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The New Zealand Curriculum - Health and physical education

Statement of official policy relating to teaching, learning and assessment of health and physical education in all English medium state and state-integrated schools in New Zealand.

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  • AudienceKaiakoSchool leadersBoards of trustees
  • Resource LanguageEnglish
  • Resource typeText/Website

About this resource

Health and physical education is one of the learning areas in the New Zealand Curriculum, the official document that sets the direction for teaching, learning, and assessment in all English medium state and state-integrated schools in New Zealand. In health and physical education, students learn about their own well-being and that of others and society in health-related and movement contexts.

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The New Zealand Curriculum - Health and physical education

What is health and physical education about?

He oranga ngākau, he pikinga waiora.

Positive feelings in your heart will enhance your sense of self-worth.

In health and physical education, the focus is on the well-being of the students themselves, of other people, and of society through learning in health-related and movement contexts.

Four underlying and interdependent concepts are at the heart of this learning area:

  • Hauora1: a Māori philosophy of well-being that includes the dimensions taha wairua, taha hinengaro, taha tinana, and taha whānau, each one influencing and supporting the others.
  • Attitudes and values: a positive, responsible attitude on the part of students to their own well-being; respect, care, and concern for other people and the environment; and a sense of social justice.
  • The socio-ecological perspective: a way of viewing and understanding the interrelationships that exist between the individual, others, and society.
  • Health promotion: a process that helps to develop and maintain supportive physical and emotional environments and that involves students in personal and collective action.

Footnotes

  1. In health and physical education, the use of the word hauora is based on Mason Durie’s Te Whare Tapa Whā model (Durie, 1994). Hauora and well-being, though not synonyms, share much common ground. Taha wairua relates to spiritual well-being; taha hinengaro to mental and emotional well-being; taha tinana to physical well-being; and taha whānau to social well-being.

Through learning and by accepting challenges in health-related and movement contexts, students reflect on the nature of well-being and how to promote it. As they develop resilience and a sense of personal and social responsibility, they are increasingly able to take responsibility for themselves and contribute to the well-being of those around them, of their communities, of their environments (including natural environments), and of wider society.

This learning area makes a significant contribution to the well-being of students beyond the classroom, particularly when it is supported by school policies and procedures and by the actions of all people in the school community.

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