

Which party holds a published position on which topic.

Open the compare tool →

Swipe across to see all 11 topics — the party column stays put.

PartyEconomyHousingHealthEducationClimateEnvironmentCrime & JusticeTreaty & Māori AffairsImmigrationForeign PolicyDemocracy & Government
National
Published position∅ No stated position (verified) Not captured yet
∅
Labour∅∅∅∅∅∅
Green
ACT
NZ First
Te Pāti Māori
TOP
Also contesting, without seats in Parliament
Women’s Rights
Animal Justice
ALCP
Conservative
Outdoors & Freedom
Vision NZ
Alliance
Free Palestine
NZ Loyal∅
Te Tai Tokerau∅