Source: Radio New Zealand
A number of schools in Auckland have expressed concern about an uptick in absences at the start of the year as students travel overseas to visit families during Lunar New Year celebrations.
New Zealand’s state and state integrated schools begin the first term of 2026 between Monday, 26 January, and Monday, 9 February.
The upcoming Lunar New Year falls on 17 February this year – about three weeks after some schools resume classes.
That gap has prompted concern at schools with large numbers of Asian students that some families may miss extended periods of school.
Auckland’s Macleans College begins Term 1 on 2 February, with principal Steven Hargreaves acknowledging the absences the school typically records around Lunar New Year each year.
Hargreaves said some students stayed in China over the New Zealand summer holidays and only returned after Chinese New Year.
Lunar New Year fell a little later than usual this year, he said, noting that students who missed about three weeks of school could struggle to catch up.
“The first few weeks of school are always so important because that’s where the classroom routines are established,” Hargreaves said.
“If a student is away for three weeks, they miss some of the fundamental outlines of the course,” he said.
“They haven’t had a chance to review their timetable, the whole classroom dynamic and the establishment of routines is missed. It does put them behind their classmates for achievement.”
Macleans College principal Steven Hargreaves stands alongside international students from Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Russia, China, Vietnam, Thailand and Brazil. Macleans College/Supplied
Hargreaves said about half of Macleans College’s students were of Chinese heritage.
The school’s average annual attendance rate was close to 95 percent, he said, and students of Chinese descent had the highest attendance of any ethnic group.
Even so, he said, the small number of students who missed classes during Lunar New Year remained a source of frustration.
He said some families cited medical reasons to justify absences when students were abroad, which he said was problematic.
“We take the family’s word for it, even if we have our doubts whether that’s true or not,” he said.
“It’s often an excuse given to be absent,” he said. “But it just seems too coincidental that there’s a group of students away for a week or two all at the same time of year.”
Hargreaves said New Zealand law clearly stipulated that students could be absent only for specific reasons, and that family occasions or reunions did not qualify.
Several primary schools on Auckland’s North Shore shared similar concerns about possible absences this year related to the Lunar New Year.
Browns Bay School said it had set its 2026 start date as late as possible – on 9 February – to give families more time over the holidays, and reminded parents that students were expected back on the first day of term.
In a newsletter sent to families, the school said it had seen an increase in absences at the beginning of the school year around Lunar New Year, along with more parents citing medical reasons during that period as families travelled overseas to celebrate.
RNZ has approached the school for comment.
Pinehill School also planned to start the new term on 9 February but admitted that attendance could be affected this year.
“Last year, the first day of Lunar New Year was Wednesday, 29 January,” said the school’s principal, Carla Veldman.
“To acknowledge this special time for our Chinese families, we started the school year [in 2025] at the latest possible date, Monday, 10 February. Attendance was not an issue, and all students were back on Day 1.”
“This year is a bit more challenging,” she said.
“We are starting at the latest possible date again … but Lunar New Year falls later, on Tuesday, 17 February. We anticipate that this may affect attendance for some families.
“Extended absences at the start of the year can affect how students settle in, build relationships with teachers and peers, understand routines and systems, and complete beginning-of-year assessments.”
Supplied / Ministry of Education
Veldman said about 60 percent of the school’s students identified as Chinese.
She said the school followed its attendance follow-up procedures to communicate the importance of regular attendance to all families.
“We include messages such as, ‘Missing one week of school each term adds up to missing a whole year of learning by the time your child is 16’,” Veldman said.
“Regular attendance helps students get the most out of their education.”
For families who needed to travel for Lunar New Year, she said, the school encouraged parents to let staff know in advance so teachers could provide learning resources and support, helping students return without feeling overwhelmed.
“We understand that Lunar New Year is an important cultural occasion for many families,” she said.
“Our advice is to plan travel around the school calendar where possible, keep absences to a minimum and communicate with the school so we can support students to stay on track with learning.”
Pigeon Mountain Primary School in East Auckland starts the new term on 3 February.
Principal Phebe Rossiter said the school had noticed fluctuations in attendance at the start of the year.
In 2025, she said, the school recorded 85 percent regular attendance in the first week and 90 percent in the second, which coincided with Lunar New Year, compared with a typical weekly average of about 96 percent in Term 1.
She cautioned, however, against attributing higher absence rates solely to cultural celebrations.
Rossiter said regular attendance in the first weeks of school was critical but noted it was also important to bring culture into school life.
“A student’s culture is incredibly important to us,” she said.
Rossiter said the school was planning to mark Lunar New Year with decorations and classroom-learning activities, as well as a lion dance performance.
For families weighing attendance against cultural obligations, she encouraged parents to contact the school for support.
“We want parents to know that if they plan a holiday during term time, their child may miss out on key learning or a fun event they had been really looking forward to,” she said.
“However, we also lead with empathy. We understand that traveling home to see family for special events is not usually a regular occurrence, and important part of life.”
Phebe Rossiter, principal of Pigeon Mountain Primary School, says a student’s culture is incredibly important at school. Supplied
Rossiter said the school’s target of having 80 percent of students attending regularly was achievable.
Helen Hurst, acting leader of operations and integration at the Ministry of Education, said the legal expectation for state and state integrated schools was clear: Students were required to attend whenever school is open.
“Regular attendance is generally understood as attending school for more than 90 percent of the term, which means students could be absent for fewer than five days in a term,” she said.
Hurst said the ministry could identify the number of students on holiday in Term 1, but could not attribute those absences specifically to Lunar New Year, since families travelled for many reasons at that time of year.
She said the ministry acknowledged Lunar New Year was a significant annual cultural occasion and reunion for many families, similar in importance to Christmas.
For families who are unavoidably away during term time, she said the ministry advised parents to notify the school early; discuss options to maintain learning, such as learning packs, online access or adjusted timing for assessments; agree on how progress will be checked while the student is away; and make a plan for re-engagement and catching up on their return.
The government has taken a tougher line on school attendance in 2026, with schools mandated to begin the year with an attendance management plan that set out how they would respond when attendance started to slip.
Associate Education Minister David Seymour said school attendance rates were trending upward, and the plans could include schools contacting families after five days of absence, organising a meeting when absences reach 10 days and referring students to truancy services after 15 days.
The government’s goal is for 80 percent of students to attend school more than 90 percent of the time by 2030.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
