The truth about homeschooling in NZ: responding to the headlines

In early 2026, a Newsroom investigation reported on the Tom Phillips case and raised serious questions about oversight of home-educated children in New Zealand. The story prompted genuine public concern, and some calls for significant changes to how home education is regulated.

If you are a home educating parent, or considering it, you may have read those headlines and wondered what they mean for you. This post does not dismiss the concerns raised. Some of them are legitimate. But the headlines do not represent the full picture, and the gap between the edge cases in the news and the reality of most NZ home education families is significant.

Here is what the regulations actually say, how the system works in practice, and where the genuine gaps are.

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What the law requires

Home education in New Zealand is governed by the Education and Training Act 2020. Under section 38, parents can apply to the Ministry of Education for a Certificate of Exemption from regular school attendance. To receive that certificate, the Ministry must be satisfied that the parent will "teach the child at least as regularly and well as in a registered school."

The certificate is not automatic. Parents must submit a written application describing their child, their educational philosophy, their curriculum approach, and their teaching methods. A Ministry case manager reviews the application. They may ask follow-up questions or request a phone call or visit before approving it.

Once approved, home educating families are subject to review. The Ministry can check in on families, and certificates can be revoked if the Ministry determines the conditions are no longer being met.

This is the formal framework. It exists, it has teeth, and it applies to all home educating families in New Zealand.

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Where the system has real gaps

Honesty matters here. The Newsroom reporting identified real weaknesses.

Visit rates are low. The Ministry has the power to visit families but does not do so routinely for most. In practice, many families with a Certificate of Exemption have little or no contact with the Ministry after the initial approval. For the overwhelming majority of families this is entirely appropriate: they are educating their children well and do not require oversight. But it does mean that if something is going wrong, the system may not catch it quickly.

There is no mandatory national register of all home-educated children. Children who have never been enrolled in school and whose parents have never applied for an exemption fall outside the system entirely. This is a genuine gap. A child who is visible to no institution is also invisible to any protection mechanism.

Child protection and education oversight are separate systems. Oranga Tamariki handles child welfare concerns. The Ministry of Education handles the education exemption. In practice, information does not always flow easily between them.

These are structural issues worth taking seriously. Acknowledging them is not the same as saying home education itself is a problem.

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The difference between the headlines and the majority

The Tom Phillips case, and cases like it, involve extreme harm: children who were isolated, abused, and shielded from any outside contact. These cases are horrific. They should generate scrutiny and reform.

But they are not representative of home education families.

There are approximately 7,000 to 9,000 children currently home educated in New Zealand at any given time (figures vary depending on how they are counted and how current the data is). The families doing this include: children who were being badly served by mainstream school and needed a different environment; children with disabilities or learning differences whose needs are not well met in a standard classroom; families who have made a thoughtful philosophical choice about education; and families in rural or remote areas for whom school access is genuinely difficult.

The profile of families who abuse children and use home education as cover is distinct from the profile of the broader home education community. Conflating them, as some coverage does, is not accurate and causes real harm to families who are doing the right thing.

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What the MoE actually checks when you apply

The application process is substantive. The Ministry does not simply rubber-stamp applications. Case managers read what you write, and a thin or vague application will prompt follow-up questions. The Ministry is looking for:

• A real description of your child as an individual learner
• A coherent educational approach that makes sense for that child
• Coverage of the essential learning areas from the New Zealand Curriculum over time
• Evidence that you have thought practically about how teaching will happen
• A sense that you understand what you are committing to

Applications that are too brief, too generic, or that clearly describe an approach the Ministry cannot evaluate are likely to receive questions or, in some cases, be declined.

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What reform might actually help

The genuine gaps in the current system are worth addressing. Some proposals that have been discussed in the context of the 2026 reporting include:

A complete register of home-educated children. Knowing which children are being home educated and by whom would allow the Ministry to identify children who have simply disappeared from the system.

More proactive welfare checks. Not education inspections of every family, but targeted welfare contact for children who have not been seen by any institution (GP, community service, sports club) for an extended period.

Better information sharing between agencies. If Oranga Tamariki has concerns about a family, the Ministry of Education should know the child is home educated. The reverse should also be true.

These reforms do not require treating home education as inherently risky. They require treating child welfare as a shared system responsibility, which it is.

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What this means if you are considering home education

If you are a parent genuinely considering home education for your child, the headlines should not put you off. The process of applying for a Certificate of Exemption is designed to ensure the Ministry understands your approach and can trust that your child will be educated. If you engage with it honestly and thoroughly, it works.

What you should take from the current debate is this: the system works best when families are connected to their communities, when children are seen by other adults, and when parents are honest about both their approach and their circumstances. That is true for almost every family who home educates well.

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FAQ

Q: Is home education legal in New Zealand? A: Yes. Parents can apply for a Certificate of Exemption under section 38 of the Education and Training Act 2020. If the Ministry of Education is satisfied that you will teach your child at least as regularly and well as in a registered school, you will be granted the certificate.

Q: Does the Ministry of Education check on home educating families? A: The Ministry has the power to review and visit families with a Certificate of Exemption, and certificates can be revoked if conditions are not being met. In practice, routine contact varies and not all families are visited regularly. This is one of the areas identified as a gap in recent reporting.

Q: Will the 2026 Newsroom coverage lead to new rules for home educators? A: That is uncertain. There have been calls for a more complete register of home-educated children and better inter-agency information sharing. Any changes to legislation would require a parliamentary process. It is worth monitoring, but there are no confirmed changes to the current section 38 process as of May 2026.

Q: Can a Certificate of Exemption be revoked? A: Yes. The Ministry can revoke a certificate if it is no longer satisfied that the conditions are being met. In practice this is rare and would typically follow a review process.

Q: If my child is home educated, are there welfare checks? A: Not as a routine separate process. Home educated children are subject to the same general child welfare laws as all New Zealand children. If there are concerns about any child's welfare, those are handled through Oranga Tamariki, regardless of their schooling status.

Q: Does recent negative coverage mean the Ministry is more likely to decline applications? A: There is no indication that the Ministry has changed its assessment criteria in response to media coverage. The standard remains whether the Ministry is satisfied you will teach your child at least as regularly and well as in a registered school. A thorough, honest application is your best protection.

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If you're navigating the home education exemption process, especially in a complex situation, Pulled can help you put together an application that reflects your family's real circumstances. See how →