New Zealand Labour proposes $28m for children's activities in screen-use plan

New Zealand's Labour Party announced a Kids Off Screens election policy on 18 October, proposing $28 million over four years for children's sport and after-school activities. The plan would help families meet participation costs and fund community groups, while setting clearer rules for device use in schools. It remains an election proposal.

How Labour would fund children's activities

Labour would put $12 million over four years into Active Me – Kia Tū. The programme offers grants of up to $300 a year for two years to help children take part in sport and recreation, including help with registration and equipment costs. The proposed funding amounts to $3 million a year for that programme.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins linked the proposal to the cost of activities for families. ‘Too much of childhood is being spent on screens, while sport, hobbies and other after-school activities are out of reach for too many families,’ he said, according to the NZ Herald. He said technology had a place in children's lives but should not come at the expense of childhood.

Proposed rules for screens in schools

The party also wants to work with educators, health experts and young people to update Ministry of Education recommendations on screen use in early childhood education and schools. It proposes requiring school and kura boards to set clear policies covering when and how devices are used in classrooms. Labour says it would keep the existing school mobile-phone ban.

For parents, Labour proposes making existing online safety tools easier to find and use, including the free Switch on Safety filter and the Digital Guardian Guide. Education spokesperson Ginny Andersen said the approach was about preparing children for a changing digital world and keeping schools and protections up to date, RNZ reported.

RNZ reported that the policy sits alongside Labour's AI Action Plan, which includes reviewing laws on online harm, supporting safer use of artificial intelligence in schools and establishing an independent online regulator. Those measures, like the activity funding and proposed school rules, would require further action if Labour were to put them into effect.