Pacific language in schooling

This report provides a snapshot of Pacific language in education in New Zealand schools as at 1 July. It describes two categories of Pacific language learning: Pacific medium education and Pacific language as a separate subject.

Last updated: February 2026

Summary

Pacific language learning is offered at five levels:

  • Level 1: 81-100%: Curriculum is taught in a Pacific language for more than 20 and up to 25 hours per week.
  • Level 2: 51-80%: Curriculum is taught in a Pacific language for more than 12.5 and up to 20 hours per week.
  • Level 3: 31-50%: Curriculum is taught in a Pacific language for more than 7.5 and up to 12.5 hours per week.
  • Level 4: 12-30%: Curriculum is taught in a Pacific language for more than 3 and up to 7.5 hours per week.
  • Level 5: Where students are learning a Pacific language as a separate subject at the Primary level (Years 1-8) for a minimum of 15 hours a year or at the Secondary level (Years 9-15) for a minimum of 20 hours a year.

Number of schools offering Pacific language in education

As at 1 July 2025, a total of 43 schools offered Pacific language education at Levels 1-2, comprising 39 primary schools, 2 secondary schools, 1 composite school and 1 specialist school. 20 out of those 43 schools (47%) were located in the education region Tāmaki Herenga Waka (south and southwest Auckland). Gagana Sāmoa was the most common Pacific language for instruction with 42 out of the 43 schools delivering the curriculum in gagana Sāmoa. 16 schools offered Level 1 and/or Level 2 programmes in 2 or more Pacific languages.

A total of 22 schools offered Pacific language education at Levels 3-4: 9 primary schools, 11 secondary schools, 1 composite school and 1 specialist school. Gagana Sāmoa was the most common Pacific language for instruction with 15 out of the 22 schools delivering the curriculum in gagana Sāmoa. 5 schools offered Level 3 and/or Level 4 programmes in 2 or more Pacific languages.

As at 1 July 2025 a further 76 schools had students enrolled in Pacific language as a separate subject: 10 primary schools, 60 secondary schools and 6 composite schools. 28 out of those 76 schools (37%) were located in the Auckland region, and 18 schools (24%) were in the Wellington region. Gagana Sāmoa was the most common Pacific language offered as a separate subject with 58 out of the 76 schools teaching gagana Sāmoa as a separate subject. 19 out of those 76 schools offered 2 or more Pacific languages.

Table 1: Number of schools offering a Pacific language by immersion level and language as at 1 July 2025

Notes:

  1. Where a school offers multiple levels in a particular Pacific language, it is only counted at its highest level.
  2. Where a school offers more than one language it has been counted once in each language but only once in total.
  3. Level 5: As a separate subject: for Years 1-8 is for a minimum of 15 hours a year, and Years 9 and above for a minimum of 20 hours a year.
Highest level of learning1,220212022202320242025Change
2024-25
Level 1: 81-100% 15 16 16 21 22 1
Level 2: 51-80% 15 17 23 19 212
Level 3: 31-50% 3 3 6 7 7 0
Level 4: 12-30% 13 13 15 23 15-8
Level 5: As a separate subject3 77 71 69 77 76-1
Total123120129147141 -6

Number of students

As at 1 July 2025, there were 3,829 students enrolled in Levels 1-2 programmes, 1,815 students in Levels 3-4 programmes, and a further 7,300 students studied a Pacific language as a separate subject.

Table 2: Number of students involved in Pacific language in education by immersion level (2021-2025)

Notes:

  1. Level 5: As a separate subject: for Years 1-8 is for a minimum of 15 hours a year, and Years 9 and above for a minimum of 20 hours a year.
  2. Primary school data for ‘Pacific Language Level 5: As a separate subject’ is populated through a supplementary survey.
  3. In 2020 there was an increased response rate of the supplementary survey which resulted in an increased number of students at this level.
Immersion level20212022202320242025 Change 2024-25
NumberPercentage
Level 1: 81-100% 5746657771,1581,35219417%
Level 2: 51-80%1,6051,9412,3222,3862,477914%
Level 3: 31-50% 270263280417389-28-7%
Level 4: 12-30%6341,0001,0341,7121,426-286-17%
Level 5: As a separate subject1,27,48235,6556,9207,2427,300581%
Pacific language in education10,5659,52411,33312,91512,944290.2%

Pivot tables

These spreadsheets allow you to create your tables by any combination of variables. Both spreadsheets have the option of displaying variables by school type variables (such as affiliation) and regional type variables.

