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What are special character and designated character schools?

What state-integrated schools with a special character and designated character state schools are, how enrolment preference works, what parents agree to when they enrol, and how attendance dues fit in, as official sources describe them.

Every statement on this page comes from an official source: Ministry of Education, New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) and Ministry of Education (Education Counts).

What is a state-integrated school?

Here is how the Ministry of Education describes state-integrated schools. State-integrated schools are owned by a private entity, such as a church or trust.¹ State-integrated schools are funded by the government and teach the national curriculum.² These schools have their own special character, values and philosophy, often based on a religion.³

The Ministry of Education also describes them this way. State-integrated schools are state schools that receive government funding to run the school and to maintain and modernise the integrated school buildings.⁴ The school's special character defines the philosophical or religious framework in which the curriculum is provided.⁵ A private entity, the proprietor, owns the school buildings and land and makes sure the buildings meet Ministry standards.⁶ They can charge parents compulsory attendance dues if the school's integration agreement with the Crown allows it.⁷

State-integrated schools make up approximately 13% of the schooling network, or 335 schools.⁸

Compared with private schools: On integration, a state integrated school becomes part of the state system of education in New Zealand.⁹ Private schools, by contrast, get some government funding but mostly rely on school fees paid by parents.¹⁰

What does special character mean?

In law: In the Education and Training Act, special character means education within the framework of a particular or general religious or philosophical belief, associated with observances or traditions relating to that belief.¹¹

On what happens to that character on integration: On integration, a state integrated school keeps the right to reflect its special character through its teaching and conduct.¹² Integration must not jeopardise the special character of a state integrated school.¹³ The proprietor is the body corporate with primary responsibility for determining the school's special character and supervising how it is maintained.¹⁴

On the integration agreement: When a school integrates into the state system, the proprietor enters into an Integration Agreement with the Minister of Education.¹⁵ The Integration Agreement records the terms and conditions of integration, including the property integrated, the maximum roll and the year levels offered.¹⁶

On the curriculum: Each state integrated school must teach its students in line with the curricula and syllabuses prescribed under the Act or its regulations.¹⁷ However, the general school programme must reflect the school's special character, and religious and other examples may be used to reinforce teaching throughout the school day.¹⁸ The proprietor's right of access to the school does not give it the right to question the curriculum or teachers' teaching methods, which, subject to the Act, are controlled by the principal.¹⁹

How enrolment preference works

On enrolment preference: Children of parents who have a particular or general philosophical or religious connection with a state integrated school must be preferred to other children for enrolment.²⁰ Most students at a state integrated school are preference students who associate with the school's special character.²¹ Most of these schools have space for a small number of non-preference students.²²

On places for students without preference: An integration agreement may include provisions for one or more of these matters: the land and buildings that make up the school (and any used before integration that do not), the special character the school was established for, the religious or philosophical instruction and observances in the school programme, how the maximum roll is determined, and permitting a limit on the number of children not given enrolment preference whom the school is required to enrol if places are available.²³ When deciding the basis of that limit, regard must be had only to the need to preserve and safeguard the school's special character.²⁴

On enrolment schemes: Enrolment scheme rules apply to Kura Kaupapa Māori, designated character schools, state integrated schools and specialist schools with changes: overcrowding is read as more applicants than places, and a scheme need not define a home zone or hold a ballot for out-of-zone applicants, but must give priority to applicants for whom the school is a reasonably convenient school.²⁵ State-integrated schools cannot make paying the first term's attendance dues a condition of entering a ballot.²⁶

What parents agree to

On conditions of enrolment: By enrolling a student at a state integrated school, a parent is taken to have accepted, as a condition of enrolment, that the student will take part in the general school programme that gives the school its special character.²⁷

On families of a different faith or belief: Where religious instruction and observances are part of a school's special character, the school must be responsive to the sensitivities of students and parents of different religious or philosophical affiliations, and may not require a student of a different affiliation to take part in religious observances and religious instruction concerned with particular observances if a parent says they do not want the student to take part.²⁸

Attendance dues

On charging dues: If the integration agreement provides for it, the proprietor may make an agreement with parents that they must pay attendance dues as a condition of the child's enrolment.²⁹ Dues are set at the rates, and on any conditions, approved by the Minister by notice.³⁰ The Ministry's overview of the education system describes state-integrated schools as schools with a special character that are funded by the government and teach the national curriculum, and says: you will pay compulsory attendance dues.³¹

