AEC joins the curriculum pushback

By Lynda Stuart

Yesterday, I attended a sector-wide hui on curriculum change, where we had over 34 organizations represented. The energy in the room was amazing; while not everyone agreed on everything, there was a tremendous amount of commonality around the idea that the current curriculum change is not in the best interests of learners. The speed at which it is being pushed sets it on a pathway to failure.

We were fortunate to have Rosemary Hipkins as a keynote speaker, who tracked changes in the curriculum across successive governments.

Curriculum Workshop March 2026

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Throughout the hui, there were numerous powerful, committed, and passionate voices in the room, all aligned in the common theme of advocating for the best for the children of Aotearoa. There was a strong desire to see cross-party agreement on education so that it stops being the political football that it has become.

The bulk of the day focused on building a position paper that captured the voice of the sector, and AEC was proud to be one of the groups that signed it.

We, the undersigned, agree that:

1. The direction of national curriculum change, including the structure and content of draft learning areas and framework for Te Mātaiaho | The New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa currently out for consultation, does not honour te Tiriti o Waitangi, nor does it support giving effect to te Tiriti o Waitangi in our schools and kura.

2. The current process taken for curriculum development has not met the expectations of the sector in terms of engagement, consultation, and co-design. As such, it has ignored the wisdom and input of young people, education experts including teachers, iwi, hāpū, and whānau. Rather, it has been driven by the narrow ideological interests of a small group.

3. The pace of curriculum change is unreasonable, has layered multiple demands on schools and kura, and has created huge workload pressures on the sector. The sector has not been adequately resourced, nor has it been given enough time, to consider or implement the expected change. This will have significant negative impacts, including impacting on the recruitment and retention of teachers.

4. As they stand, the current draft curriculum documents and framework are not fit for purpose and do not meet the Ministry’s own stated standards. They represent a profound narrowing of curriculum scope, which in many cases is unworkable in particular education settings.

Signed by and dated 25 March 2026:

• Ripeka Lessels, Te Manukura, NZEI Te Riu Roa

• Bruce Jepsen, Manukura, Te Akatea

• Megan Collins, Aotearoa Social Studies Educators’ Network (ASSEN)

• Alicia Poroa, Aotearoa Social Studies Educators’ Network (ASSEN)

• Therese Ford, Te Akapūmau

• Heemi McDonald, Physical Education New Zealand

• Maria Perreau, Aotearoa Social Studies Educators’ Network (ASSEN)

• Sophie Hoskins, on behalf of Fiona McDonald, Education Outdoors New Zealand (EONZ)

• Dr Paul Heyward, Teacher Education Forum of Aotearoa New Zealand (TEFANZ)

• Associate Professor Naomi Ingram, University of Otago and TEFANZ member

• Jason Miles, President, New Zealand Principals’ Federation

• Lynda Stuart, Aotearoa Educators Collective

• Annette Thomson and Samantha Wehipeihana, Whakaari Aotearoa Drama NZ

This event was organised by NZEI Te Riu Roa and NZPF. You will see NZEI’s press release from the event here.