How do I apply for homeschooling in New Zealand?

You need a Section 38 exemption for every child you want to home educate, from their sixth birthday until they turn 16, and each child needs their own application. You can apply any time after your child's fifth birthday.

If your child is enrolled at school, keep them enrolled until the certificate arrives. Taking them out before approval can make them technically truant (see the 20-day rule below).

1. 1
   Download the official MoE form

   The current form (March 2024 version) is available on the Ministry of Education website. Save it locally before you start. Do not fill it in your browser.

2. 2
   Write your teaching programme

   This is the main work. The form is the wrapper; the programme is the substance. It should run 10–15 pages and cover all 11 form sections, including your approach to each NZ Curriculum learning area, resources, a topic plan, your routine, and how you'll track progress.

3. 3
   Submit by email to your regional office

   Email is the preferred method: it gives you a timestamp and proof of submission. Include the completed form, your programme, your child's birth certificate, and proof of guardianship if it applies. You should get an acknowledgement within about a week; if not, follow up. If your child is enrolled, keep them at school until the certificate arrives.

4. 4
   Wait, and don't panic if a letter arrives

   Approval typically takes 4 to 6 weeks; the legal maximum is six months. Roughly one in three families receives a follow-up letter from MoE. These are written in bureaucratic language and are often mistaken for rejection letters. They are almost always a request for more information. Simply respond with the additional detail they've asked for.

5. 5
   Receive your Certificate of Exemption

   Once approved, you receive a Certificate of Exemption, valid until your child turns 16. You don't reapply each year, but you'll return a declaration for each six-month period confirming home education is continuing.

If a child of compulsory school age (6–16) misses 20 or more consecutive school days without an approved exemption, they may be considered truant and the school may be required to report the absence to MoE.

The practical rule: do not remove your child from school until your exemption certificate is in hand. If your situation is urgent (documented bullying, medical issues, or significant distress), contact the Ministry directly before taking your child out. They can sometimes expedite processing in genuine emergencies.

If you are already past the 20-day mark or very close to a deadline, get in touch with us and tell us your deadline. Every Pulled draft comes back within 48 hours of your intake form.

The form is the wrapper. The substance is your teaching programme, a written document of typically 10 to 15 pages that addresses all 11 sections of the form in your own words. Parents who are confident writers still often spend 20 to 40 hours on a first application.

Write in your own voice throughout. MoE assessors are experienced at recognising copied or templated text, and applications that sound authentically like the parent consistently perform better than applications that follow a script.

About one in three applicants receives a “more information” letter from MoE. The most common triggers are:

• One or more learning areas covered too briefly or vaguely
• Teaching methodology described in general terms without any specific examples
• Assessment approach too vague. MoE needs to see some plan for tracking progress
• Topic plan missing one of the five components
• Apparent imbalance in curriculum coverage (e.g. maths and literacy strong, te reo barely mentioned)

These requests are not rejections. Responding clearly to the specific points raised almost always results in approval.

Your Certificate of Exemption lasts until your child turns 16, so you don't reapply each year. For each six-month period you'll return a declaration confirming you're still home educating, which is also what triggers the home education allowance.

Your programme is not a contract. You can change your approach at any time after approval, and the Ministry expects it to evolve.

Many families home educate because a child has dyslexia, ADHD, autism or another learning difference. Be careful how you address it in Section 1: mentioning a learning difference can bring a different, more demanding standard in the Act into play.

Experienced home education advisors generally suggest not mentioning minor learning differences unless they are severe or unavoidable. It's one of the most important nuances in the whole process, so get specific advice before you submit. Our guide to home education with additional needs goes deeper.

Outright declines on a first submission are uncommon. If it happens, file a completely fresh application rather than appealing the original: a new application is assessed on its own merits.

Outcomes also vary by region and by officer. The same application can be approved in one region and queried in another. If you believe your application is solid, you can ask for a fresh submission to be assessed by a different regional office.

• Write in your own voice. Officers can tell when an application has been copied from a template. Warm, specific, personal writing does better than formal, comprehensive writing.
• Be confident. "We may cover" and "we hope to include" signal uncertainty. "We plan to cover" and "we will use" signal a parent who knows what they're doing. Most first drafts need this fixing.
• Be specific about your child. An application about a real child with real interests is more convincing than a general description of home education. The more it could only be about your child, the stronger it is.
• Cover the basics. Whatever your philosophy, make sure literacy, maths and some form of science and history are clearly addressed.