On what dues can be spent on: Revenue from attendance dues must be used solely for improvements to school buildings and facilities required by the integration agreement, capital works the Minister requires, and debts, mortgages, liens or other charges on the school's land and buildings.³² Attendance dues may not be used to bring the school's buildings and facilities above the standard the Secretary approves for a comparable state school.³³ The proprietor must keep an annual accounts statement of attendance dues collected and have it audited by an independent auditor.³⁴

On non-payment: If a parent who has agreed to pay attendance dues fails to pay, the payment can be recovered in court as a debt owed to the proprietor.³⁵ Non-payment is also grounds for the principal to suspend the child and remove them from the school register, but not until arrangements satisfactory to the Secretary have been made for the child to enrol at another school.³⁶

On free education and voluntary contributions: Every student at a state integrated school must be given free education on the same terms and conditions as students at a state school.³⁷ Proprietors can raise funds by organising fundraising at the school and by asking parents for regular voluntary financial contributions towards debt repayments on school land or buildings.³⁸

What is a designated character school?

On how they are set up: When establishing a state school, the Minister may designate it as a designated character school.³⁹ The Minister must first be satisfied that the school will have a character different in some specific way from ordinary state schools, that it is desirable for students whose parents want it to get such an education, and that students will receive an education that differs significantly from an ordinary state school.⁴⁰

The Gazette notice establishing a designated character school must describe its different character and state the constitution of its board.⁴¹ The board of a designated character school must set out the aims, purposes and objectives of its different character in the school's strategic plan, and ensure the school operates consistently with that character.⁴²

On enrolment: The board of a designated character school may refuse to enrol students whose parents do not accept that the school operates consistently with its different character.⁴³ The Secretary for Education must fix a maximum roll for each designated character school, and the board must keep enrolments within it.⁴⁴

On Kura Kaupapa Māori: Before establishing a Kura Kaupapa Māori, the Minister must be satisfied, among other things, that te reo Māori is to be the main language of instruction and that the school is to operate in accordance with Te Aho Matua.⁴⁵ The board of a Kura Kaupapa Māori may refuse to enrol a child whose parents do not accept that the school operates in accordance with Te Aho Matua.⁴⁶

Schools with a character of their own

State-integrated

State-integrated schools are owned by a private entity, such as a church or trust.¹
Children of parents who have a particular or general philosophical or religious connection with a state integrated school must be preferred to other children for enrolment.²⁰
By enrolling a student at a state integrated school, a parent is taken to have accepted, as a condition of enrolment, that the student will take part in the general school programme that gives the school its special character.²⁷

Designated character

When establishing a state school, the Minister may designate it as a designated character school.³⁹
The board of a designated character school may refuse to enrol students whose parents do not accept that the school operates consistently with its different character.⁴³

Kura Kaupapa Māori

Before establishing a Kura Kaupapa Māori, the Minister must be satisfied, among other things, that te reo Māori is to be the main language of instruction and that the school is to operate in accordance with Te Aho Matua.⁴⁵
The board of a Kura Kaupapa Māori may refuse to enrol a child whose parents do not accept that the school operates in accordance with Te Aho Matua.⁴⁶

Finding a special character school

The Ministry says you can find out more about a particular state-integrated school, including its location, rolls and enrolment scheme, on the Education Counts website.⁴⁷ Education Counts school data includes a religious or organisational affiliation, for example Roman Catholic or Montessori; only schools that requested an affiliation are included.⁴⁸

Sources

Every statement on this page comes from an official page, quoted in full here.

Each numbered statement above is followed here by the words of the official page it comes from. Every quote was checked against its page on 5 October 2026.

