Refreshing the New Zealand Curriculum
The Minister announced changes to the national curriculum (which includes The New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa) on 14 June, 2024. The key changes are explained below, and on this handout that was sent to schools and kura:
The New Zealand Curriculum will be knowledge-rich and clear about what students need to understand, know and do in each year from Years 0 to 13.
Teachers will know what to teach, when, and how, based on the science of learning, which provides them with effective teaching strategies and practices.
Timelines
Term 1, 2025: Schools and kura must teach the updated English and Te Reo Rangatira
curriculum for Years 0 to 6, and maths and pāngarau for Years 0 to 8.Term 1, 2026: Schools and kura with Years 7 to 13 must teach the updated English and
Te Reo Rangatira curriculum and mathematics and statistics and pāngarau for Years 9 to 13.
Requiring the use of these learning areas and wāhanga ako in 2026 will give secondary
schools lead-in time for implementation. The Ministry will work with NZQA to make sure NCEA
achievement standards only assess content that is in the updated national curriculum.
The fully updated national curriculum, including all the other learning areas, wāhanga ako and
subjects, will be available for all schools and kura to use throughout 2026, giving a full year of
implementation support before it’s officially required from 2027.
Other changes
Evidence-based teaching practices will be included in the national curriculum, sitting alongside the knowledge, skills, and capabilities being taught.
For Years 11 – 13, learning areas and wāhanga ako will be broken out into subjects to more clearly align with NCEA achievement standards and senior secondary programmes of learning.
The Ministry is now producing updated content for English, Te Reo Rangatira, mathematics and statistics, and Pāngarau – working with expert writing groups and the Education Review Office (ERO).
Resources to support schools and kura in teaching the new content will be developed and made available by the Ministry before the new requirements begin.
Schools and kura will have an opportunity to review the new content before it is finalised.
Please direct any questions, comments or feedback to [email protected]
You can find the refreshed curriculum content for English (Years 0-6) and Mathematics and statistics (Years 0-8) in the Current New Zealand Curriculum.