NZEI Te Riu Roa is calling on the Government to provide reasonable time for meaningful consultation for the draft Te Marautanga o Aotearoa framework and Year 0-10 wāhanga ako.
“The three-month feedback window given to kaiako, tumuaki, whānau, and the wider education sector is half the time allotted for the draft New Zealand Curriculum consultation,” NZEI Te Riu Roa President Ripeka Lessels said.
“This unequal treatment is unacceptable and demonstrates this Government’s blatant disregard for Māori.
“Ākonga Māori have been historically underserved and disadvantaged by systemic inequities. Failing to provide genuine consultation on the curriculum used in our kura further entrenches these failures,” Mrs Lessels said.
“By rushing this timeline, the Government has failed to provide the genuine consultation required under Te Tiriti principles of partnership and participation. This directly threatens the protection of mātauranga Māori and the rights of our ākonga,” she added.
“True partnership cannot exist when one party is sidelined by an impossible deadline. This process is a clear breach of Te Tiriti obligations and ignores the collective voice of our kura.”
The Ministry of Education released the draft Te Marautanga o Aotearoa framework and Year 0-10 wāhanga ako (Pūtaiao, Waiora, Toi Ihiihi, Hangarau, Ngā Reo, and Te Reo Pakeha) for consultation from 28 January until 24 April 2026. Te Ao Māori wāhanga ako has yet to be released.
In contrast, the draft New Zealand Curriculum was given a significantly longer consultation period, running from 26 October 2025 until 24 April 2026.
ENDS