There has been a huge amount of noise around what is taught in New Zealand schools lately. So what do parents need to know for 2026, and when do the changes kick in?
The Ministry of Education has been “refreshing” the New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa (the te reo Māori curriculum), which together set out what children learn from Years 0–13. At the same time, significant changes are underway in how some key subjects are taught.
While some changes are already in place, others will be phased in starting this year. For secondary students, the changes really kick in from 2028 as NCEA is phased out.
Meanwhile, the Government has just announced a new way to do school reports for primary and intermediate students. All schools will report to parents in the same way, helping provide a clearer view of how well their children are progressing, regardless of which school they go to.
Why all the changes?
There has been a move towards what the Government describes as “knowledge-rich learning” rather than “broader, more generic outcomes”. The aim is to clarify what students should know and be able to do. Ultimately, the goal is to lift New Zealand students’ academic performance, which is currently considered to be underperforming.
What’s new for primary school children
New school reports
Under the new reporting framework, twice a year parents of children in Years 0–10 will receive one of five clear progress descriptors on their child’s achievement in reading, writing and maths. These descriptors include:
- Emerging: Students require support to meet curriculum expectations for their year level and/or goals described in their personalised learning plan.
- Developing: Students are making some progress towards curriculum expectations for their year level.
- Consolidating: Students are meeting many curriculum expectations for their year level and are steadily strengthening their understanding across learning areas.
- Proficient: Students are meeting curriculum expectations for their year level.
- Exceeding: Students are exceeding curriculum expectations for their year level.
There will also be a visual representation of a student’s progress over time, and an explanation of why the overall progress descriptor was chosen. This will sit alongside information for parents and whānau about how they can support the next learning steps at home. Parents will also receive information on their child’s attendance and phonics achievement. Reporting on other learning areas will continue in the same way it currently does.
Another significant change is the introduction of twice-yearly progress check-ins for students in Years 3–8, supported by a new SMART progress‑monitoring tool.
Literacy
Part of the 2024/25 reforms was the introduction of the structured literacy approach (phonics‑based) for younger students learning to read. This approach is based on scientific research into how children learn to read and is more highly structured in both content and delivery. This will continue into 2026.
Maths
Last year, the Make It Count maths action plan came into effect. This $40 million programme introduced structured mathematics, which takes a more uniform approach to teaching maths. It is also considered more challenging for students than the previous system. This continues in 2026, while a pilot programme to help students most behind in their maths learning will be rolled out more widely.
New curriculum content
A refreshed English, Maths and Statistics curriculum for children in Years 1–10 comes into effect this year for all state and state-integrated primary schools. The finalised changes were released late last year, sparking criticism from some educators about the scale of the changes and the short timeframe for teachers to prepare.
Draft curricula for the remaining subjects are out for consultation until mid‑April (find more detail here).
Minister of Education Erica Stanford said last year that many teachers were already doing great work.
“However, we know what is taught varies from school to school and not all young people have the same opportunity to engage with the foundational learning they need. These changes provide a nationally consistent framework that sets out the essential knowledge every student deserves to be taught.”
Secondary school changes
The big news last year was that the national secondary school qualification – NCEA – will be replaced. Level 1 will be replaced by a certificate in foundational English and maths in 2028, and Levels 2 and 3 will be replaced by the New Zealand Certificate of Education and the New Zealand Advanced Certificate of Education in 2029 and 2030.
The national curriculum is being updated to match these new qualifications and pathways, and the Government has said the draft Year 11–13 curricula will be available in Term 1 “for wider feedback and to build familiarity”.
The proposals for change include:
Marking system: Each subject will be marked out of 100, with results reported as letter grades (A–E) instead of Achieved/Merit/Excellence.
Year 11 (from 2028): NCEA Level 1 will be removed. Students will instead work towards a Foundational Award focusing on core skills in literacy, numeracy, te reo matatini (te reo Māori literacy) and pāngarau (te reo Māori maths).
Year 12 (from 2029): NCEA Level 2 will be replaced by the New Zealand Certificate of Education (NZCE).
Year 13 (from 2030): NCEA Level 3 will be replaced by the New Zealand Advanced Certificate of Education (NZACE).
Subjects: Students will take five subjects each year and must pass at least four to gain their qualification.
Useful resources
If you want to learn more about the changes, or be involved in the consultation, check out the Ministry of Education’s Parent Portal.
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