New curriculum content for teaching Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories (ANZH) and Te Takanga o te Wā (TToTW) was gazetted in 2022, for schools and kura to begin using in 2023. The release of this curriculum content followed prolonged campaigning and advocacy from historians, ākonga, learners, kaiako, teachers, and members of the public who had called for better and more consistent teaching of our local and national histories.
This qualitative research project was established in 2023 to follow a group of eight schools—primarily English-medium schools including three with bilingual or Māori language immersion settings—as they navigated curriculum implementation. Our previous report drew on interviews with more than 50 school leaders and kaiako across our eight study schools.
This report focuses on the perspectives and experiences of 92 ākonga and 52 whānau members associated with these schools. It was completed prior to the outcome of further rewriting of the Social Sciences learning area, due to be available for feedback in late 2025.
He kitenga | Findings
All ākonga we spoke to said that learning about Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories was important. Their reasons clustered around three broad themes:
- Deepening understanding of personal and collective identities
- Whakapapa and critical thinking
- Understanding the past to help understand the present and plan for the future.
Ākonga were learning about local, national and international histories.
Across primary schools, ākonga were learning about various historical kaupapa at a local, national, and international level. While topics and contexts varied depending on the ages of ākonga, and particular focuses within each school, themes included:
- local histories including hapū and iwi histories,
- histories of colonisation and Te Tiriti o Waitangi,
- and other national, political, or environmental histories.
Secondary school ākonga were learning about a range of historical events in their social studies and histories classes. Some ākonga also had opportunities to learn Māori histories through their involvement in kapa haka and waiata. A thematic analysis of history topics mentioned by ākonga shows a focus on:
- Histories of colonisation and Te Tiriti o Waitangi,
- National and international histories of colonisation and migration,
- Political histories and local histories.
Whānau knowledge of and involvement with the histories curriculum
While some whānau were closely engaged with their children’s schooling or curriculum development, others had more limited knowledge about what was being taught in relation to ANZH. Some whānau expressed trust and confidence in their schools, based on the efforts they could see leaders and teachers were putting towards embedding te reo Māori and cultural practices into school life. Other whānau felt schools could be doing more to share and communicate what they were doing to implement teaching of ANZH.
Ākonga had clear ideas about how to keep histories learning engaging for everyone
We asked ākonga what else schools could do to help make learning histories engaging, enjoyable, and impactful. They had many suggestions, including more use of multimodal resources, active pedagogies, guest speakers, and site visits. Many highlighted the importance of their teacher’s knowledge, enthusiasm, and ability to connect with learners as a key factor. Key themes in their responses included:
- Multi-modal learning resources, including video, music, and games
- Active learning and guest speakers
- Site visits and fieldtrips
- Teachers with knowledge and passion
Secondary ākonga spoke to the importance of their kaiako being knowledgeable in histories, as well as able to connect effectively with learners. This finding affirms what ākonga said in the 2021 public consultation about the importance of good teachers.