From the age of six you can apply for exemption from enrolment in a registered school. Although many teachers do homeschool their own children, the vast majority of homeschooling parents are not professional teachers. As a parent you are a facilitator, helping your children seek out information and hook up with other people who can answer their questions. Most families gather excellent texts and teaching aids which make the homeschooling experience fairly straightforward. A Homeschooling Federation registered consultant can assist with this.
Many families prefer to select their own resources from the huge range available in New Zealand.
No more than you would ordinarily spend on a child's interests and activities. Homeschooling provides unlimited opportunities for real socialising and learning together, not only with one's age mates, but with people of many different ages, abilities and backgrounds. Contrary to popular myth, children do not need large groups of peers to be socially content. One or two very close friends and a wider circle of friendly acquaintances can provide much more meaningful socialisation and learning. International research consistently shows that homeschooled children are socially more mature, have greater leadership skills and display fewer behaviour problems than their counterparts who have been educated in schools.