Core Crown expenditure on tertiary education in New Zealand
By category, year ended June 2021–2025, NZD billions
| Year ended June | Expense subcategory | NZD millions |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Tuition | 2,019 |
| 2022 | Tuition | 3,205 |
| 2023 | Tuition | 3,135 |
| 2024 | Tuition | 3,197 |
| 2025 | Tuition | 3,272 |
| 2021 | Other tertiary funding | 698 |
| 2022 | Other tertiary funding | 755 |
| 2023 | Other tertiary funding | 729 |
| 2024 | Other tertiary funding | 688 |
| 2025 | Other tertiary funding | 649 |
| 2021 | Student allowances | 590 |
| 2022 | Student allowances | 556 |
| 2023 | Student allowances | 525 |
| 2024 | Student allowances | 526 |
| 2025 | Student allowances | 574 |
| 2021 | Student loans | 212 |
| 2022 | Student loans | 288 |
| 2023 | Student loans | 274 |
| 2024 | Student loans | 603 |
| 2025 | Student loans | 676 |
Definitions
Core Crown: A reporting segment consisting of the Crown, departments, Offices of Parliament, the NZS Fund and the Reserve Bank.
Core Crown expenses: The day-to-day spending (eg, public servants' salaries, welfare benefit payments, finance costs and maintaining national defence etc) that does not build physical assets for the Crown. This is an accrual measure of expenses and includes items such as depreciation on physical assets.
Data provided by
Dataset name
Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update: Expense Tables 2025
Webpage:
https://www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/efu/half-year-economic-and-fiscal-update-2025
How to find the data
At the link provided select the file named 'Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update 2025 - Expense Tables'. The table format was amended prior to importing the file into the Figure.NZ system.
Import & extraction details
File as imported: Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update: Expense Tables 2025
From the dataset Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update: Expense Tables 2025, this data was extracted:
- Sheet: Core Crown Expense Tables
- Range:
F7:J381 - Provided: 745 data points
This data forms the table Government - Detailed Core Crown expenses 2021–2025.
Dataset originally released on:
December 16, 2025
About this dataset
The Treasury advise on the direction of New Zealand’s economic policy with the aim of achieving a strong and sustainable economy, and raising New Zealand living standards. This includes reporting on the expenditure of government (fiscal) revenue, and assisting to ensure spending is fit for purpose and can improve outcomes for New Zealanders.