The first year of the Aotearoa New Zealand Histories Curriculum w/ Kaiārahi for the New Zealand History Teaching Association, Craig Thornhill: 9th April, 2024

Schools began implementing the compulsory Aotearoa New Zealand Histories Curriculum at the beginning of 2023. 

By focusing on four key ideas –  Māori history as the foundational history of New Zealand, colonisation, the use of power, and relationships and connections between people – the curriculum intends to teach students from Years 1-10 to understand the big ideas, know the contexts, and do inquiry practises. 

Last week, the Education Review Office released a report on how the curriculum’s first year has been received. 

Producer Sofia Roger Williams spoke to Kaiārahi for the New Zealand History Teachers Association, Craig Thornhill, about some of the commentary from parliament that has emerged, and how the implementation of Aotearoa New Zealand Histories has been received by students and teachers so far.