Through Kōrero Mātauranga, we’ve heard from tens of thousands of New Zealanders about what they want to see in The New Zealand Curriculum.
We heard that change is needed to ensure Te Mātaiaho | the refreshed NZ curriculum:
• gives effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi
• is inclusive
• clear about the learning that matters
• is easy to use
We are keeping many elements from the current 2007 New Zealand Curriculum, but the refreshed curriculum will make the learning journey coherent, rich, and responsive to the needs of students.
The video begins with an oil canvas painted Tui Bird. We open on the eye of the painted and animated Tui. Background music is that of birdsong in nature, which slowly fades into the sounds of traditional Māori pūrerhua and putaara instruments. The picture zooms out to show the more of the Tui, and finally seeing the full Tui sitting on a flax tree. The Tui takes flight. The Tui is joined by a large flock of bird silhouettes. The flock of birds then come together and becomes the korowai (cloak) that is draped over an animated girl facing away from us. The picture transitions from an animated to a real girl wearing a korowai standing in lush green bush. The young girl has shoulder length dark brown hair, dark brown eyes and wearing a pink jumper. Around her shoulders you notice the korowai. The young girl turns around to speak. We see the green, yellow and red whenu and detail of the Korowai as she speaks. Soft instrumental music plays in the background. She speaks to camera.)
Mā te huruhuru ka rere te manu. Adorn the bird with feathers so it may soar.
(We pan across the Korowai and its intricate detail made up of brown feathers. Soft instrumental music plays in the background.)
The refresh of the New Zealand Curriculum aims to adorn ākonga with this korowai.
Layered with huruhuru representing who our ākonga are, who they can be, their whakapapa, and their connection to our whenua.
(We see a close-up shot of the Korowai’s green, yellow and red whenu being tied into a bow around the shoulders of the young girl by another pair of hands. Soft instrumental music plays in the background.)
And tied together with a 3-strand whenu made up of whānau, ākonga, and Kaiako – all working together as one to use and localise The New Zealand Curriculum.
(We see time lapse footage of the young girl wearing the korowai, standing in the lush green bush and facing the camera. The time lapse picture transitions with the young girl, still wearing the korowai and facing the camera, now standing in her class room. In the timelapse footage, you notice other students in the background of her class, engaged in activities with the teacher and each other. Soft instrumental music plays in the background.)
Because as Aotearoa New Zealand has evolved, the curriculum has remained the same.
(The time lapse picture transitions with the young girl standing outside in the school courtyard, still facing the camera. You see timelapse movement of students and teachers playing and engaged in extramural activities behind and around the young girl as the camera pans out. Soft instrumental music plays in the background.)
All ākonga need to see themselves reflected in the curriculum.
We have recognised this, and it is time for change.
The refresh of The New Zealand Curriculum will empower our ākonga to go boldly into an ever-changing future, and contribute to their local, national, and global communities.
(We see the young girl, now without the korowai, standing in her class room reading a book. Busy background sounds of students participating in class activities can be heard. We see a whiteboard the class room with stickers displaying the schools’ values, and panning out to show the wall draped in the art and crafts of students. Soft instrumental music plays in the background.)
The refresh will ensure that The New Zealand Curriculum reflects diverse ways of being, understanding, knowing and doing
(We see the young girl standing next to her female teacher. The teacher is a middle-aged female, with curly light brown shoulder length hair. The teacher is wearing a white blouse. The young girl is reading from her school book and pointing out to the teacher the work she has done. Background sounds of other students can be heard. Soft instrumental music plays in the background.)
– so that we can inclusively respond to the needs of individual ākonga, who are at the centre of all we do.
(The young girl has a discussion with her teacher, and proceeds to write with a purple marker on the whiteboard. Background sounds of other students can be heard. Soft instrumental music plays in the background.)
Our ākonga will be able to see their languages, cultures, identities, and strengths in what they learn at school.
The vision of the refresh will be realised by Kaiako and school leaders,
(We cut to the young girl, her sister and mother standing outside the school as a large black SUV pulls up into the parking area. Her sister is has dark hair in a plait , wearing a black and purple checkered sweater and pink tights, with a pink and pastel coloured school rucksack on her back. Her mother has short black hair, and she is wearing a denim jacket and dark trousers. The young girl, her sister and mother gets into the SUV. Soft instrumental music plays in the background.)
in partnership with iwi and their school communities.
