Term 3 Attendance Drops After Strike Disruption as Govt Tightens School Attendance Rules

Associate Education Minister David Seymour says the setback highlights the urgent need for stronger attendance interventions nationwide.

A promising improvement in school attendance during Term 3, 2025 was undone in its final week, with widespread strike action and early holiday withdrawals causing a significant drop in attendance rates. Associate Education Minister David Seymour says the setback highlights the urgent need for stronger attendance interventions nationwide.

"With one week to go, regular attendance was sitting at 52.7%, an improvement from 51.7% last year," Seymour said. "But a very poor last week plunged the final rate to 50.3%. Almost 20,000 students fell below regular attendance because they simply knocked off early."

Despite students not being marked absent on strike days, the mid-week disruption triggered a noticeable decline in classroom turnout. According to the Government's new daily attendance dashboard, around 200,000 students were absent on the final day of term, signalling that many families treated the last week as optional.

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Illness Added Pressure but Did Not Explain Sharp Drop

Seasonal illness also contributed to absences. PHF Science reported a late‑term spike in respiratory infections during Term 3—unlike 2024, where the peak fell in Term 2.

Key data:

• 7.2% of Term 3 absences were medical-related

• Highest medical absence rate since Term 2, 2022 (nationwide attendance 39.9%)

• South Island hardest hit, particularly:

  • Canterbury & Chatham Islands: -7.6 percentage points

  • Otago & Southland: -3.1 percentage points

Seymour acknowledged the illness impact but rejected it as a primary excuse:

"Even with illness, attendance would have improved if Kiwis took the last week of term seriously."

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New Attendance Rules Now Law – Every School Must Have a Plan

The Government is moving swiftly to address absenteeism. Earlier this week, the Education and Training Amendment Bill (No. 2) passed its final reading, making attendance management plans (AMPs) mandatory in every school starting next year.

The AMP system requires schools to address declining attendance quickly and consistently, with clear escalation steps:

How Attendance Interventions Will Work

• 5 days absent: School contacts parents/guardians to discuss reasons and set expectations.

• 10 days absent: Senior leadership meets with the student and family; barriers are identified; plans created.

• 15 days absent: Escalation to the Ministry of Education, and parental prosecution may be considered.

Seymour made it clear that missing the final week of school for unjustified reasons will trigger these responses.

"No child is left behind. Students, parents, teachers, and schools all have a role to play. AMPs ensure declining attendance is not ignored."

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Stronger, Data‑Driven Attendance Services Rolling Out in 2026

From the start of next year, frontline attendance services will operate under tighter accountability requirements.

New improvements include:

• A national case management system

• Better real‑time data sharing

• Closer contract monitoring

• More consistent regional service delivery

To support the reforms, Budget 2025 includes $140 million over four years to improve attendance services, strengthen interventions, and expand local reach.

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Why Attendance Matters: The Long-Term Stakes

Seymour stressed that attending school is not just a compliance issue—it is foundational to a child's long‑term wellbeing.

Regular attendance leads to:

• Higher educational achievement

• Better physical and mental health

• Higher lifetime earnings

• Greater employment stability

• Stronger social participation

"Attending school is the first step toward positive life outcomes. Every student deserves that opportunity."

The full dataset, trends, and regional breakdowns are available at: 👉 educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/attendance