ACT
-
Greens
We will invest in education that builds understanding and appreciation for diverse cultures, including ethnic, religious, rainbow, and disabled communities, which would also explicitly cover education on consent.
We would also reset the Government’s rushed and ideological curriculum and assessment reforms, reverting to the original direction of Te Mātaiaho and ensuring qualification reform follows curriculum reform.
Labour
It was the previous Labour government that brought in the Relationship and Sexuality Education guidelines meant to ensure children had access to inclusive and expert-led education, including on consent and gender issues. The government’s changes have taken us backwards, and we will consider how to best set our children up with adequate health and physical education when in government.
National
-
NZ First
New Zealand First focuses education on academic achievement, health, and physical fitness while removing unmandated gender ideology from schools. The party supports age-appropriate consent and healthy relationship education (such as Hestia 'Stand Up') delivered by qualified teachers in consultation with parents. The party successfully reviewed and changed RSE guidelines in schools to remove woke ideological material and early exposure of children to relationships and sexual education. The party believes these things should be led by the parents and not schools.
Opportunity
Opportunity supports comprehensive, age-appropriate and evidence-based health education for all school-aged children.
We would support strengthened Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE), with a clear national core of teaching and appropriate progression from primary through secondary school. This will include healthy relationships, consent, personal boundaries, coercion, controlling behaviour and abuse, as well as emotional, psychological, physical, sexual and financial abuse.
Opportunity's wider health policy also places a strong emphasis on prevention and health promotion for children and young people, including nutrition, oral health and mental health.
Te Pāti Māori
Te Pāti Māori will ensure that the school curriculum reflects and respects the realities of all tamariki, and we will provide age-appropriate sex education that emphasises the importance of consent. We will also ensure that all whānau are respected, safe and free from discrimination throughout the education system. Te Pāti Māori will restrict healthy food and drink marketing targeted at children, and we will make healthy kai more affordable for whānau.