Opportunities Party: 'Free early childhood education and fewer NCEA exams'

Dr Morgan said New Zealand needs to stop its obsession with testing and ranking children. Photo / Rosie Gordon

Free full-time early childhood education and no NCEA exams until a student's final year of school.

Those are the cornerstones of Gareth Morgan's education policy released by his Opportunities Party today.

Dr Morgan said New Zealand needs to stop its obsession with testing and ranking children.

He said his party would reduce assessments to give more time for teaching and learning.

"Testing and assessments of children in primary and secondary school is a national obsession and it's absorbing an enormous amount of teaching time- ridiculous."

Dr Morgan said the scheme would increase female employment rates and improve learning for kids whose parents don't have enough time for them.

"A two income family is by far now the norm and a lot of these parents are just so busy trying to pay the rent and all the rest of it, that they don't have the capability to invest their own time in their kiddies as much."

He said the costs of the programme could partially be recovered through increased tax revenue.

Mr Morgan said a funding solution for the programme would be revealed in a couple of weeks.