Public Policy
/ analysis
Budget 2025/26's spending allocations for Education from early childhood, to vocational and tertiary levels
30th May 25, 11:57am
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This table outlines the New Zealand Government's planned Education spending for the 2025/26 budget year.
Actual spending for the previous five years is on the left.
The numbers are drawn from Vote Education, Vote Tertiary Education and Vote Education Review Office.
Links to the primary source used, from Treasury's website, can be found at the bottom of the page.
Please note that some of the allocation titles have been shortened for the sake of space.
Figures for each allocation are in millions of NZ$.
| Actual 2020/21 | Actual 2021/22 | Actual 2022/23 | Actual 2023/24 | Estimate 2024/25 | Budget 2025/26 | % | |
| NZ$m | NZ$m | NZ$m | NZ$m | NZ$m | NZ$m | ||
| 21.1 | 3.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | Education Providers with COVID-19-Related Losses of Income | 0.0 | 0.0% |
| 42.3 | 69.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | Access to Tertiary Education | 0.0 | 0.0% |
| 8.5 | 4.5 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | Careers System Online | 0.0 | 0.0% |
| 9.2 | 8.3 | 4.3 | 0.7 | 0.0 | University-led Innovation | 0.0 | 0.0% |
| 67.1 | 21.2 | 40.6 | 22.9 | 5.0 | Vocational Education | 0.0 | 0.0% |
| 8.1 | 0.0 | 41.7 | 77.8 | 39.0 | Strategic Support for National and Regional Priorities | 0.0 | 0.0% |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 347.1 | 283.1 | 153.3 | Fees-free Payments | 2.1 | 0.0% |
| 9.1 | 18.9 | 1.8 | 3.4 | 3.1 | Impairment of Debts and Assets and Debt Write-Offs | 3.0 | 0.0% |
| 34.3 | 42.8 | 25.8 | 16.0 | 17.4 | Tertiary Sector / Industry Collaboration Projects | 8.9 | 0.0% |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.3 | Redress for Abuse in Care | 9.6 | 0.0% |
| 6.5 | 8.3 | 8.1 | 8.8 | 9.8 | Home Schooling Allowances | 9.7 | 0.0% |
| 13.4 | 11.7 | 10.4 | 10.5 | 13.0 | Scholarships and Awards Students | 13.0 | 0.1% |
| 15.7 | 16.1 | 18.4 | 13.9 | 13.0 | Stewardship and Oversight of the Tertiary Education System | 13.0 | 0.1% |
| 0.0 | 50.2 | 65.0 | 65.0 | 65.0 | Workforce Development Councils | 15.0 | 0.1% |
| 14.9 | 19.5 | 20.3 | 19.9 | 21.1 | Tertiary Scholarships and Awards | 16.9 | 0.1% |
| 21.4 | 18.2 | 22.9 | 20.8 | 24.3 | Supporting Parents & the Community | 22.9 | 0.1% |
| 17.3 | 91.0 | 45.8 | 79.5 | 29.0 | Support for Place-based inititatives | 24.0 | 0.1% |
| 32.7 | 37.7 | 32.2 | 27.6 | 26.0 | International Education Programmes | 28.9 | 0.1% |
| 24.8 | 20.0 | 23.4 | 34.3 | 28.7 | Schooling Improvement | 30.3 | 0.1% |
| 28.8 | 29.3 | 29.7 | 29.1 | 45.4 | School Managed Network Funding | 31.4 | 0.1% |
| 19.8 | 17.8 | 12.8 | 11.2 | 15.2 | Contributions to Other Agencies | 33.5 | 0.1% |
| 22.7 | 18.4 | 31.0 | 37.7 | 46.3 | Scholarships and Awards for Teachers and Trainees | 47.5 | 0.2% |
| 49.8 | 49.8 | 49.8 | 49.8 | 49.8 | Centres of Research Excellence | 49.8 | 0.2% |
| 35.6 | 34.6 | 40.2 | 97.5 | 52.9 | Education Review Office | 54.3 | 0.2% |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 21.5 | Charter Schools I Kura Hourua | 57.2 | 0.2% |
| 92.8 | 77.2 | 80.5 | 72.9 | 69.5 | Administration of and Support for the Tertiary Education and Careers Systems | 91.9 | 0.4% |
| 148.1 | 146.8 | 140.1 | 146.1 | 137.1 | Oversight and Administration of the Qualifications & Education System | 139.0 | 0.6% |
| 216.3 | 209.8 | 235.5 | 254.7 | 267.1 | School Transport | 267.1 | 1.1% |
| 321.0 | 321.0 | 315.0 | 315.0 | 315.0 | Tertiary Education Research and Research-Based Teaching | 315.0 | 1.3% |
| 287.4 | 367.5 | 389.7 | 388.4 | 404.0 | Improved Quality Teaching and Learning | 439.4 | 1.9% |
| 1,136.8 | 1,276.4 | 1,376.0 | 1,498.9 | 1,522.7 | Outcomes for Target Student Groups | 1,562.5 | 6.6% |
| 1,491.7 | 1,618.3 | 1,849.0 | 2,050.7 | 1,878.7 | Capital Expenditure | 1,765.3 | 7.4% |
| 2,123.2 | 2,241.0 | 2,347.2 | 2,702.5 | 2,957.0 | Early Learning | 3,057.0 | 12.9% |
| 2,019.0 | 3,205.1 | 2,787.9 | 2,914.2 | 3,116.0 | Tertiary Tuition and Training | 3,228.6 | 13.6% |
| 120.4 | 2,480.2 | 2,786.6 | 3,294.4 | 3,630.7 | School Property, Furniture and Equipment | 3,659.9 | 15.4% |
| 8,937.8 | 7,147.5 | 7,243.7 | 8,258.7 | 8,417.2 | Primary and Secondary Education | 8,705.8 | 36.7% |
| 17,397 | 19,682 | 20,424 | 22,806 | 23,397 | Total Spending | 23,703 | 100% |
| Less: Recoveries | |||||||
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 0.0 | School Support Recovery | 0.0 | 0.0% |
| 0.5 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 1.3 | 0.0 | Tertiary Recoveries | 0.0 | 0.0% |
| 2.4 | 2.5 | 4.0 | 2.1 | 0.0 | Asset Sales | 0.0 | 0.0% |
| 0.0 | 0.4 | 2.8 | 5.1 | 0.0 | Miscellaneous Revenue | 0.0 | 0.0% |
| 9.2 | 17.7 | 1.2 | 3.9 | 2.3 | Miscellaneous Receipts | 2.3 | 0.0% |
| 2.6 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 3.0 | 3.8 | Overseas Students' Fees | 3.8 | 0.0% |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 5.7 | 4.1 | Export Education Levies | 4.1 | 0.0% |
| 14.7 | 24.3 | 13.0 | 22.3 | 10.1 | Total Education | 10.1 | 0.0% |
| 17,383 | 19,658 | 20,411 | 22,784 | 23,387 | Net Education | 23,693 | 100% |
You can get back to the main page that summarises all government spending here >>
Sources: You can download the data behind these tables from the NZ Government website here.
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