“State-integrated schools are owned by a private entity, such as a church or trust.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/star… ↑
“They are funded by the government and teach the national curriculum.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/star… ↑
“These schools have their own special character, values, and philosophy, often based on a religion.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/star… ↑
“State-integrated schools are state schools that receive government funding to operate the school, and to maintain and modernise the integrated school buildings.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/our-work/information-releases/issue-specific-… ↑
“the school’s ‘special character’ defines the philosophical or religious framework in which the curriculum is provided”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/our-work/information-releases/issue-specific-… ↑
“a private entity, the ‘proprietor’, owns the school buildings and land, and makes sure the buildings meet Ministry standards”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/our-work/information-releases/issue-specific-… ↑
“they can charge parents compulsory attendance dues if the integration agreement with the Crown allows for this”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/our-work/information-releases/issue-specific-… ↑
“State-integrated schools make up approximately 13% (335 schools) of the schooling network.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/our-work/information-releases/issue-specific-… ↑
“on integration, a State integrated school becomes part of the State system of education in New Zealand”
New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑
“Private schools get some government funding but mostly rely on school fees paid by parents.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/star… ↑
“special character means education within the framework of a particular or general religious or philosophical belief, and associated with observances or traditions relating to that belief”
New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑
“A State integrated school on integration continues to have the right to reflect, through its teaching and conduct, the education with a special character provided by it.”
New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑
“Integration must not jeopardise the special character of a State integrated school.”
New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑
“proprietor means the body corporate that— (a) has the primary responsibility for determining the special character of a private school or State integrated school and for supervising the maintenance of that special character”
New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑
“When a school integrates into the state system, the proprietor enters into an Integration Agreement with the Minister of Education.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/our-work/information-releases/issue-specific-… ↑
“The Integration Agreement records the integration terms and conditions, including the property to be integrated, maximum roll, and year levels offered.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/our-work/information-releases/issue-specific-… ↑
“Each State integrated school must instruct its students in accordance with the curricula and syllabuses prescribed under this Act or any regulations made under this Act.”
New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑
“However, the general school programme must reflect the education with a special character provided by the State integrated school, and religious and other examples may be used to reinforce teaching throughout the school day.”
New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑
“The right of access specified in clause 39(2)(i) does not give a proprietor the right to question the curriculum or the teaching methods adopted by the teachers, both of which are, subject to this Act, controlled by the principal of the State integrated school.”
New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑
“The children of parents who have a particular or general philosophical or religious connection with a State integrated school must be preferred to other children for enrolment at the school.”
New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑
“Most students who attend a state integrated school are ‘preference’ students who associate with the school’s special character.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/our-work/information-releases/issue-specific-… ↑
“Most schools have space for a small number of non-preference students.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/our-work/information-releases/issue-specific-… ↑
“an integration agreement may include provisions for 1 or more of the following matters: (a) specifying the land and buildings that constitute the school to which the integration agreement refers: (b) specifying any part of the land or buildings owned or leased by the proprietor and used by the school before integration that do not constitute part of the school: (c) describing the education with a special character for which the school is or was originally established: (d) prescribing the religious or philosophical instruction and observances that are to form part of the school programme after integration: (e) providing for the determination of the maximum number of students who may be enrolled at the school: (f) permitting limitation of the number of children not given preference of enrolment under clause 26 who are required to be enrolled if places are available”
New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑
“when determining the basis of the limitation under subclause (1)(f), regard must be had only to the necessity of preserving and safeguarding the education with a special character that the school provides”
New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑
“Section 71 and clauses 2 to 15 apply to Kura Kaupapa Māori, designated character schools, State integrated schools, and specialist schools, and to their enrolment schemes, with the following modifications: (a) all references to overcrowding or the likelihood of overcrowding must be read as if they were references to there being, or being likely to be, more applicants for enrolment at the school than there are places available; and (b) the enrolment scheme need not define a home zone for the school, nor provide for balloting of applicants who live outside any home zone, but must accord priority to applicants for whom the school is a reasonably convenient school”
New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑
“State-integrated schools cannot make payment of the first term’s attendance dues a condition of entry into a ballot.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/education-professionals/schools-year-0-13/enr… ↑
“By enrolling a student at a State integrated school, a parent is taken to have accepted as a condition of enrolment that the student is to participate in the general school programme that gives the school its special character.”
New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑
