• Te Kura Hourua ke Whangaruru, a bilingual secondary school for years 9-13 in Whangaruru, Northland run by the Nga Parirau Matauranga Trust.
• The Rise Up Academy, a school for years 1-6 in Mangere, Auckland, run by Rise Up Trust.
• South Auckland Middle School, a middle school for years 7-10 in south Auckland which will emphasise Christian values in its teaching, sponsored by the Villa Education Trust.
The schools would open in the first term of 2014.
Mrs Parata said the schools offered a new, innovative and dynamic approach to engaging students in education.
She said the school sponsors were all assessed against specific criteria including the strength of their educational offering, and their ability to lift the results of under-achieving children.
The targets which they were expected to reach would be publicly released.
Mrs Parata told media there were a range of sanctions for schools which did not perform, including closing them down.
Each school would be given a six-year contract.
The Government has set aside $19 million for the schools in this year's budget, and expects to make further funding commitments.
Charter schools were part of the Act Party's confidence and supply agreement with the National Party.
Thirty-five organisations applied to become charter schools in total.
Maori and Pasifika organisations comprised more than half of the list. Seven Christian organisations showed interest, along with five private schools and two state schools.
• Government-funded to the same level as state schools, on a fixed-term contract
• Can set their own curriculum, hours, holidays and teacher pay rates
• Allowed to make a profit
• Not subject to Official Information Act
