Summarised by Centrist
Regular school attendance improved nationwide in term two, but remained at just 42% among students predominantly learning in te reo Māori.
Associate Education Minister David Seymour described dealing with kura as “quite a difficult situation,” but when he has raised the issue, the response from them has been “leave us alone”.
Nationally, 64.3% of students attended more than nine out of every 10 half-days, up from 58.4% in 2025. Attendance among Māori students rose from 43.7% to 49.1%, while attendance in Māori-medium education increased by 4.1 percentage points to 42%.
In a separate equity-index comparison, regular attendance was 48.6% at schools serving students with greater socioeconomic barriers and 74.1% at schools facing fewer barriers.
The government has also introduced daily attendance reporting, a stepped response scheme and possible prosecution of parents. One parent has pleaded guilty, 35 have received formal notices, 18 cases were resolved before prosecution and three are currently at the prosecution stage.
Māori Principals Association chief executive Bruce Jepsen argues poverty and the removal of cultural protections from mainstream education contribute to Māori absence. He says fines risk “penalising poverty” and that students are being told to attend school while leaving their identity “at the gate”.
Editor’s note: Cultural alienation may help explain why some Māori students miss mainstream school, but it does not explain why attendance is even worse in Māori-medium education.
Re-published from the Centrist with permission
