Disappointment over school attendance rates

Ministry of Education data shows 45.9 percent of Kiwi kids regularly attended school in Term 3.

That's down 0.1 percent on the same time last year, but the second lowest result since 2019.

Education Minister Erica Stanford says we need a change of direction to restore the habit of attending school regularly.

She says the Coalition agreement commits to addressing truancy by prioritising reporting and enforcement.