NZ Government to Open New Charter School for Autistic Teenagers in 2026

New Zealand will open its first charter school for teenagers with autism next year, marking a major milestone for inclusive education.

The new institution, called the Autism NZ Education Hub, is set to launch in Term 3 of 2026 and will cater to neurodivergent secondary students who struggle to thrive in traditional schooling environments.

Sponsored by Autism New Zealand, the school will initially operate from campuses in Auckland and Wellington, welcoming 96 students in its first intake.

Associate Education Minister David Seymour said the new charter school will be built around personalised education plans that adapt to each student’s strengths, interests, and individual needs.

“Core education will be balanced with development of life skills and social-emotional learning,” Seymour said. “The goal is to get students benefitting from in-class education. It will utilise home-schooling, online learning, and community-based learning as ways to transition students back into the classroom, learning face-to-face.”

Seymour said the project recognised that “one size does not fit all” when it comes to education.

“It is estimated there are at least 3900 autistic students in years 9–13 in Auckland and Wellington,” he said. “National data suggests there is disproportionately high and chronic absence and school rejection among neurodivergent and disabled students, particularly in secondary years.”

The initiative follows findings from a 2023 Education Review Office report on Alternative Education, which highlighted the barriers autistic and disabled students face in mainstream settings.

Funding for the school will be equivalent to that of state schools, according to Seymour’s office, under a charter contract.

Autism NZ chief executive Dane Dougan said the new school would fill a critical gap in the education system.

“We’ve been working on this for a while because we know that our autistic children, particularly those that don’t get ORS funding, are three times more likely to be stood down than other students,” Dougan said. “To be able to create an environment that’s going to be conducive to their learning, along with putting in place an individualised plan for them where they can learn on what they’re interested in and how they’re interested in learning, for me it’s super exciting to be able to make a difference in those young children’s lives.”

Dougan noted that many autistic students face major challenges in mainstream schooling — including bullying, sensory overload, and abrupt schedule changes. “This is about choice,” he said. “Parents and children can have the choice of where they want to go.”

Seymour confirmed that the Autism NZ Education Hub brings the total number of charter schools in New Zealand to 17, with more on the way.

“It will join the five new charter schools announced in the last couple of weeks which will open in 2026,” he said. “We expect more new charter schools to be announced before the end of the year, along with the first state schools to convert.”

He thanked the Charter School Agency and Authorisation Board for their work reviewing 52 applications this year. “They tell me the choices were very difficult,” Seymour said.