National promises to expand Maths Acceleration Programme to 40,000 more students
National has promised to expand the Maths Acceleration Programme, adding 40,000 more students in years 7 to 10 over three years. The expansion is part of its Plan for Kiwi Kids, which the party released as it campaigns ahead of the election.
According to RNZ, the maths expansion is the only new policy in the plan. The rest brings together policies National already has.
The Maths Acceleration Programme is aimed at students who are a year or more behind the curriculum, the national programme of learning. Students who qualify take part in four 30-minute sessions a week.
The programme was trialled in 2025. It was rolled out to 12,300 students in years 7 and 8 in 2026, and is due to reach 75,900 students in years 7 to 10 for 2027 to 2029.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said participants in the programme made close to two years' progress in 12 weeks. Education spokesperson Erica Stanford said the maths policy targets 128,000 students up to 2029.
The plan also includes a $1500 KiwiSaver BabyBoost kick-start, the government savings scheme for retirement, as a payment for babies. It would remove screens from early childhood education, the term for services before school, and limit them in years 1 to 3. The plan keeps the ban on phones in schools and would replace NCEA, the National Certificate of Educational Achievement, the main qualification for secondary students. It would also keep students in school until the end of year 11.
These are existing National policies, according to the party's plan as reported by RNZ. The maths expansion is the only element that is new.
