Homeschooling in New Zealand

Homeschooling is legal in New Zealand. The Ministry of Education reports annually on the population, age, ethnicity, and turnover of students being educated at home. The most recent statistics show:

"As at 1 July 2015, there were 5,558 home schooled students recorded in the Ministry of Education's Homeschooling database. These students belong to 2,916 families and represent 0.7% of total school enrolments as at 1 July 2015. Out of the 5,558 homeschoolers 66.5% were the aged 12 or under, 66.6% had been home-schooled for less than 5 years, and only 4.4% had been home-schooled for 10 years or more.

European/Pākehā students are more likely to be homeschooled than any other ethnic group with 81.5% of all homeschoolers identifying as European/Pākehā compared to 52.3% of the total school population. Only 7.6% of homeschoolers identify as Māori compared to 23.6% of the total school population, 2.0% of homeschoolers identify as Pasifika compared to 9.8% of the total school population, and 2.1% of homeschoolers identify as Asian compared to 10.6% of the total school population. The ethnicity of 2.7% of homeschoolers is unknown.

Between 1 July 2014 and 1 July 2015 there was an overall net increase of 3 students; 1,032 students entered into homeschooling and 1,029 students finished homeschooling.

The average age of the 1,032 students entering into homeschooling was 8 years old, 86.6% were aged 12 or under and 1.0% were age 16 or above. Of the students entering homeschooling during the year ending 1 July 2015, 75.0% identified as European/Pākehā, 10.1% identified as Māori, 3.4% identified as Pasifika, 2.9% identified as Asian, and 2.1% of homeschoolers ethnicity were unknown.

The average age of the 1,029 students finishing homeschooling was 14 years old, 38.4% were aged 12 or under, and 24.5% were 16-years old or above. Of the students finishing homeschooling during the year ending 1 July 2015, 21.6% had been in homeschooling less than a year, 36.4% had been in homeschooling for 1 – 5 years, and 12.5% had been in homeschooling for 10 years or more. The average time spent in homeschooling of leaving students was 4.4 years."

Under New Zealand law, all children aged six or over must be enrolled in a registered school unless they have been issued an exemption by the Ministry of Education (MoE). Application must be made to the MoE for a Certificate of Exemption for each child and a statutory declaration signed and sent to the Ministry every six months. In the initial application, the parent or caregiver "must satisfy the Ministry that [the] child will be taught at least as regularly and as well as they would be in a registered school.". Parents or caregivers who homeschool may choose to receive a "home education supervision allowance" from the MoE for each exempted child.

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