Labour has released its full policy plan this afternoon, with a focus on improving education for children and funding for training and work for youth.
Party leader Chris Hipkins was due to reveal the party's plan in person at an Auckland event but is now in isolation after testing positive to Covid-19.
Carmel Sepuloni was filling in for him at the launch instead.
Earlier today, National released its 100-day action plan, outlining its priorities in introducing legislation, including repealing or removing some of Labour's moves.
Labour angled the press release for its 74-page "manifesto" on improving education for children and funding for training and work for youth.
Hipkins said in addition to the already announced plan to legislate core requirements for teaching maths and literacy, the party is announcing it would have a maths and literacy training fund for teachers.
"We will put a further $43 million into education and training pathways for young people who have dropped out or been expelled from school.
"This further funding will mean we can do more, on top of the work already underway through the Attendance Service and with our new attendance officers, to get the right services around them and use every lever we've got to get them back to school, into training or work."
Labour would also fund two million hours of catch-up learning in maths and literacy for seven to 13-year-olds, provide 20 hours of early childhood education free for two-year-olds from next year, and continue the free school lunches programmes.
"Learning has been disrupted over the past three years so it's important we provide extra catch-up support to students who need it," Labour Education Spokesperson Jan Tinetti said.
"Equally, we want to make sure that what's being taught in maths and literacy is consistent - and so we'll fund training for teachers in those subjects as well."
The Green Party has committed to expanding the free school lunch programme wider, increasing the number of children benefiting from it from 230,000 to 365,000 with the aim of eventually making it available to all schools.
The National Party has also committed to continuing the programme, with a promise to make it more efficient. However, National's likely governing partner ACT has committed to scrapping the scheme.
As for education, National's policy would shift the curriculum from two-to-three-year 'bands' of requirements to year-specific and involve children spending an hour on average per day on reading, writing and maths - similar to the 'Back on track' policy announced in 2021.
ACT is promising online league tables, restricting funding for ECE providers that fall short of teaching the basics, and letting school boards take over other failing schools.
Labour also highlighted it would make public transport free for under 13s and half price for people under 25, take GST off fruit and vegetables, increasing minimum wage, introducing paid partner's leave, free basic dental care for under 30s and boost Working for Families by $25 a week.
While Labour said it would continue the fee-free prescriptions which came into force earlier this year, National said it would restrict it to superannuitants and those on low incomes.
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