I’m pleased to announce the release of Tuia Te Hononga Tāngata, Tuia Te Hononga Ao: Taking the Pulse of Distance Learning in Aotearoa New Zealand – 2025 Abbreviated Edition that I have been involved with developing with my colleague Michael Barbour from Touro University in San Francisco.
This report provides a comprehensive national study that examines the regulation, governance, and scope of activity of distance learning providers in New Zealand’s schools sector. Data was collected through surveys distributed to leaders of distance learning schools and programmes nationwide. Drawing on survey data collected from identified distance learning providers, the study seeks to understand both the scope of activity and any developments affecting the sector. While the report is an abbreviated edition due to limited project funding, it continues a long-term effort to provide evidence for policy development and sector growth.
There continues to be a diverse landscape of distance learning providers in New Zealand, which can be categorised into two main types. The first type of provider includes schools defined under the Education and Training Act 2020, encompassing various public and private schools offering distance learning. The second type of provider, referred to as “programmes,” includes providers not specifically referenced in the legislation and further categorised into non-profit programmes (i.e., charitable trusts) and for-profit programmes (i.e., private enterprises). The study identified 17 distance learning providers operating during 2024 school year. Data were obtained from 11 providers, representing all public and non-profit providers but only a minority of private providers. Low participation among private distance providers has been a consistent challenge throughout the project’s history. This ongoing lack of participation from many private schools limits the ability to draw comprehensive conclusions about that segment of the sector.
From a regulatory perspective, no major changes affected existing distance learning providers during 2024. However, the reintroduction of charter schools through the Education and Training Amendment Act 2024 may significantly influence the future landscape. Interest from existing online education organizations suggests that charter schools could emerge as a new form of distance learning provider in the coming years.
Distance learning activity remained substantial and stable. Approximately 39,109 students participated in one or more distance learning courses during 2024, representing about 4.6% of New Zealand’s total school population. Although this proportion is similar to recent years, participation patterns continue to evolve. Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu remains the dominant provider in the sector, consistently accounting for over 90% of all distance learning enrolments. Overall, full-time distance learning has experienced consistent growth over the past six years, while supplemental enrolment has largely stabilized after growth associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. By 2024, full-time participation was nearly twice as large as supplemental participation. The instructional approaches vary significantly across the landscape. Te Kura relies primarily on asynchronous delivery, public and non-profit programmes mostly utilize synchronous learning, and private providers largely operate via independent study models.
While this an abbreviated version of this national study, this report and accompanying website continue to provide a benchmark for educators, offering background, guidance, and ideas for the improvement of policy and practice in distance, online, and blended learning into the future.
The full report can be accessed at https://flanz.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/2025-dl-pulse.pdf
Previous reports and papers are available at https://flanz.org.nz/dl-pulse/
The authors would like to thank the Flexible Learning Association of New Zealand for their continued hosting and support of the project website.
