Download original attachment
(PDF file)
This is an HTML version of an attachment to the Official Information request 'decisions relating to the Aotearoa New Zealand histories in the New Zealand Curriculum'.

 
17 November 2022 
 
 
Frank Wilson 
[FYI request #20890 email] 
 
 
Tēnā koe Frank 
 
Thank you for your email of 17 October 2022 to the Ministry of Education requesting the 
following information:  
 
Any correspondence, briefings, reports, recollections, aides-memoire and similar 
documents (including drafts) held by the Ministry of Education relating to changes made 
between the draft and final iterations of the Aotearoa histories curriculum and social 
sciences curriculum regarding the following: 
1.  The decision to remove the sentence 'It is clear Māori did not cede their mana to 
the crown and that they signed in the belief that it would give them power to 
govern in partnership with the governor' 
2.  The decision to change 'colonisation and its consequences' to 'colonisation and 
settlement' 
3.  The decision to remove reference to colonisation 'continuing to influence society 
today' 
4.  The decision to replace the reference to the Waitangi Tribunal from 'The Waitangi 
Tribunal investigation process and subsequent settlements by the Crown have 
led to economic, political, social, and cultural growth for iwi. The settlements have 
also provided an opportunity for reconciliation' with  'The Waitangi Tribunal 
investigation process and subsequent settlements by the Crown have provided 
an opportunity for reconciliation and greater engagement by non-Māori with the 
Treaty.' 
5.  Any consideration given to the submission from Te Runanga o Ngāi Tahu, as well 
as other iwi and hapū submissions  
6.  The decisions about using the wording 'the Treaty', 'te Tiriti' or 'te Tiriti o Waitangi 
| The Treaty of Waitangi' 
7.  Any decisions relating to changes made in reference to climate change  
8.  The use of te reo words in English sentences. 
 
Thank you also for your email of 19 October 2022 clarifying that you are just wanting 
information relating to the Aotearoa New Zealand histories in the New Zealand Curriculum, 
not Te Takanga o te wā in Te Mārautanga o Aotearoa. 
 
Your request has been considered under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act).  
 
At the time of your request, the Social Sciences curriculum content had not been finalised 
and approved. As a result, we are unable to provide any information regarding changes 
made between the draft and final iterations of the Social Sciences curriculum. Therefore, I 
am refusing this aspect of your request under section 18(e) of the Act, as the information 
requested does not exist. When the final refreshed Social Sciences curriculum content is 
released, you may wish to submit another request for this content.  
OIA: 1298152 
National Office, Mātauranga House, 33 Bowen Street, Wellington 6011 
PO Box 1666, Wellington 6140. Phone: +64 4 463 8000 Fax: +64 4 463 8001 
education.govt.nz 
 
 
 
The responses provided below therefore only relate to the Aotearoa New Zealand histories 
(ANZH) curriculum content.  
 
Please note that questions 1-4, 7 and 8 of your request are being answered together, as 
the response for these questions is the same. The remaining questions will be answered 
individually. 
 
1.  The decision to remove the sentence 'It is clear Māori did not cede their 
mana to the crown and that they signed in the belief that it would give them 
power to govern in partnership with the governor' 
2.  The decision to change 'colonisation and its consequences' to 'colonisation 
and settlement' 
3.  The decision to remove reference to colonisation 'continuing to influence 
society today' 
4.  The decision to replace the reference to the Waitangi Tribunal from 'The 
Waitangi Tribunal investigation process and subsequent settlements by the 
Crown have led to economic, political, social, and cultural growth for iwi. 
The settlements have also provided an opportunity for reconciliation' with  
'The Waitangi Tribunal investigation process and subsequent settlements 
by the Crown have provided an opportunity for reconciliation and greater 
engagement by non-Māori with the Treaty.' 
7.  Any decisions relating to changes made in reference to climate change 
8.  The use of te reo words in English sentences. 
 
The feedback received during the consultation period, both through the public survey and  
in-school testing, was independently analysed for the Ministry by the New Zealand Council 
for Educational Research and Te Paetawhiti. Summary reports were then returned to the 
Ministry. These independent analysis reports, alongside a summary report written by the 
Ministry, are available at: https://www.education.govt.nz/our-work/changes-in-
education/aotearoa-new-zealands-histories-and-te-takanga-o-te-wa/process-for-creating-te-
takanga-o-te-wa-and-aotearoa-new-zealands-histories-content/.  
 
