New Year 1-10 curriculum
The Policy: National Teaching the Basics Brilliantly — September 2023 →
TL;DR
- The government is rewriting what primary and intermediate schools teach (Years 0-10), starting with English and Maths. The goal is to spell out, year by year, exactly what children should learn, so more kids master reading, writing and maths.
- Schools must now spend an average of one hour a day each on reading, writing and maths for Years 0-8. This started in Term 1 2024.
- There are new compulsory checks: a "phonics check" (testing early reading) at 20 and 40 weeks of school, plus twice-a-year reading, writing and maths checks for Years 3-8.
- The government points to a 2023 study showing only 22% of Year 8 students (and just 12% of Maori students) were at the expected level in maths.
- Early signs on reading look promising: the share of new students beating the phonics-check target more than doubled during 2025, from 20% to 43%.
- The new English and Maths material became available in October 2025 and was required in classrooms from Term 1 2026. Other subjects like science and the arts were pushed back to 2027-2028.
More detail
The reading changes have been reasonably well received, but the maths rewrite has been controversial. An open letter from 44 maths education experts called it rushed and error-filled, and said it crammed in too much — for example, listing 86 things to learn in Year 1, compared with about 30 in the earlier New Zealand version and far fewer in similar countries overseas.
There is also debate about the "22% of Year 8 students" figure. Some researchers say it reflects a tougher new measuring stick set in 2023, not a real drop in how well kids are doing, arguing achievement has stayed roughly flat for a decade.
Two other things critics raise: teachers have now had three different maths curricula in three years, which is a lot of constant change to absorb; and part of the rewrite was done by an Australian firm on a contract that wasn't openly tendered. What to watch is whether all the new testing actually lifts results, or just adds to workload, as the rollout reaches the remaining subjects in 2027-2028.
Full Detail if you want to know more
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.
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Key milestones
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.
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.
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.
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.
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".
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.
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
- National official policy page ↗
- Beehive: New curriculum, resources and assessment tools (16 Oct 2025) ↗
- University of Auckland: Yet another maths curriculum — but why? (Dr Lisa Darragh) ↗
- The Conversation: Why the government needs to slow down on maths curriculum changes ↗
- RNZ: Stanford responds to criticism of curriculum rewrite ↗
- Education Counts: Curriculum Insights and Progress Study — Year 8 maths 2023 ↗
- Tahurangi: Updated curriculum content for Years 0-10 English and maths ↗
- Beehive: First steps of 100-day plan for education ↗
- RNZ / Ministry: curriculum refresh milestone ↗
- ERO: A new chapter — how the changes are going ↗
- The Spinoff: New maths curriculum sparks revolt ↗
- RNZ: Australian firm's involvement under scrutiny ↗