Associate Education Minister David Seymour. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Applications for charter schools has opened, with Associate Education Minister David Seymour saying it marks an important step in their establishment.
He said the application process would have two stages, with applicants first having to show they were "fit and proper persons" to run a school.
The second stage would require a detailed assessment of applicants' plans for the school, looking at the school's proposed focus, the sponsor's capability, the standard of tuition provided, the level of community support, and financial and network implications for the government.
Successful schools would have a fixed-term contract of 10 years, with two rights of renewal for 10 years each.
Seymour said they would face a high level of monitoring and accountability and could be shut down if they fell short of the outcomes they had been funded to achieve.
"All fixed-term periods are conditional on the school continuing to meet the terms of its contract," he said.
"I hope and intend to see many new charter schools opening, and state and state-integrated schools converting to become charter schools. Every child deserves the opportunity to succeed, to achieve to the best of their ability, and to gain qualifications that will support them into further study and employment."
He said the government was on track for the first charter schools to open in term 1 next year, with more starting across 2025 and 2026.