Wellington Girls College students, from left, Alice Galinski, Josie Chambers, Erica Painter and Jenny Whipps are all participating in the Codeworx competition in October.

Children could soon be learning computer coding alongside reading, writing, and arithmetic, as part of the Labour Party's education plan.

The party releases its technology paper Future of Work on Thursday which, after feedback, will help form its policies for the 2017 election campaign.

"More needs to be done to prepare our workforce for the changes to come, including looking at universal teaching of computing and coding in schools and improving how we teach technology," the paper says.

Fairfax NZ Labour finance spokesman Grant Robertson said there were strong views from employers, educators, and unions that coding and computer skills should sit alongside the so-called "three Rs".

It describes technology as New Zealand's fastest-growing industry.

Finance spokesman Grant Robertson confirmed that, if adopted, the plan could mean computer coding – which is the language used to run computer programs – forming part of the core curriculum.

There were strong views from employers, educators, and unions that coding and computer skills should sit alongside the so-called "three Rs", he said. "For a long time we have seen computer and coding skills as an add-on."

Wellington Girls' College acting principal Melissa Denzler felt it would be a positive move that would benefit her students, though she wondered about the logistics.

"Technology is an increasing part of our school and how we operate. It will be interesting though, when they come to us, knowing the types of skills they have developed in primary school and how to incorporate that into our subjects.

"We'd need to make it meaningful, [but] it certainly seems like something that would be useful for our girls."

Wellington Girls' College student Josie Chambers, who is participating in Codeworx competition, a year-long challenge to learn coding using a credit card-sized computer chip, said it would be great if coding was included in the school curriculum.

"I think it's really good because I think it's really important. Coding is becoming a really important industry with the rise of technology and most people don't know how to work out the code behind it.

The 15-year-old said that, instead of getting someone else to fix a computing problem, it would enable people to do it themselves.

"If something has broken down, they will be able to fix it, rather than just thinking 'I'll just smash the button until it works'."

Microsoft New Zealand managing director Paul Muckleston said it was an important policy, as technology was a "massive" part of New Zealanders' personal and professional lives.

"A vast majority of jobs have high tech and high literacy requirements, not just from secondary and university levels but increasingly in primary schools," he said.

"We needed to start a conversation about this. It's a good conversation to have."

In the wake of Labour's 2014 election defeat, Labour leader Andrew Little announced a two-year "Future of Work Commission" to look at the impacts of automation and technology on jobs and how to meet those challenges.

Thursday's release of the technology paper was first cab off the rank, with papers on security of income and work, education and training, Maori and Pacifika, and economic development and sustainability to come over the coming fortnight.

Other proposals include the appointment of a chief technology officer, expansion of free wi-fi, a framework for big data use, and freeing up more venture capital and crowd funding.