Kaihautū Whakahaere Update: November 2025

Tēnā koutou katoa,

Since its release, we at PENZ have been deeply engaged in analysing and developing a coordinated response to the draft Health and Physical Education curriculum.

Through consultation, feedback, and the support of many of our partners, one message has been consistent. The profession wants a curriculum that is knowledge-rich, conceptually strong, and grounded in the realities of teaching in Aotearoa New Zealand. On this, the profession is united.

Concerns with the Draft Curriculum

The draft, in its current form, does not yet deliver. While not exhaustive, the following is a summation of our key concerns with the current draft curriculum:

1. Curriculum Design and Direction

• The draft, positions Physical Education as performative and measurement-focused. A "drills and skills" approach.
• Content emphasises movement technique, performance, and rules of play, but lacks balance with conceptual learning—the why of movement.
• This narrow focus risks undoing decades of progress towards a holistic and educationally rich understanding of PE.

2. Loss of Hauora and Conceptual Foundations

• The draft does not include hauora or the socio-ecological perspective (the view that human development is shaped by the interplay between individuals and their environment) as organising concepts.
• The four core strands of the current NZC (Personal Health and Physical Development, Movement Concepts and Motor Skills, Relationships with Others, and Healthy Communities and Environments) have been replaced with simplified “knowledge strands” that fragment learning and remove cultural, relational, and reflective dimensions.

3. Positioning of Mātauranga Māori

• While the draft references Māori games and contexts such as ki-o-rahi, mātauranga Māori appears tokenistic and peripheral rather than foundational.
• A curriculum that genuinely reflects Aotearoa must demonstrate a bicultural partnership under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, embedding Māori knowledge and values throughout, rather than treating them as cultural embellishments.
• This weak positioning risks marginalising Māori worldviews and disconnecting the learning area from authentic, place-based, and culturally responsive practice.

4. Knowledge-Rich vs Skill-Heavy

• Although described as “knowledge-rich,” the draft is overwhelmingly skill-heavy, focusing on physical performance rather than conceptual understanding.
• It separates biophysical and sociocultural knowledge, and in some cases omits the latter altogether. Contemporary PE requires students to engage critically with why and how movement occurs.

5. Play, Joy, and Expression

• In the current NZC, play is a core context for learning in, through, and about movement.
• In the draft, play appears only in references to “gameplay” or competition. This acts to limits opportunities for creativity, curiosity, and joy, which are essential to inclusion, connection and motivation.

6. Inclusion and Equity Risks

• A highly performative curriculum may exclude students who do not identify with sport or performance-based movement, including those with disabilities, neurodiversity, anxiety, or cultural differences in how movement is expressed.
• By narrowing what counts as “success,” the draft risks alienating learners who most need supportive, inclusive PE and outdoor education experiences.
• Learning experiences and opportunities should be accessible for every student regardless of their physical competence, sporting abilities or associations or connection with physical skill development.
• True inclusion means recognising multiple ways of knowing, moving, and participating.

What We're Hearing

Across the sector, from primary to secondary, there's strong agreement that we need a curriculum that:

1. Defines Physical Education as both physical and educational, where movement and learning develop together
2. Centres mātauranga Māori as genuine sources of knowledge
3. Upholds hauora as the foundation for holistic wellbeing and learning
4. Protects curriculum time for planned Physical Education in every school
5. Provides exemplars that value understanding, reflection, and inclusion, not just participation.

Teachers are ready for change, but not at the expense of quality. We want a curriculum that builds capability, not compliance, that honours the depth of the learning area, and that reconnects movement to learning, identity, and wellbeing.

How We're Responding

In seeking to respond to the draft, we encourage all interested parties to have a say. Whether it's one thing or many, your voice is critical in influencing changes. As an organisation we continue to take a measured approach to our response, and are seeking to work productively with the Ministry. Our response is focused on:

• Activating and informing physical education communities and partners.
• Presenting positions that show what a coherent, culturally located, and knowledge-rich PE curriculum looks like.
• Partnering with subject associations, academics, and a range of organisations to coordinate advocacy and speak with one voice.
• Hosting regional hui and webinars to support educators in preparing responses and submissions.
• Continuing to try to find out ‘who’ wrote the curriculum and if assurance can be provided that ensures the next version will be written by PE experts in Aotearoa New Zealand.

We're also preparing a Value Proposition that will soon be shared with all schools and partners. This document, The Value of Physical Education in Aotearoa New Zealand, positions Physical Education as an essential part of a rich, knowledge-based curriculum. It highlights the educational, cultural, and social significance of physical education and will provide practical advocacy tools for schools, leaders, and community partners.

Engagement with the Ministry of Education

We'll continue to engage directly with the Ministry of Education to advocate for a transparent and collaborative process. While we're appreciative of the opportunity to meet with the Ministry later this month, we're conscious that your voice and feedback is critical. Indications are that the best feedback includes your own perspective as an educator, parent, leaders, or individuals interested in the future of physical education.

Our goal is not to resist change, but to ensure that reform strengthens rather than weakens the foundation of Physical Education in Aotearoa.

Thanks for Your Help

To every individual who has shared your expertise and insight, thank you. Your voice has shaped our collective response and strengthened our resolve.

Please continue to share these with us. If you have a link to a blog, a piece of research, some interesting readings, opinion pieces, or just your own thoughts,
contact us.

Your voice helps us to keep the issues and concerns with this draft at the forefront of the conversation about the need for change.

Over the consultation period, you will hear from us more regularly than our usual monthly newsletter. For physical educators, this is a moment to stay informed and united.

Examine the draft critically, and share your perspective through the consultation: https://education.surveymonkey.com/r/NWCBTPH

The strength of our collective voice is an important determinant of whether the final curriculum reflects the profession we know, or a version that no longer serves our learners.