A former Tauranga teacher says the government's policy on charter schools is an initiative which can benefit children in New Zealand.

Alwyn Poole, the former teacher of Tauranga Boys' College, is now the principal at Mt Hobson Middle School in Auckland.

Mt Hobson Middle School is a private school and Alwyn says it would fall under the charter school category.

Charter schools are publicly funded, but are not subject to all the rules and regulations of traditional public schools.

The government is looking at introducing these schools in New Zealand and aired its policy during post-election talks with Prime Minister John Key and Act leader John Banks.

Alwyn says the government made two mistakes with their policy release.

'Firstly, stating their target areas as Christchurch East and South Auckland because it created a negative connotation for those areas.

'Secondly, calling them Charter schools – this is a remarkable new opportunity to build indigenous models that genuinely benefit children within New Zealand.

'Groups that before the election were crying out for alternatives and bemoaning the failing aspects of the New Zealand system are suddenly saying our education is world class and no change is needed.

Post Primary Teachers' Association Western Bay of Plenty regional chair Jason Smythe says while it doesn't directly affect the Bay of Plenty yet, it's a major concern that educational policy can be set over a cup of tea and a stroke of the pen.

'These reforms are based on models from countries that are educationally and economically performing worse than us – where is the rational thought behind that?

'In tough economic times, how can it be a good idea to establish new schools, new structures and divert public finances from established public schools that are currently running, as best as they can on the smell of an oily rag.”

Jason says parents should have the right to send their children to their local school and expect a quality, well-resourced public education.

However, Alwyn says the comparison between charter schools and public schools is that charter schools allow the freedom to be innovative with the children.

'We run a school for 48 children with a culture that every child is well known and no child is left behind.

'Despite a very broad ability intake we have a 95 per cent Year 11 pass rate of those students who leave after Year 10 and can demonstrate many other improvements.

'We have an academic morning of three classes and a guided independent study time.”

He says they run the New Zealand curriculum and base their teaching around cross curricular projects that are handed in by students every five weeks.

'One of the arguments that is coming out against this is that not everyone will be able to benefit.

'The background philosophy on that seems to be ‘if you can't help everybody you should help nobody'.

'You cannot do what we do within the state system.”

Alwyn believes the government's policy on charter schools is an opportunity to do something remarkable for specific group without harming others.

'The groups that seem to be almost hysterically opposing the proposal claim to be supporters of diversity within society.

'The feedback we get from parents is remarkable and you can be sure, given an opportunity to expand in a way that won't require parents to pay fees, will be many families keen to work within or model.”