The 2024 Budget provided $153 million over four years to fund up to 15 new charter schools and up to 35 existing state schools to convert. A further 10 have been approved to open in 2026, including a sports-centred school, an online charter school, and one that is being set up by Autism NZ. Seymour said if a significant part of a community did not support its school converting to a charter school, the board would take that into account in its decision. Two years ago, Seymour said he expected it to be easy for state schools to convert, but he has since revised that opinion. “That money that David Seymour is putting towards charter schools, I think, is better spent in our state schooling system.”All the previous charter schools had become special character schools and she was not aware of any that once again became charter schools.

Source: New Zealand Herald January 13, 2026 16:02 UTC