Kaihautū Whakahaere Update: October 2025
Date: 7 Oct 2025
Sheesh, the year has flown by. Welcome to Term 4!
It’s hard to believe that in a few short weeks senior secondary school rangatahi will be on exam leave, prize-giving season will be in full swing and the term 4 camp circuit will start to ramp up. For the rest of our tamariki, the summer holidays, warmer weather and festive seasons are calling, and for most Primary schools there are only 46 school days until the end of the year!
Curriculum (Non-) Update
With very little time left in the school year, the level of uncertainty around the new HPE curriculum will be on the rise. As an organisation we are doing what we can to understand how the curriculum is progressing, but ultimately, it is the Ministry of Education that will tell all of us when it will be delivered. Indications are that it will be soon. How soon, we are not sure.
What does this mean? With only 46 days left, it means we keep doing what we’re doing.
The new curriculum will be compulsory from 2027, which means we will have time to unpack it. PENZ is working closely with partners across the sector, to plan a series of nationwide workshops to unpack the new HPE curriculum for all schools and kura in 2026, but in the meantime, focus on continuing to provide quality PE experiences for all learners.
Why PE Matters
Across Aotearoa, teachers are doing incredible work to help tamariki and rangatahi move, connect and learn through PE. Yet there is also growing pressure on schools as the refreshed curriculum takes shape. From a PENZ perspective, this is an important time to pause and reflect on what truly matters in PE and what we must protect.
PE is the learning connector for all the movement experiences our young people participate in. PE has the ability to deepen and solidify learning in all play, active recreation, sports and movement experiences. It’s not a competition, but a powerful relationship that can unlock the latent potential of all movement experiences. We know that when young people experience quality PE there are significant benefits for life, learning and schools.
PE helps young people understand their bodies, emotions and relationships with others and the environment. It connects movement with thinking, feeling and belonging. It is where learners build confidence, empathy and joy. That is what we mean when we talk about quality PE.
Stay Focused on What Matters
Whatever happens with the new curriculum, there are things that must stay at the centre of PE:
- Learning that values the whole person, including their physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual wellbeing.
- Movement experiences that include everyone, not only the sporty or confident.
- Cultural grounding that reflects Aotearoa, mātauranga Māori and local identity.
- The joy of movement, belonging and hauora that make the subject unique.
These are the qualities that turn activity into learning and learning into lifelong wellbeing.
PE in Primary Schools
In Primary schools, Physical Education helps tamariki develop the skills, confidence and understanding they need to enjoy being active for life. They learn to move, to cooperate, to lead and to make sense of their bodies and emotions.
More schools are now trying to link PE with literacy and numeracy. This can be positive when done with purpose. For example, storytelling through movement or counting patterns in games can support cross-curricular learning. However, we need to be careful that PE does not become a tool for other subjects. When movement is used only to teach reading or maths, we lose the chance for children to experience what quality PE offers.
“Movement can support reading and maths, but it also deserves space to stand on its own.”
Movement is valuable learning in its own right. PE is the key to unlocking the teaching of confidence, teamwork and self-understanding that words and numbers alone can’t.
PE in Secondary Schools
In Secondary schools, the challenge is to keep movement meaningful as young people navigate identity and belonging. PE helps students think about who they are, how they relate to others and how movement shapes their lives.
This means going beyond fitness tests or single-sport approaches. It means creating opportunities for students to connect movement to issues they care about, such as wellbeing, fairness and sustainability. When PE is taught well, it gives rangatahi a space to think critically, challenge stereotypes and explore their own potential.
Looking Ahead
PENZ will continue to advocate for:
- Ongoing professional learning for teachers.
- Stronger links between schools, kura and the wider HPE sector.
- Recognition that HPE is essential learning, not an optional extra.
PE sits at the heart of what it means to be well and connected. It helps tamariki and rangatahi understand themselves and feel part of something bigger. As the curriculum work continues, our role is to protect that vision.
“Everyone deserve the support to embrace their own world of movement.”
Whatever happens over the next 46 days, rest assured PENZ will keep advocating for PE experiences that builds confidence, identity and wellbeing for all tamariki and rangatahi in Aotearoa.
