National curriculum

The National Curriculum consists of the New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa. Together they set the direction for student learning and provide guidance for schools as they design and review their curricula.  

The revised New Zealand Curriculum includes eight essential learning areas: 

  • English
  • The arts
  • Health and physical education
  • Learning languages
  • Mathematics and statistics
  • Science
  • Social sciences
  • Technology.

Te Marautanga o Aotearoa is the curriculum for Māori immersion education. Te Marautanga sits beside the revised New Zealand Curriculum and is New Zealand’s first truly indigenous curriculum.

It sets the direction for teaching and learning for the students in New Zealand’s 350 primary and secondary Māori Medium schools. It aims to increase Māori achievement in all parts of the education system, particularly in literacy and numeracy, to increase the number of bilingual and multilingual students in New Zealand, and to strengthen kaupapa matauranga Māori.

New Zealand Teachers Council New Zealand Education Gazette New Zealand Qualifications Authority Immigration New Zealand