Parental Choice or School Choice: Who Benefits from the Removal of Zoning?

Abstract

This paper considers the issue of parental choice, a key aspect of the Picot Report and Tomorrow’s Schools reforms. It seeks to explore two key research questions pertaining to the secondary school sector. Firstly, does the abolition of school zoning lead to greater parental choice? Secondly, do enrolment schemes create more choice for parents and students? The findings suggest that amendments to the Tomorrow’s Schools policy created less choice for some parents, particularly those who were Maori or those of low socio-economic status. It is argued that a level of state intervention is required to ensure fair, transparent selection of students in oversubscribed schools.