New Year 1-10 curriculum

NationalIn progress

● Education7 tracked updates

✦ AI Overview

Pitched as "teaching the basics brilliantly" so every child masters reading, writing and maths, this is National's rewrite of the national curriculum for Years 0-10, starting with the two core learning areas of English and mathematics and statistics.

The Policy: National Teaching the Basics Brilliantly — September 2023 →

What it does:

Replaces the previous curriculum with new, "knowledge-rich" English and maths/statistics statements that spell out, year by year, what children should learn — benchmarked against systems like Singapore and Australia.
Pairs the maths rewrite with structured literacy and a mandatory phonics check, backed by a $67m structured-literacy package from Budget 2024.
Mandates an average of one hour a day each of reading, writing and maths for Years 0-8, in force from Term 1 2024.
Adds compulsory assessment: a phonics check at 20 and 40 weeks of schooling, plus twice-yearly Reading, Writing and Maths checks for Years 3-8 using set tools (PAT, e-asTTle, SMART).
The English and maths statements became available on 20 October 2025 and are required in classrooms from Term 1 2026; other subjects (science, the arts, technology, languages, health and PE) were pushed out to 2027-2028.

The result:

The government's case rests on a stark baseline: a 2023 study found just 22% of Year 8 students — and only 12% of Maori students — were at the expected maths benchmark. Early signs on literacy are encouraging: the Education Review Office's October 2025 stocktake reported most schools were planning and changing practice (95% of leaders said they understood what to do for maths), and the share of new entrants exceeding the phonics-check expectation more than doubled, from 20% in Term 1 to 43% in Term 3 of 2025. But the maths rewrite drew an open letter from 44 maths education experts warning it was rushed, error-strewn and overloaded — listing 86 learning objectives for Year 1 against about 30 in the 2024 version and 12-28 in comparable countries. Researchers, including lead study author Charles Darr, also argue the 22% figure reflects a tougher new benchmark set in 2023, not falling achievement: "there has been no evidence for improvement or decline" at Year 8 over a decade.

The impacts to watch:

Pace and churn: three maths curricula in three years has teachers absorbing constant change; University of Auckland's Dr Lisa Darragh calls the 2025 version "inferior to the version already mandated".
Who wrote it: the rewrite leaned on Australian firm Learning First on a contract not put to open tender, which Labour's education spokesperson Ginny Andersen questioned.
Whether assessment data actually lifts outcomes, or just adds testing load, as the rollout extends to the remaining learning areas in 2027-2028.

This overview is summarised by AI from public sources. It may contain errors and is a guide, not the definitive record — we welcome corrections.

❓ Our Questions — you decide

Where our research raises a question the policy doesn't answer, we put it to you — these are our questions, not government policy. Your vote stays anonymous even when you sign up (we use sign-up only to send you more things to vote on that you care about), and we report aggregated results only — the country's sentiment, never how any individual voted.

With teachers having had three different maths curricula in three years, should the government slow down and lock in one version before changing it again?

Is adding twice-a-year reading, writing and maths checks for Years 3-8 worth the extra testing load if it helps schools spot which children are falling behind?

Should a national curriculum rewrite be slowed down when subject experts warn it contains errors?

Should the contract to benchmark New Zealand's curriculum have been put out to open tender?

Should schools face more compulsory standardised testing of students in reading, writing and maths?

Key milestones

Dec 2023official

Coalition commits to a curriculum rewrite and an hour a day of basics

As part of National's 100-day plan, new Education Minister Erica Stanford announced that all Years 0-8 students would be taught reading, writing and maths for an average of an hour a day each from Term 1 2024, and that a Ministerial Advisory Group would review the primary English and maths curricula. The Minister said the aim was not to "start again" but to strengthen existing work so teachers had clearer guidance for teaching the basics.

Beehive: First steps of 100-day plan for education ↗

Oct 2024news

First new content released for Years 0-8 maths and Years 0-6 English

The Ministry of Education published the first tranche of refreshed content — Years 0-8 maths and statistics and Years 0-6 English — for schools to begin implementing from the start of 2025, with consultation flagged on the upper year levels. The government also brought the structured maths rollout forward by a year, citing a study showing only 22% of Year 8 students were at the expected maths benchmark.

RNZ / Ministry: curriculum refresh milestone ↗

Oct 2025official

ERO reports early gains in literacy as schools adopt the changes

The Education Review Office's stocktake found most schools were planning for and changing how they taught — 95% of leaders said they understood what to do for maths, and 88% of teachers reported changing how they taught English. ERO highlighted phonics-check results in which the share of new entrants exceeding expectations more than doubled, from 20% in Term 1 to 43% in Term 3 of 2025, while cautioning that about half of teachers were not yet fully clear how to apply professional development in the classroom.

ERO: A new chapter — how the changes are going ↗

Oct 2025official

Final Years 0-10 English and maths curriculum released for Term 1 2026

Stanford announced the finalised English and mathematics and statistics curriculum for Years 0-10, available from 20 October 2025 and required in classrooms from Term 1 2026. The package added a mandatory phonics check and twice-yearly Reading, Writing and Maths assessments for Years 3-8 using set tools. The remaining learning areas were rephased to roll out across 2027 and 2028 to give schools more planning time.

Beehive: Teaching the basics brilliantly ↗

Oct 2025news

44 maths experts warn the new maths curriculum is rushed and error-strewn

An open letter signed by 44 mathematics education experts said the rewritten maths curriculum looked "more political than educational", was unfair to teachers and potentially damaging to learners. They pointed to multiple errors and an unrealistic number of learning objectives — 86 for Year 1 alone, against about 30 in the 2024 version and 12-28 in countries such as the UK, Singapore and Australia. University of Auckland's Dr Lisa Darragh argued the 2025 version was "inferior to the version already mandated".

The Spinoff: New maths curriculum sparks revolt ↗

Jun 2026news

Scrutiny over the Australian firm behind the maths benchmarking

RNZ reported that Australian company Learning First helped locate content for the new maths curriculum under a contract that was not put to open tender. Labour education spokesperson Ginny Andersen questioned why no New Zealand company "got a look in", while Ministry officials said the firm helped find content but did not write the curriculum and was used because work was already under way and needed to be completed quickly.

RNZ: Australian firm's involvement under scrutiny ↗

2026

Public reaction across platforms

Online reaction is sharply split: many parents and structured-literacy advocates welcome clearer expectations and the early phonics gains, while teachers, maths academics and unions are vocal about the pace, the workload and reported errors in the rewritten maths curriculum.

See the conversation:

Aggregated — individual posts are not cited.

Sources

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