New Zealand’s plummeting school attendance rates are being linked to a spike in youth offences including ramraids and aggravated robberies. For some students, school attendance has dropped since the COVID-19 pandemic as children are needing to work or support their families. A study conducted by New Zealand’s Education Evaluation Centre shows 41 per cent of parents are okay with their child missing a week or more of school each term – but officials warn that could have detrimental effects.