Narrow and prescriptive new curricula was never consulted on properly, says union

NZEI Te Riu Roa says that the quiet release today of the final curricula documents for mathematics and English – to be implemented in Term 1 2025 – confirms concerns that the rushed consultation process of a few weeks was never meant in good faith.

Martyn Weatherill, a principal from Auckland on NZEI Te Riu Roa National Executive, says that the Ministry has clearly been under intense pressure from the Government to rush the process and ignore the concerns of teaching professionals.

“The shambolic implementation of the new curricula is high on the list of concerns for principals and teachers. The Minister of Education’s unreasonable demand to implement two major curricula in such a short space of time is creating stress, confusion and inconsistency in their implementation. Ironic, given these are supposed to be ‘structured’ curricula.”

Professionals are alarmed at the outright removal and erasure of Te Tiriti o Waitangi from the curriculum framework, Te Mātaiaho.

The words ‘Te Mātaiaho is designed to give effect to Te Titiri o Waitangi and be inclusive of all ākonga’ have been removed. The words ‘centrality of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its principles’ are replaced with ‘based on the science of learning’.

“The Te Mātaiaho framework was not specifically consulted on. What started as a Te Tiriti-based framework is now narrow and prescriptive. Specific references to Te Tiriti have effectively been removed from the curricula, again pointing to direct political interference in the curriculum.”