Government's attendance goal doable, literacy and numeracy unlikely

The Education Ministry says the government will probably achieve its school attendance target by 2030 but its reading, writing and maths target is at risk.

The assessment was in the ministry's 2026 annual report.

The report said the ministry had two education targets to reach by December 2030.

They were 80 percent of school children attending school regularly and 80 percent of Year 8 students at or above the expected curriculum level for their age in reading, writing, and maths.

The report said the attendance target could be achieved.

"Recent progress reports assess achieving the target as "probable". As at 30 June 2026, 64.3 percent of students were present for more than 90 percent of Term Two," it said.

But the literacy and numeracy target was less likely.

"Recent progress reports assess achieving the target as "at risk". As at 30 June 2026, 45 percent of Year 8 students were at the expected levels for reading, 28 percent for writing and 24 percent for maths," the annual report said.

The report said achievement rates generally were "well below the acceptable standard" at both primary and secondary school.

It said lifting attendance was challenging but improvements were starting to show.

"However, achievement remains uneven across learners and year groups with many students still below expected levels. Achievement gaps persist, and schools and kura are continuing to build confidence in using new tools and approaches, most of which have only been in place since the beginning of 2025. Sustained support and consistent implementation will be important to maintaining and improving outcomes over time," the report said.

The report said illness accounted for a half of all absences.

"How minor illness is managed by schools and parents is key to improving attendance, along with how parents understand the benefits of education and prioritise it, establishing good attendance habits early," it said.

The report said the pace of change in the education sector required careful balancing.

"Feedback from the sector consistently highlights the challenge of implementing multiple changes at the same time, alongside ongoing workforce, fiscal and operational pressures. As steward of the system, the Ministry needs to balance the need to improve outcomes with the sector's capacity to absorb and implement change," it said.

The annual report said strengthening the education system for Māori was a priority.

"Māori learners make up a significant (25 percent) and growing proportion of all learners within our schooling system," it said.

"The system is not yet delivering equitable outcomes for all students and persistent disparities in attendance and achievement remain."

The report emphasised investment in Māori-medium education, an area that enrolled about 28,000 students last year against a total Māori roll of about 210,000.

"Investment in Māori education, especially Māori-medium and Kaupapa Māori education settings, contributes not only to improved educational outcomes for Māori learners, but also to the vitality of te reo Māori and mātauranga Māori," it said.

The report said the ministry spent $191.4 million on contractors and consultants last year, $6m less than the previous year.

It spent $506m on salaries and wages.