How New Zealand educates its students is one of the most important parts of society, and one that can never be neglected.

Labour believes in achieving the highest level of educational standard as possible while ensuring that schools and teachers are given the best possible funding and equipment to facilitate an effective learning environment. Labour also knows that we must reform our schooling system as much as possible to ensure that each and every single student is given a high quality education. In order to accomplish this, Labour will:

Remove all means testing on student allowance & loans for degrees

Currently, means testing assumes that all young adults with wealthier parents will always be willing to pay for their child's daily needs. This is a dangerous assumption, and the basic right of education should be afforded to all children. We should be seeing education as an investment, helping to ensure that whatever a young person wants to become, they will not have to rely on their parents. Our young adults shouldn’t have to rely on their parents generosity, especially when many are leaving home and getting independence. Means testing slows down the system and assumes that kids will always have the money to pay for their education, just because their parents do.

Make all first degrees in tertiary education free of all charges

We will make all students first degrees free. No loans. No costs. This is the ultimate investment into our economy, providing the workers of our future with their keys to access it.

Increase funding for our schools

Labour believes it is important to provide schools with a high amount of funding to ensure the highest quality education possible for our students. As such, the Minister of Education under a Labour government will be expected to review the budget for schools and adjust it accordingly by increasing it as much as is needed to facilitate a higher quality education system.

Labour also believes that students in a modern New Zealand deserve the absolute best from our schools. Due to this, Labour will have the Minister of Education conduct a comprehensive review of schools all across the nation and determine where the schools could use more assistance in rebuilding any damaged parts, improving buildings, and obtaining high tech equipment to assist in the education of our youth. We will then use this information to inform a Labour budget to implement these changes and grant school extra funds intended for these purposes.

Provide pay raises for all school staff

Labour recognizes that all staff in schools play a crucial role in shaping the future of the younger generation. Teachers especially work hard every day to provide students with knowledge. Teachers should never be left out and underpaid for this invaluable work. However, Labour also recognizes that the entire staff in a school, not just the teaching staff, is vital in maintaining a school and ensuring students have a place of learning. A Labour government will see the Minister of Education reviewing the pay for all school staff and we will work to raise this to a reasonable amount.

Institute a workplace education programme

One of the most important tasks of schooling is to prepare young folk into entering the workforce. Finding and working someone’s first job can be incredibly overwhelming and difficult. Labour believes we can do better in preparing our students. Most people need to work to survive, and while Labour believes in reducing this need as much as possible we should also ensure that students have the basic work skills, interview knowledge, and know-how to find the jobs that they are interested in. Furthermore, we must educate students on workers rights, unions, and how to deal with labour abuse when they experience it.

Provide education for adults

Labour believes that all New Zealanders have a right to education, and this includes adults. While many would typically consider adults of certain ages to be past the point of attending schooling, Labour knows how important it can be in a worker’s life to seek reeducation. Furthermore, some people lack the privileged to seek higher education at a younger age; however, they may be able to later in their life. If adults wish to seek out education in their adult life, New Zealand should provide it. Labour will establish programmes to assist adults in seeking higher education and establish vocational education programmes for adults.

Create a school leavers toolkit for students

Students need to be given a comprehensive toolkit for entering life after school. Along with providing workforce education, Labour will create a School Leavers’ Toolkit, designed to teach students about to enter the adult world about key life skills. This will include how to drive, how to get a driver’s license, how to fit in in the workplace, financial literacy, especially on how to file taxes, and so on. Labour will seek guidance from parliament and, if government, its ministers on the full specifics and will be open to including more into the toolkit; however, it must include these basic skills. In doing this, Labour will allow school leavers to be more prepared to enter post-school life.

Support and empower early childhood education

Children are some of the most important people in this country to invest in. They will lead the country one day, they will be the workers who back up the country’s entire economy, and they will be the innovators who work to save humanity. It is thus our job as a government to support them as much as possible. Labour will seek to ensure access to Early Childhood Education to all families and ensure that they are properly funded to the fullest extent so that all children get the early education they deserve.