New charter schools
If you are a sponsor wanting to set up a new charter school in 2026, this is where you’ll find the documents and information you need to complete the application process.
If you are an existing state school, or an integrated state school wanting to become a charter school, you’ll find what you need on information for converting schools.
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Expectations
The goal of the charter school model is to create a lasting network of schools that will support and improve the state school system. To expand this network, the Authorisation Board will seek a diverse range of schools across New Zealand, considering factors like community needs, school size, location, and type.
There is limited funding available for new schools so the Board will have to make difficult decisions and choose applications that are not only practical but also add diversity and long-term success to the charter school system.
The Authorisation Board also welcomes applications from sponsors who want to offer distance or online education. There are additional requirements in the application form for these sponsors related to student engagement and attendance as well as pastoral care. The funding model and rates for distance schools will be different to that of face-to-face charter schools and will be more closely aligned to the funding for Te Aho o te Kura Pounamu.
Role of the Authorisation Board and the Charter School Agency
The Charter School Authorisation Board decides who can run charter schools and what actions to take if the school is not performing well or if the sponsor doesn’t meet their commitments.
The Charter School Agency is a departmental agency established to implement and operate the new charter school model. This includes managing the applications process for new schools.
Timeline
| Task | Date |
|
New school applications launched |
26 February 2025 |
|
Applicant briefing |
Throughout March 2025 |
|
EOI form for new schools due |
24 March 2025 5.00pm |
|
Deadline for applicant questions |
9 May 2025 12.00pm |
|
New school applications close |
16 May 2025 12.00pm |
|
Authorisation Board decisions and interviews |
June/July 2025 |
|
Authorisation Board outcomes advised to applicants |
July 2025 |
|
Approved applicants contracted |
August/September 2025 |
|
New schools begin opening |
Term one 2026 |
Application process
Step 1
The closing date to complete the documents in the expression of interest pack for new schools was Monday 24 March.
These responses will give us key information about your proposed school ahead of receiving your application form. This is an administrative step to help the process run smoothly which will allow us to ensure that you can meet statutory requirements and help us prepare information to go to the Secretary for Education and Chief Review Officer for their views.
The Authorisation Board will not make any decisions about whether applications progress based on the EOI.
We will review the documents and follow up if we have any questions around the information provided by 5pm, Friday 4 April 2025. We’ll also be in touch to see if you need support to help you complete the application form.
Step 2
After you’ve submitted the EOI forms, the next step is to start work on the application form.
To make sure funding is well spent, approved charter schools must show they have a solid business plan, meet a specific need in the current education system, and have the potential to grow and improve education for more students. Applications for distance learning are welcome.
To define potential growth, approved schools are expected to be those that demonstrate the ability to reach over 200 students in their first year if they are secondary, and over 100 students in their first year if they are primary, with potential to grow further over their first few years' operation.
To demonstrate this, you will respond to the following assessment criteria:
- Purpose and contribution.
- Business planning for finance, workforce and assets.
- Sponsor capability.
- Readiness to deliver on performance outcomes.
In distance learning environments, sponsors will also need to demonstrate how they intend to measure and ensure student engagement and attendance. These elements will be subject to the same targets as face-to-face schools, but measures will be agreed during the contracting process.
Additionally for distance learning, sponsors also need to demonstrate how they will provide pastoral care for students, including online safety and adequate supervision of students aged under 16 years.
When the Agency assesses your application against the assessment criteria, we will rate the criteria as “Viable” or “Not viable” unless there is a reason that the application has not met the threshold to be rated. This rating enables us to provide advice to the Authorisation Board (the Board).
There are no weightings applied to the criteria as each criteria holds equal importance in assessing the whole application.
Not viable in any criteria means the application doesn’t meet the threshold to progress. It’s unlikely to be recommended to the Board as a viable proposition with the information at hand (even with mixed ratings of “Viable” and “Not viable”).
Viable in all criteria means the application meets the threshold to progress. It’s likely to be recommended to the Board as a viable proposition.
Threshold to rate not met means the application has incomplete or unrelated information that doesn’t answer the question or is in a format that doesn’t work with the application form. It’s unlikely to be recommended to the Board as a viable proposition with the information at hand.
While the Board will consider the Agency’s advice, it makes independent decisions in line with the factors it must consider under the law.
For example, the Board must also consider the financial implications to the Crown, which is likely to mean that it cannot approve every application that is viable. It will approve the sponsors that it considers are best placed to creating a lasting network of schools that will support and improve the state system.
When you complete the form, make sure you:
- adhere to the page limits
- answer all the questions using the application form provided
- Where possible supply one document, except for when it needs to be in a different format (e.g financial spreadsheets).
In making its decision, the Authorisation Board will confirm that the sponsor and all known governing members are a ‘Fit and Proper Person’.
They will consider how your responses to the assessment criteria in the application demonstrates the following factors described in the Act:
- The focus of the proposed charter school.
- The capability of the proposed sponsor.
- The standard of tuition to be provided.
- The financial implications for the Crown.
- If it meets educational purpose of the Education and Training Act 2020.
- The level of support from the community.
- Any other relevant matters (ie the additional matters for distance education related to student engagement and attendance as well as pastoral care)
In considering each of the factors above, they will also consider the views of Secretary for Education and Chief Review Officer.
Helping you through the application process
We realise there’s a lot to work to complete the application process. When we have checked the details in your EOI, we’ll be in touch with you to discuss the sort of help you will require to complete your application. From here, we’ll work with you to offer you access to experts who can offer this support.
We will schedule online briefings to discuss the format of the applications and give you more context about the process. We’ll provide an update about these shortly.
Lodging your application
All applications are lodged through GETS, the government electronic tender services. You will need to go to the GETS listing to complete your new charter school application.
If you haven’t used GETS before, you will need to use your RealMe login to create an account on GETS and you will then be able to subscribe to the listing and access the documents. While it asks you for a business, because you are using your RealMe you can create an account as an individual.
We’ll keep in touch through GETS if we need to notify you of any changes, provide any additional information and updates about your application. If you have any questions, log them on GETS and we’ll get back to you.
GETS - Government Electronic Tender Service | Tender help
Terms and conditions
The fine print about the applications process is in the terms and conditions document.
Glossary
The glossary has simple explanation of some of the words and phrases you’ll come across during the application process.
Operating a charter school
More information about operating a charter school can be found here
Sponsor wanting to partner with others
If you are a sponsor who is interested in partnering with a community that wish to open a charter school or convert a state school to become a charter school, we can take some basic information about you to hold on file. We can then contact you if we identify an appropriate opportunity.