STAR

Secondary Tertiary Alignment Resource (STAR) – schools to retain discretion about how this is spent
STAR provides schools with additional funding to help them provide access for secondary-level students to courses outside of school. The previous Government had decided to start delivering STAR funding as a supplementary grant from 2010, but this decision has not been implemented (funding delivered as a supplementary grant can only be used for its stated purpose). The Minister of Education has decided to reverse the previous Government’s decision. STAR funding will continue to be paid to schools as operational funding. This Government has high trust in New Zealand’s schools to make the best decisions about how to use their funding to meet their needs of their students. Schools do not need to do anything differently because of this decision – no changes are being made to STAR funding.