(We see the young girl at her home, sitting on a dark grey couch reading a book with the title ‘abc’. Her father, who is a middle-aged man with short gray hair, and wearing a black puffer jacket, is in the background. Her mother and sister are cutting oranges in the kitchen. The scene cuts to the young girl sitting at the dining table writing in her school book with a blue pen, whilst her father overlooks. Her mother and sister are at the other side of the table eating the cut oranges. Soft instrumental music plays in the background.)
But all New Zealanders will be part of this journey to help create multiple pathways towards equity and success for all ākonga.
(We see the father, mother and sister standing in the school courtyard with the school building behind them. Children’s playful sounds can be heard in the background.)
So get involved.
(We see the young girl’s teacher standing in the school courtyard with the school building behind them. Children’s playful sounds can be heard in the background.)
Have Your Say.
(We see the young girl, with the korowai around her shoulders, speaking to the camera from the school courtyard. Children’s playful sounds can be heard in the background.)
And be part of the change – together.
(Soft instrumental music. We transition to the animated painting of the Tui on the flax tree. The Tui takes flight. Wing flaps can be heard. The Tui is joined by a flock of birds and the picture transitions to the Shared Kaupapa illustration of the korowai. In the centre of the illustration the word Ākonga appears. At the bottom of the Ministry of Education logo appears. Soft instrumental music fades out.)
This shared kaupapa was gifted by our Curriculum Voices Group. It sets out why we’re refreshing The New Zealand Curriculum, and lays down a vision that puts young people – their languages, cultures, identities, and strengths – at the centre of the refreshed curriculum.
Te Mātaiaho | the refreshed NZ curriculum aligns with and supports:
Heading: The Refresh of The New Zealand Curriculum
Sub-heading: Get involved. Have Your Say. Be part of the change.
Heading: Why we’re refreshing The New Zealand Curriculum
Heading: Mā te huruhuru ka rere te manu
Adorn the bird with feathers so it may soar
Sub-heading: We want all ākonga to have the right to learn, develop and make progress in the things that matter to them now and for their future.
To do this – we need a curriculum that has a stronger focus on their wellbeing, identities, languages and cultures.
Heading: What is changing?
From the 2007 New Zealand Curriculum - Vision for young people
and purpose
To the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum - A refreshed Te Tiriti-Honouring and Inclusive Curriculum Framework will be introduced. The Framework will include a whakapapa, a Vision for Young People - written by young people, for young people, and a purpose statement calling us to action with key shifts to ensure equity and inclusion for all ākonga.
From the 2007 New Zealand Curriculum - Curriculum levels and achievement objectives
To the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum - Designed to be cumulative – progressions replace curriculum levels and achievement objectives with five phases of learning. Each phase of learning contains progress outcomes
that describe what ākonga should Understand, Know, and Do at each phase of learning.
From the 2007 New Zealand Curriculum - Learning areas, mātauranga
Māori, key competencies, literacy and numeracy
To the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum - The refreshed NZC will be organised around the same eight learning areas and key competencies from the 2007 Curriculum. Mātauranga Māori will sit at the heart of the learning areas - with key competencies, literacy, and numeracy explicitly woven into each learning area.
Heading: A Te Tiriti-honouring and inclusive Curriculum Framework
Text: The refreshed Curriculum Framework will include a whakapapa, a refreshed purpose statement calling us to action, a Te Tiriti o Waitangi statement, and a refreshed Vision for Young People – written by young people, for young people.
Heading: Understand, Know, Do: A progression-focused Curriculum Model
Text: The refresh of The New Zealand Curriculum introduces Understand, Know, Do: A progression-focused Curriculum Model.
Designed to be cumulative and increasingly complex – the progression approach replaces year levels and achievement objectives with five phases of learning (Y1-3, Y4-6, Y7-8, Y9-10, Y11-13) These phases of learning are the signposts that guide the learning pathway.
Text: Each phase of learning contains progress outcomes that describe and will exemplify what ākonga should understand, know, and do at each phase of learning.
Ākonga deepen their understanding of the big ideas (understand) as they explore the context (know) using critical practices (do)
The three elements are woven together, and they create the learning all ākonga should get the opportunity to experience - the learning that matters.
Heading: Have your say in the refresh of The New Zealand Curriculum
Heading: Design | Feedback | | Explore | Implement
Heading: Feedback open now
Sub-heading: Have your say on the draft Curriculum Framework, and the Mathematics and Statistics and English learning areas
Sub-heading: Visit the Curriculum refresh web-page URL
Heading: Get involved. Have Your Say. Be part of the change.
Sub-heading: Curriculum refresh web-page URL
For more information about why The New Zealand Curriculum is changing, read our background papers.