Homeschooling Backdown Exposes NZ Politics’ Third Rail
Turns out the true third rail of NZ politics is home schooling…
Government backs down on last-minute homeschooling law change
Education Minister Erica Stanford has dumped rushed plans for new restrictions on homeschooling after a loud backlash from those affected.
Parties from across both the coalition and opposition claimed credit for the backdown on Wednesday, while Stanford pitched it as the government heeding public feedback.
In a statement, Stanford said she had listened to the sector’s concerns and would now pause work on the proposed changes.
“Feedback from stakeholders, MPs, coalition partners and those in the education sector show the issue is more complicated than first thought and we will take the time to get this right.”
On Tuesday, government MPs made changes to legislation before Parliament – without consultation – to impose new checks on parents teaching their children at home.
RNZ
…Oh for the love of God!
The number of home-educated children has doubled since 2015 to 11,010, but the Education Review Office completed just 10 reviews in 2025, covering only 0.15% of home-educating families!
Demanding some basic accountability of those 10,000 kids isn’t George Orwell, it’s what any rational Government would be doing to ensure those kids are safe and getting educated!
The wooly cardigan and free form curriculum brigade arrived on Parliament’s lawn and threatened a patchwork of grievances with no common syllabus.
The Government tried to engage, but couldn’t work out who the spokesperson was. At one stage it was a tree.
The protest looked less like a movement and more like ten different curriculums arguing over who set the homework.
With such a cacophony across the home-schooling spectrum from fringe vegans who don’t eat anything that casts a shadow to progressive satanists to Gloriavale slave children, the Political class freaked out and the political class freaked out and immediately pulled back from even modest attempts to review more than the tiny 0.15% of home-educating families currently being checked.
Soooooooo, we are going back to reviewing about 10 home-educating families a year now?
That seems as pointless as it is creepy, but good to know that the home schooled are now the true third rail of NZ Politics.
