The New Zealand curriculum is knowledge-rich. It prioritises and explicitly describes what must be taught each year and is deliberately sequenced to enable students to build knowledge, skills, and competencies systematically over time. It supports teachers to design teaching programmes that bring learning to life in the classroom, using local, national, and global contexts.

The science of learning informs curriculum sequencing and teaching practice. The curriculum builds on scientific understanding to identify five characteristics of how we learn:

We learn best when we experience a sense of belonging in the learning environment and feel valued and supported.

Students bring with them different cultural identities, knowledge, belief systems, and experiences. They need to see that these are valued and reflected in a school environment characterised by strong relationships and mutual respect. Students’ sense of belonging is enhanced by sensitivity to their individual needs, emotions, cultures, and beliefs.

A new idea or concept is always interpreted through, and learned in association with, existing knowledge.

The amount of existing knowledge students have, and the degree to which that knowledge is interconnected in long-term memory, influence both the quality and ease with which they can build on that knowledge. Recognising and drawing on students’ prior knowledge therefore improves their learning.

Establishing knowledge in a well-organised way in long-term memory reduces students’ cognitive load when building on that knowledge. It also enables them to apply and transfer the knowledge.

Establishing new knowledge and skill in long-term memory requires active engagement and multiple opportunities to engage with them, practise them, and connect them to existing knowledge structures. When knowledge is well organised in long-term memory, students are more likely to be able to build on it and apply it in novel ways. If knowledge is not well established in long-term memory, students’ working memory is likely to be overloaded when they attempt to build on or apply it. This cognitive overload can cause confusion, anxiety, and disengagement.

Our social and emotional wellbeing directly impacts on our ability to learn new knowledge.

Social and emotional wellbeing reduces anxiety, which frees cognitive capacity to learn new knowledge and skills, leading to deeper, more durable learning. Conversely, anxiety and negative emotions inhibit students’ ability to learn. The factors that impact positively or negatively on social and emotional wellbeing vary between students. The influence of these factors is dynamic – it fluctuates over time, even during the course of a single day.

Motivation is critical for wellbeing and engagement in learning

Motivation develops when students feel that three basic needs are met: autonomy – developing increasing self-direction in learning; competence – experiencing success in learning and seeing oneself as a successful learner; social connection – belonging and contributing to a group from which one learns. Success in learning helps to build motivation.

English

See the current NZC - English (Years 0-6) curriculum here.

Year 0-6 English Learning Area. From 1 January 2025 this content is part of the statement of official policy relating to teaching, learning, and assessment of English in all English medium state and state-integrated schools in New Zealand.

Maths

See the NZC - Mathematics and statistics (Years 0-8) curriculum here.

Year 0-8 Mathematics and statistics Learning Area. From 1 January 2025 this content is part of the statement of official policy relating to teaching, learning, and assessment of Mathematics and statistics in all English medium state and state-integrated schools in New Zealand.

Integrated Curriculum

In school, teachers often weave Reading, Writing, and Maths into various learning areas, creating meaningful connections between subjects.

What is an integrated unit?
An integrated unit combines content from multiple subjects into a learning experience. For example, students might design, create, write, illustrate, research, present findings, and explore music and dance—all within the same unit. This approach can encompass various learning areas such as English, Science, Technology, Social Sciences, and The Arts.

Teachers often structure integrated units around a central theme or inquiry question, such as:

• How can we care for the places we live in?

• Why and how did New Zealand become a nation?

• What was life like for Māori before European arrival?

This method deepens students’ understanding, making learning more engaging and relevant. However, integration does not replace structured teaching. Teachers still provide explicit instruction to build core skills and knowledge, particularly in the foundational areas of Literacy and Maths.