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All parties on Education
Education · Party position

Labour on Education

Restore Treaty commitments and support Māori and trades education

Labour says it will bring back the legal requirement for schools to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and reverse cuts to Māori language support for teachers. It also criticises recent changes to the curriculum, school qualifications, and charter schools. For trades training, Labour would extend payments to employers taking on apprentices, offer a $1,000 toolbox grant, and add five new trades to the scheme.

What they say they'll do

  • Restore the legal requirement for school boards to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi
  • Reverse cuts to support for teachers learning te reo Māori
  • Work in partnership with schools, kura, and communities on Māori education
  • Oppose changes to curriculum, mandated testing, school qualifications, and charter schools
  • Extend Apprenticeship Boost employer payments from 2027
  • Provide a $1,000 toolbox grant and add more trades to the apprenticeship scheme (from 2027)

Who this affects

School students
Schools would be legally required to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, with Labour saying this would make classrooms more inclusive for all children.
Teachers
Support for teachers learning te reo Māori would be restored, and Labour says reinstating the Te Tiriti obligation would give teachers more confidence and better resources.
Māori communities and kura
Labour says it would work in partnership with Māori communities, schools, and kura to reverse changes it describes as harmful to Māori education.
Apprentices and trades workers
From 1 July 2027, apprentices in eligible trades could receive a $1,000 toolbox grant, and employers taking them on would receive extended payments under the Apprenticeship Boost scheme.
Employers hiring apprentices
Employers who take on apprentices in the covered trades would receive extended Apprenticeship Boost payments from 1 July 2027.

In their own words

“Labour has submitted the Education and Training (Upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi) Amendment Bill to reinstate the obligation for school boards to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.”
“Labour says the Minister must put children, not politics, at the heart of the curriculum.”
“Labour will support more tradespeople with extended employer payments and a $1,000 toolbox grant, from 2027.”
Verify at Labour — official policy page

Summarised neutrally from Labour’s own official policy (as at 2026-07-16) and checked by an editor. Nothing is paraphrased without the source linked. Read the original ↗ Arapono is non-partisan. Compare all parties on Education →

Coverage at a glance

Which party holds a published position on which topic.

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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∅