- Hon David Seymour
Associate Minister of Education David Seymour welcomes the publication of the first public annual reports from charter schools.
“Charter schools are unlocking young New Zealanders’ potential. Students who were not attending are at school, and those who were behind are ahead. The Seven original schools that opened in early 2025 have released their first reports with five of the seven exceeding their targets for attendance, and five exceeding their achievement targets,” Mr Seymour says.
All charter schools that opened last year have now published their first Public Annual Reports. These reports include attendance and achievement data for the 2025 year.
“When children can learn and grow in ways more specific to their needs, they achieve more at school,” Mr Seymour says.
“Each report highlights progress being made already. Five of the seven schools which opened last year are hitting their performance targets for achievement.
“TIPENE took initial assessment data in February 2025. It showed more than half their students were below the expected levels in mathematics, reading, and writing. By the end of the year, 81 per cent of students were achieving at or above the expected level in mathematics, 79 per cent in reading, and 80 per cent in writing.
“In its first year École Française Internationale Auckland surpassed the Government targets for both attendance and achievement. In Term 1 this year regular attendance at Twin Oaks was 98 per cent.
“There are also still areas for improvement. While students at Mastery School made over one year’s improvement in English and Maths in their first year, they didn’t meet their performance threshold for achievement. The school was specifically set up to work with young people disengaged or at risk of disengaging from education. They have had a strong first year, but we don’t apologise for setting the bar high.
“Last year students at charter schools also attended school more than students in the state system. Three of the charter schools which opened last year were set up to work with students who faced significant barriers to education prior to their enrolment in charter schools. This includes many students who previously attended school very rarely, but are now at school significantly more, and achieving at a much higher level.
“Christchurch North College and BUSY School NZ are two examples of those schools. Both these schools in their first year didn’t reach their attendance thresholds, but the improvement has been significant.
“At Christchurch North College for example, all its students were previously disengaged from education. The school began its year with a regular attendance rate of 28 per cent. In Term 4 it was 42 per cent. While at BUSY School NZ, the average attendance rate for its students before enrolling was just 19 per cent. It now sits at 83 per cent.
“In return for greater autonomy with how they use their funding, charter schools will face greater scrutiny.
“Public reporting builds trust and ensures that schools remain focused on delivering improved outcomes for learners. Parents, communities and the taxpayer deserve to know how these schools are performing.
“Minimum standards are informed by a school’s equity index (EQI), which is reviewed annually. As schools grow and change, their EQI, and the standards they are expected to meet, may also change. The goal is to guide schools towards the Government’s targets.
“If a school is not making meaningful progress, the Authorisation Board will step in. Initially, this may involve requiring the school to map out how it will improve attendance or achievement. If progress is not made, the Board can end the school’s contract.
“These first reports are a good step towards building trust. They help parents, communities and the taxpayer understand how well these schools are performing. The Agency will continue to work with these schools to lift that accountability.”
The schools that are required to have published an Annual Public Report last week are:
- Christchurch North College – 2025 Annual Public Report
- École Française Internationale Auckland – Annual Report – 2025 – Auckland French International School
- Mastery Schools New Zealand – Arapaki – MSNZ-Audited-Accounts-2025.pdfMSNZ_2025_Annual_Report_Final.pdf
- North West College – Microsoft Word – Website Annual Report 2025 NWC.docx
- Te Rito, Te Kura Taiao – Annual Report 2025
- The BUSY School New Zealand – TBS-NZ-ANN-2025-0526-TBS-NZ-Annual-Report-2025_DIGI-1.pdf
- TIPENE – Co-Tumuaki Annual Report Against the Annual Plan (2025) CSA.pdf – Google Drive
- Twin Oaks – Twin Oaks Annual Report 2025– Please note Twin Oaks opened in Term 3 so it’s first annual report only covers 6 months.
