School Transport Review implementation
This initiative is driven by the need to implement the recommendations of the 2009/10 review of school transport as agreed by the Minister of Education in 2010.
It provides an increase in existing baselines to fund the extension of technology transport assistance (that is transport to off-site technology centres) to year 7 and 8 students at recapitated1 primary schools at a cost of approximately $2.567 million over 4 years.
The initiative will also enable School Transport Assistance for Māori medium schools (schools established under sections 155 and 156 of the Education Act 1989) to be aligned with the school transport assistance given to English medium schools. This change will cost approximately $8.036 million over 4 years. The total cost of the initiative is $10.600 million over 4 years (a 1.3 per cent increase a year).
Both funding components address long-standing funding inequities.
The initiative directly supports the Government’s commitment to support access to kura and the commitment to direct more funding to the front line.
1 A recapitated school is a contributing school (year 1 to 6) that has had a change of class to become a full primary school (year 1 to 8).