Provide a strong, evidence-based and non-partisan voice for parents in the education policy-making process.
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The
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Our Core
Our
Free to join.
The
Parents’ Alliance
Parents have stood alone. Not anymore.
Teachers have unions. Principals have associations. Ministers have ministries. The people with the most at stake in our schools have had no one speaking for them - until now.
Add your nameSupport a
movement
Advocate for proven policies from the world's best education systems, adapted for the New Zealand context.
Equip parents with the information, language and confidence to advocate effectively for their children's education.
204
Parents standing
with us and counting.
Be one of one million school age parents standing up for better education.
Our Core
Values
Education shapes our childrens' future
Better outcomes lift living standards
Parents are essential
partners in education
Educational progress and achievement matters
Competence builds
confidence
Equality of opportunity is fundamental
Schools should be socially neutral environments
Parents and children deserve both voice and choice
Our vision is a world-class New Zealand education system that gives every child the academic foundations, skills and confidence they need to thrive. New Zealand in 30 years will reflect the education outcomes of today. We want to lift those outcomes, strengthening New Zealand’s future.
The Parents’ Pledge
Six policies. One voice. Add your name.
Learning comes first
Your child’s achievement, always the top priority.
Well-trained teachers
Every child taught by someone genuinely ready for the classroom.
Standards you can trust
One clear measure, so your child’s school report actually means something.
A fair start, every child
More support for kids who start a few steps behind.
Real choice, every family
Choose the local single-sex or co-ed school that’s right for you.
Every parent’s voice, heard
Annual surveys, published — so schools listen to you and improve.
Who we are
Cameron Bagrie
Chair and Spokesperson
One of New Zealand's most trusted economic voices, with over 20 years' experience including more than 11 years as Chief Economist at ANZ, plus earlier roles at the National Bank, Treasury and Statistics NZ. Since 2018 he has led Bagrie Economics, bringing the same independent, evidence-based rigour to the New Zealand Parents’ Alliance's education advocacy. Father of two children one at university, one at school.
Anya Zohrab
Founding Executive Director
A decade in the public sector, including years in the Beehive advising three Labour Cabinet Ministers, mainly Hon Annette King, followed by nearly eight years at ANZ New Zealand in regulatory affairs and institutional and corporate banking. Following not for profit roles and co-owning a small business, Anya returned to the Beehive in 2023 as adviser to the Associate Minister of Education, Hon David Seymour, until August 2025. Mother of three children, in three different schools.
David Farrar
Director
Founder and director of Curia Market Research, New Zealand's leading opinion-polling firm, and editor of Kiwiblog, one of the country's most-read political commentary sites. David spent eight years working inside Parliament under two Prime Ministers and three Opposition Leaders before founding Curia in 2004, bringing decades of experience in public opinion, policy and political strategy to the Parent’s Alliance's advocacy. Father of two children in the same school.
Cat Moody
Director
A former economist at the NZ Treasury, HM Treasury in the UK, and the World Bank in Washington DC, including working directly to Ministers of Finance. Cat has coached and mentored young people for more than 20 years, including as a volunteer teacher in Kenya. Cat brings both policy expertise and the perspective of a mother of two young children in early childhood and early primary education to advocacy.
Joanne Chaplow
Director
A career spanning property valuation, property development and commercial banking, and governance and volunteer roles in schools and their communities. As the mother of four young adult children who have between them experienced state, state-integrated, private and homeschool education, Joanne brings first-hand insight into the full range of New Zealand's schooling options to the Parents' Alliance's advocacy.
Kris Faafoi
Director
A former television and radio journalist at TVNZ and the BBC, Kris Faafoi went on to serve as a Minister under the Ardern Labour Government, holding a wide range of portfolios including Justice, Broadcasting and Media, and Immigration, before stepping back from politics in 2022. He has since led the Insurance Council of New Zealand as Chief Executive, bringing the same relationship-building and cross-sector experience to the Parents' Alliance's advocacy. Of Tokelauan heritage, Kris is the father of three school-age children.
Our
Mission
The New Zealand Parents' Alliance will
- Provide a strong, evidence-based and non-partisan voice for parents in the education policy-making process.
- Advocate for proven policies from the world's best education systems, adapted for the New Zealand context.
- Equip parents with the information, language and confidence to advocate effectively for their children's education.
The New Zealand Parents’ Alliance agrees with the Organization and Economic Development (OECD) that:
- Schooling quality and equity are important determinants of individual earnings, the distribution of incomes, productivity and economic growth.
- Poor education performance in school is rarely caught up later creating long-term negative effects.
- New Zealand has a deep pool of highly talented and motivated teaching professionals but the system is performing below potential.
Free to join.
Not free to run.
Joining the movement costs nothing, but the research and campaigns behind it do. Being ready to speak up when an important decision is being made costs money. Parents will never outspend the education establishment. But, with enough of us behind it, we can out-organise it.