“If religious instruction and observances form part of the education with a special character provided by a State integrated school, that school— (a) must be responsive to the sensitivities of students and parents of different religious or philosophical affiliations; and (b) may not require a student of a different religious or philosophical affiliation to participate in religious observances and religious instruction concerned with particular observances if a parent of the student states that they do not wish that student to participate.”
New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑
“The proprietor of a State integrated school may, if the integration agreement for the school provides, enter into an agreement with the parents or other persons accepting responsibility for the education of a child that provides that the parents or other persons must pay attendance dues as a condition of the child’s enrolment at the school.”
New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑
“The dues must be established for the State integrated school or group of State integrated schools at the rates, and subject to any conditions, approved by the Minister by notice .”
New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑
“State-integrated schools are schools with a special character. They are funded by the government and teach the national curriculum. They have their own sets of aims and objectives to reflect their own particular values and are set within a specific philosophy or religion. You will pay compulsory attendance dues.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/our-work/about-us/education-new-zealand/our-e… ↑
“Revenue received by the proprietor from attendance dues must be used solely for the following: (a) paying, in respect of the school or group of schools in respect of which it is received, for improvements to the State integrated school or schools’ buildings and associated facilities that are required by any integration agreement or integration agreements under clause 39(2)(c) : (b) any capital works that may be required by the Minister under clause 39(2)(d) : (c) meeting debts, mortgages, liens, or other charges associated with the land and the buildings that constitute the premises of the State integrated school or schools.”
New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑
“No revenue received by the proprietor from attendance dues may be used to provide or improve the State integrated school buildings and associated facilities to a standard higher than that approved by the Secretary as appropriate for a comparable State school.”
New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑
“Your proprietor must keep an annual accounts statement of attendance dues collected and get it audited by an independent auditor.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/education-professionals/schools-year-0-13/fun… ↑
“If a parent, or other person who has accepted the responsibility for the education of a child, has entered into an agreement to pay attendance dues and fails to make a payment, the payment is recoverable from the parent or other person in any court of competent jurisdiction as a debt due to the proprietor.”
New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑
“In addition, a failure to make payment constitutes grounds for the principal of the State integrated school to suspend the child from attendance at that school and to remove the child’s name from the school register. (3) However, no child may be suspended and have their name removed from the school register until arrangements have been made to the satisfaction of the Secretary for the child to be enrolled at some other school.”
New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑
“Every student enrolled at a State integrated school must be given free education on the same terms and in accordance with the same conditions as students enrolled at a State school.”
New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑
“Proprietors can raise funds by: organising fundraising activities at the school requesting that parents make regular voluntary financial contributions to pay for debt repayments relating to school land or buildings.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/education-professionals/schools-year-0-13/fun… ↑
“When establishing a State school, the Minister may designate the school as a designated character school in accordance with this section and section 205 .”
New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑
“The Minister may not establish a school as a designated character school unless satisfied that, if the school is established,— (a) the school is to have a character that is in some specific way or ways different from the character of ordinary State schools (its different character ): (b) it is desirable for students whose parents want them to do so to get such an education: (c) students at the school are to receive an education of a kind that differs significantly from the education they would receive at an ordinary State school.”
New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑
“The notice establishing a designated character school must— (a) describe the different character of the school (as defined in section 204(3)(a) ): (b) state the constitution of the school’s board.”
New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑
“The board of a designated character school must ensure that— (a) the aims, purposes, and objectives of the school’s different character are set out in the school’s strategic plan; and (b) the school operates consistently with its different character.”
New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑
“A board of a designated character school may refuse to enrol students whose parents do not accept that the school operates consistently with its different character.”
New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑
“The Secretary must, by written notice to a designated character school, fix a maximum roll of the school, and the board must ensure that the number of students enrolled at the school is not more than the maximum roll.”
New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑
“The Minister may not establish a school under this section unless satisfied that— (a) te reo Māori is to be the main language of instruction at the school: (b) the school is to operate in accordance with Te Aho Matua”
New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑
“The board may refuse to enrol any person whose parents do not accept that the school operates in accordance with Te Aho Matua.”
New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑
“Find out more about a particular state-integrated school including location, rolls and enrolment scheme information on the Education Counts website.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/our-work/information-releases/issue-specific-… ↑
“The religious or organisational affiliation of schools, for example, Roman Catholic, Montessori, as at 1 July of that year. Only schools that requested an affiliation are included in that affiliation group”
Ministry of Education (Education Counts) · educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/maori-language-in-schooling ↑