Hon David Seymour
Associate Minister of Education

Associate Education Minister David Seymour has a message for students going on strike today; if you really want to make a difference in the world, show up, work hard, and take every opportunity to learn.

“School holidays start this Saturday. If students want to show how much this cause means to them, they could march on their own time. That would send a stronger message than taking the last day of term off.

“I appreciate that some students have passionate views and are anxious about their futures. To that effect I want to be clear, if you want to make real change in the world, you need to turn up to school and get a good education now.

“The previous government said that protesting instead of attending school could be justified. This in my view is unacceptable. My expectation is that schools will treat students protesting today as explained but unjustified absences.

“Attendance has been increasing as the Government, schools, parents and students have made it a priority. It needs to keep going up, which is why attitudes need to keep improving over what is a valid reason to not show up.

In Term 4 of 2024 58.1 per cent of students attended school regularly, an increase of 5.1 percentage points from 53 per cent in Term 4 of 2023. Attendance rates across all equity index groups increased from 2023 to 2024.

“Attending school is the first step towards achieving positive educational outcomes. Positive educational outcomes lead to better health, higher incomes, better job stability and greater participation within communities. These are opportunities that every student deserves,” says Mr Seymour.

“I encourage students, parents, and educators to prioritise education. That is what this Government is doing, and it is what is required for New Zealand to have a better future.”

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