Curriculum and assessment changes
It is critical our education system continues to evolve and remains focused on delivering equitable and excellent outcomes.
The national curriculum for schooling is made up of The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) for English medium, and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa (TMoA) for Māori medium.
Both the NZC and TMoA are being updated and made available in phases, and schools and kura have until the beginning of 2027 to start using the fully refreshed national curriculum.
This timeline aligns with the rephased NCEA change programme, which will now be delivered in 2028 (Level 2) and 2029 (Level 3).
- The New Zealand Curriculum
- Te Marautanga o Aotearoa
- NCEA
- Supporting quality, equity and choice in early learning
- Support and resources
- More information
The New Zealand Curriculum
The eight learning areas for the NZC are:
- English
- mathematics and statistics
- science
- technology
- health & PE
- learning languages
- the arts, and
- social sciences.
Timeline
The timelines for updating the NZC are:
- Final English (Years 0 to 6) content will be available in Term 4, 2024 and required from the start of 2025.
- Draft English (Years 7 to 13) and mathematics and statistics content will be available in Term 4, 2024 and must be used from the start of 2026.
- Draft science and technology content will be available in Term 4, 2024 and required from the start of 2027.
- All other draft learning areas (health and physical education, learning languages, the arts, and social sciences) and the overall curriculum framework will be available in Term 4, 2025 and required from the start of 2027.
- English, Maths, Science and Technology will be ready for schools and kura to use in Term 4 (2024)
More detail about the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh — Tāhūrangi website(external link)
Te Marautanga o Aotearoa
We are redesigning Te Marautanga o Aotearoa based on the conceptual framework of Te Tamaiti Hei Raukura. This will reflect a more indigenous curriculum that is consistent with the:
- philosophies and principles of kaupapa Māori education and Māori-medium education
- aspirations of whānau, hapū and iwi
- central position of the Māori language and culture.
The redesigned curriculum will shift the current curriculum structure toward a more holistic and ākonga-centred pedagogy. It will prepare ākonga for the future by developing the skills and capabilities they need to thrive in their ever-changing world.
Timeline
The eight redesigned wāhanga ako (learning areas) for TMoA will be: Te Reo Rangatira, Te Ao Māori, Pāngarau, Pūtaiao me te Hangarau, Toi Ihiihi, Waiora, Te Reo Pākehā, and Ngā Reo.
The updated timelines for the redesign of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa (TMoA) are:
- Final Te Reo Rangatira (Years 0 to 6) will be available in Term 3, 2024 and required from the start of 2025.
- Draft Te Reo Rangatira (Years 7 to 13) and Pāngarau (Years 0 to 13) will be available in Term 4, 2024 and required from the start of 2026.
- All other draft wāhanga ako (Te Ao Māori, Pūtaiao me te Hangarau, Toi Ihiihi, Waiora, Te Reo Pākehā, and Ngā Reo) and overall curriculum framework will be available in Term 4, 2025 and required from the start of 2027.
- Te Reo Rangatira and Pāngarau will be ready for schools and kura to use in Term 4 (2024).
- The remaining learning areas | wāhanga ako will be updated the following year and made available for Term 4 2025. This will give schools a full year (2026) to engage with the fully updated curriculum before requirements are introduced from the start of 2027 – which is consistent with the timing planned by the previous government.
NCEA
We are in the process of strengthening NCEA by making a series of changes to improve wellbeing, equity, coherence, pathways and credibility – for students and teachers alike.
The significant reform of NCEA is made up of 7 key change areas:
- make NCEA more accessible
- equal status for mātauranga Māori
- strengthen literacy and numeracy requirements and assessments
- fewer, larger standards
- simplify NCEA's structure
- clearer pathways to further education or work
- keep NCEA Level 1 optional.
The changes are being phased in. The new NCEA Level 1 is being implemented from 2024. New achievement standards at Levels 2 and 3 will be in place by 2028 and 2029, respectively.
Supporting quality, equity and choice in early learning
Curriculum and assessment actions are included in the early learning action plan.
- Develop a sustained and planned approach to professional learning and development with a focus on local curriculum and pedagogical leadership.
- Gazette the curriculum framework, Te Whāriki – to support engagement with the principles, strands, goals and outcomes when designing local curricula. Public consultation on gazetting the full framework of Te Whāriki, including a te ao Māori interpretation of the framework has been completed and highlighted overall sector support. We gazetted the full framework of Te Whāriki in April 2023 and intend to complete implementation in May 2024.
- Co-construct a range of valid, reliable, culturally and linguistically appropriate tools to support formative assessment and teaching proactive. Kōwhiti Whakapae is being developed as an evidence-based resource to help kaiako notice, recognise and respond to children’s progress over-time within the framework of Te Whāriki. It will focus on three specific areas of learning - social-emotional learning, oral language and literacy, and maths.
Early learning action plan – Kōrero Mātauranga(external link)
Support and resources
There is an ongoing range of resources and materials to support kaiako, whānau and ākonga being made available nationally and locally.
Tāhūrangi: Your online hub for curriculum content(external link)
Te Whāriki – Tāhūrangi(external link)
Te Kete Ipurangi (TKI)(external link)
Kia māhorahora te reo Māori – Kauwhata Reo(external link)
Support for schools, leaders and teachers – Curriculum Refresh(external link)
Regionally-based curriculum leads will support leaders, teachers, and kaiako with the changes, including the design of marau-ā-kura and local curriculum for early learning services, schools and kura.
Since 2020, new priorities for regionally-allocated professional learning and development (PLD) were implemented to support teachers and kaiako to provide responsive and rich learning experiences in early learning, schools and kura.
PLD priorities – Professional Learning & Development(external link)
Professional development in early learning
Strengthened networks of expertise also provide vital support for teachers and kaiako. Collaborative inquiry is one of the most powerful ways to influence change and practices that best support teaching and learning. Positive change can come about for individual learners, their communities and at a system level.
Networks of expertise – PLD Education(external link)
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