Schooling and childcare in Auckland

How the system works

New Zealand has state schools, which are free and zoned; state-integrated schools, often with a religious character, which charge attendance dues; and private schools charging full fees. State schools operate enrolment schemes with a defined home zone, and living in the zone gives entitlement to a place. Auckland's better-regarded state schools have zones that are watched closely and priced into local rents.

• State: free, zoned, with an enrolment scheme defining the home zone.
• State-integrated: attendance dues, often a religious character.
• Private: full fees, no zoning.
• The school year runs from late January or early February to mid-December, in four terms.

Zones, and proving you live in one

Schools check that an address is genuine and is your actual, permanent residence — a tenancy agreement, utility bills and a statutory declaration may all be required, and temporary rentals taken purely to gain entry are explicitly targeted. Check the zone boundary for a specific address on the Ministry of Education's mapping tool before signing a tenancy, because the line can run down the middle of a street.

• Check the exact address against the official zone map, not the suburb name.
• Schools verify residence and take the verification seriously.
• Out-of-zone places are balloted where they exist at all.
• Zone boundaries can change; a current check beats an old assumption.

Fees, donations and international students

State schooling is free for domestic students, though schools request voluntary donations and charge for activities and materials. Children of some work visa holders are treated as domestic students; others are charged international fees, which are substantial. Confirm your children's status against your visa category before budgeting, as this is a common and expensive surprise.

• Confirm whether your children count as domestic or international students on your visa.
• International fees at state schools are substantial.
• Voluntary donations and activity costs apply even to domestic students.
• Private school fees are high by local standards but modest by international-school standards elsewhere in Asia-Pacific.

In order

1. 1Check whether your children count as domestic or international students on your visa.
2. 2Shortlist schools, then check each address on the Ministry of Education's zone map.
3. 3Sign a lease inside the zone and keep the agreement and utility bills as proof.
4. 4Apply to the school with proof of address, the child's passport and immunisation record.
5. 5For an out-of-zone place, apply before the school's ballot date.