Budget 2025 Boosts Learning Support with $746M Investment for NZ Schools

The Government is delivering on its commitment to ensure every child gets the support they need to thrive, with major Budget 2025 learning support initiatives rolling out in schools as students return for Term 1 of the school year.

Budget 2025 invested $746.7 million to strengthen learning support – the largest boost in a generation. Today marks the beginning of the rollout of those significant initiatives, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.

Early identification and timely support are critical for lifting educational achievement. From today, new services and specialist support are in place that benefit hundreds of thousands of students in classrooms all around the country.

Key initiatives include: Learning Support Coordinators (LSCs): this year more than 100,000 Year 1–8 students and their teachers will benefit from new Learning Support Coordinators across 474 schools.

Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS): the package also expands support for learners with the highest needs, with additional funding already enabling 500 more students to receive support since Budget 2025 and another 1700 due to receive support by 2028/29 Early Intervention Services (EIS): From this year support extends through Year 1 and includes 560 specialist roles and additional Teacher Aide hours.

Teacher Aide Hours: In total an additional 800,000 Teacher Aide hours have been funded this year with more being added every year.

The Government is also investing in helping kids catch up when they need additional support. Structured literacy intervention teachers are now working in 1,248 schools and maths intervention teachers are now in 812 schools, accelerating the learning of thousands of students around the country.

Ms Stanford says that the Ministry of Education is now launching the induction programme for Learning Support Coordinators to provide high-quality professional learning and development that enables them to maximise the impact of their roles on learner achievement.

The induction programme will ensure nationally consistent practice and provide essential knowledge and skills for teachers starting in the role, Ms Stanford says.

This Government is ambitious about raising educational achievement. Our changes provide the support and resources required by students and their teachers to experience success in the classroom, so that every child can reach their potential.