NZ Passes Education Training Amendment Bill to Lift Student Engagement

“When the Government takes education seriously, so do parents, students, and schools. School attendance matters for the future of this country, and we are fixing it,” said Seymour.

The Education Training Amendment Bill (No. 2) has officially passed its third reading in Parliament, marking a major milestone in the government’s mission to improve school attendance across New Zealand. The legislation, championed by Associate Education Minister David Seymour, introduces mandatory attendance management plans for all schools beginning in Term 1, 2026, under a framework known as STAR — Stepped Attendance Response.

“When the Government takes education seriously, so do parents, students, and schools. School attendance matters for the future of this country, and we are fixing it,” said Seymour.

The new law follows a series of concerning reports in recent years showing declining attendance rates nationwide. The government’s attendance strategy, backed by a $140 million investment over four years through Budget 2025, aims to reverse that trend by combining accountability, community engagement, and targeted support.

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STAR: A Framework for Consistent and Effective Attendance Action

The STAR system (Stepped Attendance Response) will serve as the national model for how schools track, manage, and respond to absenteeism. It requires every school to create its own attendance management plan — tailored to its community — within a standard national framework.

The system is based on escalating levels of intervention triggered by declining attendance rates:

• 90% attendance: Early engagement with families and students to understand barriers.

• 80% attendance: Development of individualized plans and targeted interventions.

• 70% attendance or below: Coordinated response involving attendance services and, if necessary, escalation to enforcement measures.

The goal, according to Seymour, is to empower schools with the flexibility to respond locally while ensuring national consistency and accountability.

“STAR means no child is left behind. Every student, parent, teacher, and school has a role to play,” Seymour said. “Each school will develop their own STAR system to suit their community, based on a common framework.”

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Attendance Trends Show Progress Under New Strategy

The new legislation comes amid encouraging signs of improvement in national attendance figures. In Term 2, 2025, 58.4% of students attended school regularly, compared to just 39.6% in Term 2, 2022 — a dramatic improvement attributed to the government’s ongoing attendance initiatives.

The Education Review Office’s (ERO) latest Attendance Attitude Report found that parents and students are becoming more aware of the importance of regular attendance, reflecting a cultural shift in how attendance is perceived.

“Educators have been in touch to express their support,” said Seymour. “We are creating a culture where school attendance is essential.”

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Strengthening Frontline Attendance Services

From next year, frontline attendance services will operate under tighter accountability standards and a modernized, data-driven approach. The overhaul will enable services to manage cases more effectively, identify trends earlier, and collaborate closely with schools and families.

Under the new model, attendance services will:

• Reach twice as many chronically absent and non-enrolled students.

• Spend more time understanding underlying causes of absenteeism and tailoring support.

• Collaborate with schools, families, and agencies to design and monitor individualized return-to-school plans.

• Use up to 3% of contract funding to address students’ unmet basic needs — such as school uniforms, devices, stationery, or transport — that may prevent attendance.

• Apply stronger enforcement measures in cases where parents or guardians fail to engage.

“At the start of next year, frontline attendance services will be more accountable, better at managing cases, and data-driven in their responses,” said Seymour. “This is about ensuring every student has the opportunity to succeed.”

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Investing in the Future: $140 Million to Improve Attendance

The $140 million package announced in Budget 2025 represents one of the largest recent investments in attendance improvement initiatives. It includes funding for:

• Expanding attendance service contracts nationwide.

• Developing new attendance data monitoring tools for schools and the Ministry of Education.

• Providing additional training and resources for teachers and principals.

• Supporting community-based attendance programs in partnership with iwi and local organizations.

The investment also supports the rollout of a new case management system that will centralize data on attendance patterns, enabling real-time analysis and early intervention.

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The Broader Vision: Attendance as a Pathway to Opportunity

Minister Seymour emphasized that improving attendance is about more than compliance — it’s about breaking cycles of disadvantage and giving every child a fair chance to thrive.

“Attending school is the first step towards achieving positive educational outcomes,” he said. “Those outcomes lead to better health, higher incomes, and greater participation within communities. These are opportunities that every student deserves.”

The Education Training Amendment Bill builds on the government’s broader education agenda to restore standards, improve literacy and numeracy, and reduce inequities in learning outcomes.

By ensuring that students are in school — and engaged — the government aims to lay a foundation for long-term social and economic resilience.

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Building a Culture of Learning and Accountability

As the STAR framework takes effect in Term 1, 2026, schools will be expected to report regularly on attendance performance and progress. The Ministry of Education will use national benchmarks and real-time data to evaluate school-level success and direct additional support where needed.

While some educators have expressed concern about administrative workloads, the government says the new system will streamline processes by integrating existing attendance data into a single, digital platform.

Many schools that have already piloted attendance plans under STAR report positive engagement from families and better early intervention for students at risk of disengagement.

“What we are doing is working,” Seymour reiterated. “We are seeing results because we are taking action. Attendance is rising, and attitudes are shifting. We are building a culture where going to school is the norm, not the exception.”

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Looking Ahead

With the passing of the Education Training Amendment Bill (No. 2), the government has cemented attendance as a national education priority. The next stage will focus on implementation and community engagement, ensuring that schools, families, and students all understand their shared responsibility.

The combination of local empowerment, national oversight, and targeted investment represents a new era of attendance reform — one designed not only to get students back to class, but to keep them there and help them succeed.

“Education is the foundation of opportunity,” Seymour concluded. “And attendance is the foundation of education. With this Bill, we are making sure every child has that chance.”