Budget 2026: Music and Taonga Pūoro Kits
 

22 June 2026

We are introducing a new initiative to support schools and kura to deliver the refreshed Arts and Toi Ihiihi curriculum areas within the New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa. The initiative will provide centrally funded Music and Taonga Pūoro Kits to all state and state-integrated schools and kura with Years 0 to 8 students.  

This marks the first time the Ministry has provided dedicated funding for musical instruments and taonga pūoro for schools and kura at a national level. 

Through the music curriculum, students begin to understand and express meaning through sound. This develops students’ understanding of musical techniques, genre features, and the role of music in shaping a sense of belonging and community.  By improving access to musical instruments, this initiative supports more students and mokopuna to access music learning.  

The new Music and Taonga Pūoro Kits will provide eligible schools and kura with, curriculum‑aligned access to instruments, along with teaching and learning guidance supporting effective and consistent implementation of the refreshed curriculum. Schools and kura will have a choice of kit that allows them to complement their existing music resources. Kits will be scaled to school roll size and distributed through a centralised procurement and delivery process, reducing administrative burden on schools.  

The specific instruments within each kit will be confirmed through procurement processes. Indicative instruments for the NZC include recorders, ukuleles, and boomwhackers. For Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, indicative instruments include porotiti (small spinning disc), pūrerehua (large spinning discs), and kōauau (cross-blown flute). 
 
What happens next 

Schools will be able to order kits in Term 4, 2026. Delivery timelines will reflect manufacturing and supply‑chain timelines for musical instruments. 

Further information on eligibility, application processes, and kit contents will be shared closer to the application period on Tāhūrangi.