Parents are being encouraged to have confidence in health measures being taken by schools ahead of a return to classrooms.
Instead of lockdowns, there will be an increased focus on staying home when sick - which could bring challenges for parents and schools.
For five-year-old Molly the long stretch of summer holidays is drawing to a close and the classroom beckons.
"I am nervous about it," mother Sharra Martin says.
"I think probably the risk the kids are going to get sick is reasonably high but I think it's also time schools opened and we've done what we can to mitigate that risk."
Along with a quarter of 5 to 11-year-olds, Molly's already had her first paediatric COVID vaccine, but her parents are bracing for days off school.
"There are going to be times when we're going to be off because either they are sick - they have caught a cold off someone and they have to isolate," Sharra says.
It's not just children that will be off sick or isolating. It's teachers too.
"It could mean children aren't with their normal classroom teacher as we shuffle students around because the priority over the next few months is going to be keeping schools open," says New Zealand Educational Institute president Liam Rutherford.
Some schools could end up calling in trained teachers currently working behind the scenes for the Ministry of Education.
Paediatrician Dr Jin Russell backs the reopening of schools - with safety measures.
"We need to make schools even safer, as safe as possible so we can have our children back as much as possible," she says.
"So that means improving ventilation, wearing masks, keeping children in small groups - so cohorts - and using outdoor learning as much as we can."
For young people, if they do catch it, COVID is generally less severe.
"But it can be unpredictable, so we do want young people to be vaccinated. With Omicron, it's looking like it's less severe again," Dr Russell says.
For kids like Molly, school may look a little different this year - but with plenty of outdoor learning on the cards, she might get to put that holiday water play to good use.
