7319 (2026). Hon Jo Luxton to the Minister of Education

7319 (2026). Hon Jo Luxton to the Minister of Education: How does the decision to cancel, merge, or redirect certain school bus routes align with the Ministry of Education’s stated purpose to ‘shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent outcomes,’ particularly in relation to ensuring equitable outcomes for students who rely on Ministry funded transport to get to school?

Hon Erica Stanford: I am advised the Ministry of Education (the Ministry) undertakes route reviews to ensure routes are optimised to meet the needs of the eligible students. School transport funding is provided through the School Transport appropriation and can only be used for eligible students. The Ministry’s decisions to cancel, merge, or redirect routes align with its purpose to shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent outcomes. This is achieved by investing in transport assistance for eligible students, with 263 million dollars in 2024/25 supporting more than 100,000 predominantly rural students to get to school. As per my response to written parliamentary question 7325 (2026), following a recommendation from the Ministry, I have agreed to the Ministry undertaking a wide-ranging review of its school transport policy settings.