Who can help me write my home education exemption?

The Ministry of Education's home education pages have the application form and the official guidance, free. NCHENZ (the National Council of Home Educators of NZ) explains the exemption process, and membership is free. Experienced home educators in the online groups will answer questions, and Homeschool Haven offers a free exemption support guide.

Good for:

Confident writers, families who enjoy working out their approach on paper, and tight budgets.

Worth knowing:

It takes real time, and advice in groups can conflict. NCHENZ itself suggests asking an experienced coach or consultant to critique your draft before you send it.

Cynthia Hancox, a long-standing NZ home education advisor, sells the Success with Exemptions Guide Pack for $50. It's a 132-page step-by-step guide with eight example applications across different ages and philosophies, editable application forms, and a $10 voucher towards her review or writing services. A shorter Basic Exemption Guide with one example application is $25.

Good for:

Parents who want to understand the process properly and write every word themselves.

Worth knowing:

You still do all the writing. Seeing several real examples is the main thing you're paying for.

Cynthia Hancox reviews applications for $80 for one child ($70 with her guide voucher), plus $40 for each other child's application reviewed at the same time. Proofreading for typos is $20 per application, and drafts that need a lot of rework are charged at $60 an hour. She also offers phone consultations at $30 per half hour.

Homeschool Haven offers a verbal review on a video or phone call (hourly fee) and a written review and edit (flat fee per child, including follow-up if the Ministry asks for more information). Prices are on enquiry.

Good for:

Parents who have written a full draft and want experienced eyes on it before it goes in.

Worth knowing:

You need a complete draft first. A review improves what you've written; it doesn't write it for you.

Homeschool Haven's full support package starts with a one to two hour video or phone conversation, then the application is written in your own words and supported until it's accepted. It's a flat fee per child, on enquiry, and generally takes two to four weeks.

Cynthia Hancox's application writing service is $200 for a first child and $150 for each additional child done at the same time. She asks you to buy her $50 guide first (which takes $10 off), and extra time is charged at $60 an hour. Drafts usually take two to three weeks, and when we checked, her next availability was November.

Homeschool Haven also keeps a list of other experienced home educators who help with exemptions.

Good for:

Complex situations (additional learning needs, a returned application, a specific programme like ACE), and anyone who wants a real conversation with someone who has done this for years.

Worth knowing:

Good consultants book up, so start early if you're on a deadline.

Pulled is $130 NZD per application. You answer 15 to 30 minutes of questions online about your child and how you plan to teach. We draft the application in your voice from your answers, using AI-assisted drafting, and a home-educating parent reads and edits every draft before it reaches you. It arrives within 48 hours as an editable document, and if the Ministry comes back with questions, revisions are covered. Your child's name, email addresses and phone numbers are removed before anything is processed by AI.

Good for:

Parents who want a strong application quickly, at a fixed price, especially with the 20-day clock running.

Worth knowing:

It's a questionnaire, not a conversation. If your situation is unusual and you'd value talking it through with one person, a consultant's call is worth paying for.

• Speed. A draft within 48 hours of your answers. Consultants quote two to four weeks, and the best known ones book out.
• A fixed, published price. $130 NZD per application. The only consultant writing service with a published price charges $200 for a first child.
• Your time. 15 to 30 minutes of questions, instead of writing a 10 to 15 page programme yourself.
• Still in your voice. Every draft is built from your answers and read by a parent who home educates, and you can edit anything before you sign.

• On a tight budget and happy to write: free help and the Ministry's pack.
• Want to learn it properly and write it yourself: a guide with examples.
• Already have a draft: an expert review.
• A complex situation, or you want a conversation: a consultant, booked early.
• Want it done well and fast, at a fixed price: Pulled.