Once the Ministry received these reports, it worked with members of the Peer Review Group 
(a subgroup of Ohu Matua) to agree changes to both ANZH and Te Takanga o Te Wā.  
 
As you can see from the above reports, the feedback the Ministry received on the content of 
ANZH was not as specific to individual words or the wording of particular sentences. Rather, 
themes were identified from the feedback that were used to edit the document as a whole. 
As a result, there are no correspondences, briefings, reports, recollections, aides-memoire 
and similar documents (including drafts) regarding the decision to change specific 
sentences. Therefore, I am refusing these aspects of your request under section 18(e) of the 
Act, as no such information exists.  
 
All feedback and information regarding the development of the ANZH curriculum is available 
online in our responses to past Official Information Act requests. These can be found at the 
following links: 
 
  1284785 Response Letter: https://assets.education.govt.nz/public/Documents/our-
work/information-releases/responses-to-Official-Information-Act-requests/1284785-
Response-v2.pdf. 
  1284785 Appendix One: https://assets.education.govt.nz/public/Documents/our-
work/information-releases/responses-to-Official-Information-Act-requests/1284785-
Appendix-One.pdf. 
education.govt.nz 
 
 
  1280110 Appendix A: https://assets.education.govt.nz/public/Documents/our-
work/information-releases/responses-to-Official-Information-Act-requests/1280110-
Appendix-A.pdf. 
 
5.  Any consideration given to the submission from Te Runanga o Ngāi Tahu, 
as well as other iwi and hapū submissions  
 
As outlined above, the results of the public online survey, and all submissions received via 
email or otherwise from members of the public and/or organisations, were independently 
analysed by external providers. The independent analysis group then provided summary 
reports of this to the Ministry.  
 
The independent analysis group was asked to analyse the views of Māori as a whole as a 
focus group in these independent analyses. Feedback was not considered at the level of 
individual hapū and iwi, and we did not request reporting on individual iwi or hapū. Any 
considerations relating to Te Runanga o Ngāi Tahu or other iwi or hapū that the Ministry 
holds as a product of the independent analysis reports we received are already publicly 
available in the reports linked above. 
 
I am therefore refusing this aspect of your request under the following sections of the Act: 
 
  Section 18(g), as the information is not held by the Ministry, and I have no grounds 
for believing that the information is held by another department or organisation 
subject to the Act  
  Section 18(d), as the information that is held is publicly available. 
 
6.  The decisions about using the wording 'the Treaty', 'te Tiriti' or 'te Tiriti o 
Waitangi | The Treaty of Waitangi' 
 
Between the draft ANZH curriculum document and the finalised version, the wording for 
referring to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and The Treaty of Waitangi was edited to follow standard 
Government policy. Guidance followed in this instance included legal guidance on the Treaty 
principles, and a Cabinet Office Circular on Te Tiriti o Waitangi | Treaty of Waitangi 
Guidance, which is publicly available at https://dpmc.govt.nz/publications/co-19-5-te-tiriti-o-
waitangi-treaty-waitangi-guidance. 
 
One email chain in scope of this question has been identified. I am withholding some 
information within that email chain under section 9(2)(h) of the Act, to maintain legal 
professional privilege. 
 
I am providing the remainder of this email chain to you in the form of a summary, as 
allowable under section 16(1)(e) of the Act. In summary, that email identified that the 
Cabinet Office Circular linked above is useful for thinking through what Te Tiriti o Waitangi / 
The Treaty of Waitangi means for the Ministry’s approach. 
 
As required under section 9(1) of the Act, I have considered whether the public interest in 
this information outweighs the withholding of this information. There does not appear to be 
an overriding public interest supporting release.  
 
Please note, the Ministry now proactively publishes official information responses on our 
website. As such, we may publish this response on our website after five working days. Your 
name and contact details will be removed. 
 
 
 
education.govt.nz 
 

 
Thank you again for your email. You have the right to ask an Ombudsman to review my 
decision on your request, in accordance with section 28 of the Act. You can do this by writing 
to [email address] or to Office of the Ombudsman, PO Box 10152, 
Wellington 6143. 
 
 
Nāku noa, nā 
 
 
 
 
 
Pauline Cleaver 
Associate Deputy Secretary 
Te Mahau | Te Poutāhū (Curriculum Centre) 
education.govt.nz