Time series

This spreadsheet provides time series data in a single table for each of the dimensions shown in the chart below. Each table focuses on a single dimension and covers 2000-2025.

Note: Primary school data for ‘Pacific Language Level 5: As a separate subject’ is populated through a supplementary survey.

Note: In 2020 there was an increased response rate of the supplementary survey which resulted in an increased number of students at this level.

School data dimensions

Year

Data is presented as at 1 July of each year 2000 through to 2025.

Language

Language: Pacific language available – Students who take multiple languages are counted in each language group. "Other Pacific" includes other Pacific languages not mentioned and Pacific language studies.

Level of learning

Level of learning describes students being taught at different levels of Pacific instruction. Each level is defined by the proportion of time the student is taught using a Pacific Language.

  • Level 1: 81-100%: A Pacific language is the medium of instruction for 81-100% of the time (more than 20 and up to 25 hours per week).
  • Level 2: 51-80%:  A Pacific language is the medium of instruction for 51-80% of the time (more than 12.5 and up to 20 hours per week).
  • Level 3: 31-50%: A Pacific language is the medium of instruction for 31-50% of the time (more than 7.5 and up to 12.5 hours per week).
  • Level 4: 12-30%: A Pacific language is the medium of instruction for 12-30% of the time (more than 3 and up to 7.5 hours per week).
  • Level 5: As a separate subject: Is where students are learning a Pacific language as a separate subject at the Primary level (Years 1-8) for a minimum of 15 hours a year or at the Secondary level (Years 9-15) for a minimum of 20 hours a year.
Year level

The number of years of schooling a student has received, also known as funding year level. The funding year level for most students is based on the date they first started school. It is independent of the way schools are organised and independent of the particular programme of study that a student may undertake.

School ID

The individual identification code a school is given by the Ministry of Education.

School name

The name of the school as at 1 July of that year.

School type

The type of the school, for example Full Primary (Year 1-8), as at 1 July of that year. Typically based on what year levels the school offers, but also includes further information e.g. Correspondence school, Specialist school, Teen Parent Unit etc. See "School: Sector" for a broader grouping, and "Student: Year level (Grouped)" for a student-based sector grouping.

School sector

Schools are grouped (by school type) into four sectors of schooling education, Primary, Secondary, Composite and Specialist. See "School: Type" for a more detailed grouping, and "Student: Year level (Grouped)" for a student-based sector grouping.

School authority

The ownership of the school for example State, State-Integrated and Private as at 1 July of that year.

School gender

The gender of the students that a school caters for, for example, co-educational, boys school. A small number of single sex schools can have some students of the opposite sex on their roll. These students can only access the education they need at these 'opposite sex' schools i.e. adults or special needs students.

Affiliation type

Whether a school has a religious or organisational affiliation, as at 1 July of that year. Only schools that requested an affiliation are included in that affiliation group, this dimension is most commonly represented for State-Integrated schools. See "School: Affiliation" for a more detailed grouping.

School affiliation

The religious or organisational affiliation of schools, for example, Roman Catholic, Montessori, as at 1 July of that year. Only schools that requested an affiliation are included in that affiliation group, this dimension is most commonly represented for state integrated schools. See "School: Affiliation Type" for a broader grouping.

Kaupapa Māori education peak body affiliation

Identifies whether a school or kura is affiliated with one of the Kaupapa Māori education peak bodies. For schooling the two peak bodies are:

  • Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Aotearoa (TRN)
  • Ngā Kura ā Iwi o Aotearoa (NKAI)
Education region

The education region where the school is located. These twelve administrative regions are created by the Ministry of Education and are aligned with the Ministry's local offices.

Regional council

The regional council area where the school is located. Regional council boundaries are defined by Statistics New Zealand.

Territorial authority

The territorial authority area where the school is located. Territorial authority boundaries are defined by Statistics New Zealand. Auckland super city has been subdivided into local board. For more information about Auckland city local boards see Auckland Council website.

Ministry of Education local office

The Ministry of Education local office district where the school is located.