History classes for students up to year 10 are finally about to get a whole lot more relevant to Aotearoa.
Today the Government launched its long-awaited (and well overdue) history curriculum.
Education Minister Chris Hipkins said “all young people will grow up understanding key aspects of Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories and how they have influenced and shaped the nation”.
The final curriculum content for Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories and Te Takanga o Te Wā is available to all schools and kura, which means schools can start planning now and teach it from the beginning of next year.
The curriculum, which was announced in 2019, was originally planned to roll out in schools in 2022. But it was postponed to 2023 due to Covid-19 and to give schools more time to prepare.
The Ministry of Education worked alongside history and curriculum experts, iwi and mana whenua, Pacific communities, students, whānau and other groups to shape what the curriculum will include and how it will be taught.
“The feedback the Ministry received was wide-ranging, clear, and at times confronting. New Zealanders have a lot to say about how our nation’s histories should be examined and discussed, and that is a good thing,” Hipkins said.
“We are confident the final curriculum incorporates the feedback and ideas that were provided,” he said.
All students up to year 10 will be taught the new curriculum that will progressively roll out over the next five years.
“While some parts of it will be taught right throughout the country, schools and kura can decide on what histories to include from their local area, in partnership with whānau, iwi, mana whenua and local communities.”
“This will ensure their local curriculum or marau ā-kura is reflective of the people, places, and events that are important within their communities,” Hipkins said.
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