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# A Look at Funding for Home Schooling
- URL: https://goodoil.news/a-look-at-funding-for-home-schooling/
- Published: 2025-06-27T00:00:09.000Z
- Updated: 2025-06-27T00:00:08.000Z
- Description: A very key issue is why parents are choosing to educate their children is that the state system in their area is demonstrably failing them – despite paying their taxes.
- Author: Reproduced with permission
- Tags: NZ Politics, Education

[**Alwyn Poole**](https://alwynpoole.substack.com/p/funding-for-home-schooling)  
*Began teaching in 1991\. TBC, HBHS, St Cuths. Founded/led Mt Hobson MS–18 years. Co-founded SAMS and MSWA.*

In New Zealand there are currently more than 10,000 children who are home schooled.

In so doing, they save taxpayers $100,000,000 per annum.

You need permission from the Ministry of Education to teach your own children. This then entitles you to $796pa government support for the first child. Less for any siblings.

In NZ private schools receive approximately $1400 per student per annum. A pitiful amount given that they pay $3000 GST on $20,000 fees. [In Australia private schools receive above 10 times that figure ](https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/dec/04/twenty-private-schools-with-wealthiest-parents-received-130m-total-in-australian-public-funds-in-2023?ref=goodoil.news)and 36 per cent of students attend them. It is less than four per cent in NZ.

A very key issue is why parents are choosing to educate their children is that the state system in their area is demonstrably failing them – despite paying their taxes.

[This can be for reasons such as poor academics, bullying, non-alignment with parental values...](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/homeschooling-numbers-double-while-funding-hasnt-changed-in-decades/YJLLAJ6KHRERVCSCXDMNYKXKLI/?ref=goodoil.news)

ACT promises a “money follows the student” policy but has not got even close to establishing it.

How do we create a much better system that allows parents to choose?

This article was originally published by [Education – the Absolute Best Ways](https://alwynpoole.substack.com/p/funding-for-home-schooling).