A comprehensive curriculum and assessment change programme supports the refresh of The New Zealand Curriculum. This programme aims to support every teacher and leader to work with their families and communities to realise the vision of the refreshed NZC for every ākonga.

Through this change programme, we’re improving our supports. The following outlines This includes:

• Clarity on expectations for learning and teaching. This includes creating more explicit practice and leadership guidance, such as a Common Practice Model for literacy & communication and maths as one of the early steps in the Literacy & Communication and Maths Strategy.
• Services to grow people’s skills, knowledge, and capabilities. Building on existing PLD services, the aim is to create accessible supports that are more responsive to people's needs and contexts. The education community will be empowered to lead change through professional networks.
• Common ways to notice, understand, and respond to learning progress. The progression approach in the refreshed NZC underpins this. Supports will include updated guidance on assessment for learning and sharing information with parents, as well as updated assessment tools aligned to the refreshed NZC.
• High quality resources for learning and teaching. A new online curriculum hub will replace Te Kete Ipurangi. This will make it easier to find what you need. Updated and new guidance and resources to support the refreshed curriculum content will be provided over time, like those already available for Aotearoa New Zealand’s Histories.
• Access to curriculum-related opportunities and supports for learners. This includes things like the Creatives in Schools and new Enriching Local Curriculum experiences. We’ll also continue to review and improve additional curriculum supports for individual learners as work progresses, including as part of the Literacy & Communication and Maths Strategy.

Curriculum Leads  are the Ministry’s curriculum frontline and can assist leaders and teachers in navigating available supports. They’ll help you use the national curriculum and curriculum resources effectively to strengthen your marau ā-kura and local curriculum.

Key implementation dates

The new Aotearoa New Zealand’s Histories curriculum needs to be taught from the beginning of 2023, but schools will have until the beginning of 2026 to work towards implementation of the rest of the refreshed curriculum.

Over the following four years

Over the next four years, we'll phase in the support to help you understand and realistically manage the change.

Click here for a timeline of the NZC Refresh.

As part of the refresh of The New Zealand Curriculum years 1-13, a range of support will be available throughout 2023 to help kaiako and teachers understand and implement curriculum and assessment changes in your practice.

This includes an implementation support pack which kaiako can access at any time. Included within is a readiness tool which will help kaiako and schools identify where they are now and what they might want to do next as they consider how they will engage with implementation of the refreshed NZC. 

The poster below outlines further opportunities being rolled out in 2023.

A package of supports will be available for the teacher-only days being held in the first two weeks of term two.

We encourage you to share the poster below amongst your networks. Feel free to reach out to the refresh team at nationalcurriculum.refresh@education.govt.nz if you need any further support or resources to facilitate sharing amongst your networks.

Each school’s starting points will be different, and every school will be at different stages of readiness as we go through the next four years together. As we get ready for 2026 (and throughout this journey), you’ll have opportunities to have your say on the supports required to implement the refreshed curriculum and to enrich your local curriculum will be available.

The best starting point

The best starting point for how the refresh of The New Zealand Curriculum will look in practice is to start with Aotearoa New Zealand’s Histories (ANZH).

Aotearoa New Zealand’s Histories is to be implemented in 2023, and it sits within the refreshed Social Sciences learning area. The work has already been done to weave the key shifts of the refresh into the new histories content.

Everyone’s invited to have a look

Even if you don’t teach history or social sciences, have a look at how the ANZH content uses the Understand, Know, Do and progressions model in practice.

Teacher-only days

To support the implementation of The New Zealand Curriculum refresh, the re-design of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa and the NCEA Change Programme - there will be four additional teacher-only days for primary and secondary schools – two in 2023 and two in 2024. 

Resources to support the first day in term 2 2023 to support The New Zealand Curriculum refresh can be found on the Te Mahau Teacher-Only Day page: temahau.govt.nz/teacher-only-days-2023-2024

Schools and kura can select a date for a teacher-only day that best suits their activity planning across a two-week defined time-period. The first teacher-only day in 2023 can be held during the first two-weeks of Term 2, 2023 – between Monday 24 April and Friday 5 May 2023.

Following consultation in mid-March 2023 with the Sector Advisory Group supporting teacher-only days, the time-period for the second day in 2023 has been set for Term 4, 2023 – between Monday 13 November and Friday 24 November 2023.

Implementation supports and Readiness Tool

We’ve developed a pack of implementation supports for schools and kura to use to start implementing the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum. The Readiness Tool inside it is a useful starting point to help you plan into the change over time, from 2023.

The pack includes:

• the Readiness Tool to help you notice what you already do well
• an overview of the phased approach we're using
• suggested starting points
• an overview of resources and supports.

The Curriculum Leads work in all curriculum settings have expertise in Te Whāriki, Te Whāriki a te Kōhanga reo, Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, and the New Zealand Curriculum. All have been kaiako and leaders and are passionate about inclusive education that meets the needs of ākonga and whānau. They provide real opportunities to make a bigger difference to education and provide kaiako with the curriculum service and support they deserve.

Meet the Curriculum Leads 

Our Curriculum Leads bring people together. We know that one-size-fits-all is not effective. Therefore, Curriculum Leads offer various levels of support (including kaiako support): 

• Self-directed
• Guided
• Supported.

Curriculum Leads meet you where you are on your journey

We’ve heard the curriculum changes can feel overwhelming and can seem difficult to prioritise. This is not surprising, given all the other challenges kaiako have faced over the past few years. Curriculum Leads know everyone is starting at a different place, and they’re here to support no matter what stage of the journey kaiako are on. 

Experience you can trust

Our Curriculum Leads have begun collaborating with kaiako on Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories, providing multiple opportunities to engage with curriculum resources.

They can help you determine where you’re at and what you need. Where necessary, they’ll connect you to the right people and places, for example, professional development services, networks of expertise, and subject matter experts. 

Connect with a Curriculum Lead

You can connect with a Curriculum Lead through your local Ministry of Education office.