Innovative Charter Schools to Open in Auckland and Warkworth in Term 1 2026

Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced two new sponsors have been contracted to open two new charter schools in Term 1 2026.

Te Kāpehu Whetū – Tamaki and The Forest School will open in Term 1 next year, alongside Tōtara Point School which was contracted earlier this year. They will join the eight that are successfully operating already, Mr Seymour says.

Both of these schools demonstrate the innovation enabled by the charter school model.

Te Kāpehu Whetū – Tamaki is a boarding school in Auckland for students in years 11-13. The school will prepare students for the future by offering recognised qualifications. Students will be taught in both Te reo Māori and English, to maintain and strengthen cultural links.

Te Kāpehu Whetū has been delivering Te reo Māori education in Whangarei since 2014.  They currently provide education for early learners, and students at primary and secondary school. The charter school model has allowed Te Kāpehu Whetū to meet the demand for a Te reo Māori school in Auckland, which offers recognised qualifications.

Te Kāpehu Whetū is a tight knit community. Regular newsletters are sent to parents to keep them involved in their children’s learning. At the bottom of each newsletter is reminder about the importance of attending school. This is one of the many values the school will teach.

The Forest School in Warkworth will teach primary students. If there were ever a primary school for Kiwi kids, this is it. Students will spend most of their time learning in, and about, the great outdoors. It lets children be children.

This approach has been effective with disengaged and underachieving students because it makes children look forward to school. Forest School has seen good results from a one-day a week school they’ve run since 2016.

Students will learn by experience including by forest and beach exploring, spending time with animals and gardening. This compliment learning core subjects like reading, writing, and maths by adding variation.

Charter schools provide educators with greater autonomy and create diversity in New Zealand’s education system. They have been proven to raise overall educational achievement, especially for students who are underachieving or disengaged from the standard system.

Charter schools have greater flexibility to respond to diverse student needs in innovative ways, but in return they have greater accountability.

We’re on our way to building a lasting network of schools that will support and improve the educational achievement.