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Should Schools Have The Day After Waitangi Day Off?
Dozens of schools are giving their students and some teachers a four-day weekend, choosing not come back to class on Friday after the Waitangi Day holiday.
That is despite Associate Education Minister David Seymour demanding better attendance and calling for teacher only days in term to stop.
Auckland Grammar has given its staff and students the day off and principal Tim O'Connor told Checkpoint it made good sense.
"We have boarders on campus as well so just a good opportunity for families."
He was sure attendance would have dropped on Friday if students were required to go to school but also knew families would have tried hard to get their kids there - "because they know we'd hunt them down if they didn't".
O'Connor said the school starts a week before Auckland Anniversary weekend so it could get ahead and get its teaching days in early.
"I also think that having long summer holidays don't help for retention and knowledge."
The school did its calendar a year in advance and took the day after Waitangi Day as a genuine holiday day, not a teacher-only day.
He wasn't in support of schools taking teacher-only days this Friday and thought it was "fudging the system".
"I just wouldn't do that."
He told students they needed to complete their homework before the long weekend and return ready to learn.
"Work hard, play hard," he said.
Schools closing completely Friday include Auckland's Western Springs College, Northcote College, and Browns Bay School. Napier Girls' High School and Hurunui College, near Christchurch.
Plenty are also having a teacher-only day, among them Northland's Ruawai Primary, Mangawhai Beach School and Rotorua's Glenholme School.
Clearing up teacher-only days
The Ministry of Education offered some clarity over teacher-only days.
It said that for the 2025 school year, school boards can close their school for four half days for curriculum related purposes.
These half days don't need to be made up, so long as 6 weeks' notice is given to whānau.
In addition, boards can close their school for another four half days per year - these can be used at the board's discretion and they don't need permission to close
These half days need to be made up, either at the start or end of the year.
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