50832 (2025). Dr Lawrence Xu-Nan to the Minister of Education

50832 (2025). Dr Lawrence Xu-Nan to the Minister of Education: What, if anything, is the Government doing to mitigate school closures due to illness-related lack of staff?

Hon Erica Stanford: I am advised by the Ministry of Education (the Ministry) that decisions to close a school due to staff illness are made by individual school boards based on their local circumstances. Schools do their best to ensure that scheduled learning is delivered to students and closures are considered only when all other options are exhausted. Schools utilise relief staff to supplement their usual workforce so that they can remain open, but it is not uncommon for students and school staff, including relief staff, to experience sickness during the winter months. This usually puts pressure on staff supply. The Ministry’s, Te Mahau regional offices can offer schools advice and support if they are experiencing ongoing staffing challenges due to staff availability resulting from sickness. The Ministry is also focused on increasing teaching workforce through attracting more domestic students and qualified international teachers. In 2024, the teaching workforce grew by 2.5 percent (1,864 teachers), including an increase of 1,128 teachers in primary and 736 in secondary schools. Initial teacher Education (ITE) enrolments for 2026 have increased by approximately 30% compared previous years.