Request for information on changes to food, nutrition, and home economics subjects in New Zealand secondary schools from 2028
H Patel made this Official Information request to Ministry of Education
The request was refused by Ministry of Education.
From: H Patel
Dear Ministry of Education,
I request under the Official Information Act all documents and records relating to the apparent reorganisation or removal of curriculum subjects that address food, nutrition, and wellbeing - specifically changes affecting Food and Nutrition (Health Studies, Year 11), Home Economics (Year 12/13), and Food Technology (Technology learning area).
This request seeks to clarify whether and how nutrition, wellbeing, and practical food preparation learning will continue to be provided under the new senior secondary subject structure (as posted at https://tahurangi.education.govt.nz/seni...) and the decision-making behind these changes.
Accordingly, I request the following information:
1. Decision-making records - any Cabinet papers, Ministerial decisions, memoranda, or approvals that considered, recommended, or confirmed changes to Food and Nutrition, Home Economics, and Food Technology, including whether they would be removed, merged, or replaced.
2. Policy and analysis - Ministry briefing papers, impact analyses, options, and any other advice, including but not limited to those addressing:
- how food/nutrition content will be delivered under the new structure;
- rationale for not listing a subject explicitly focused on food and/or nutrition under Health & PE;
- anticipated impacts on student health, wellbeing, and learning outcomes;
- whether practical food preparation learning will continue in any subject, other than Hospitality;
- anticipated workforce impacts - including redeployment, job losses, or attrition of specialist teachers due to 'their subject' no longer being offered.
3. Consultation - materials, submissions, feedback, engagement notes, summary reports, surveys/data collected from schools, teachers, and subject associations, health/nutrition experts, parents, students, iwi, or other community stakeholders, or records of any meetings where these changes were discussed; including details of the type of stakeholder where available.
4. Comparative materials - any working documents mapping the current subject content (Food and Nutrition, Home Economics, Food Technology) to the proposed/replacement subjects, showing how content will be retained, merged, or omitted.
If portions of this request are likely to be refused for reasons of substantial collation, I am happy to discuss narrowing the scope or receiving information in stages.
I understand that some parts of my request may relate to detailed materials that are still under development (for example, detailed subject content and course design). For clarity, I am requesting information that has informed the confirmed list of 'Years 11-13 subjects for the National Curriculum', as published on 11 September 2025 - including decision-making, analysis, consultation, and planning carried out to date. If any part of my request cannot be answered for this reason, please confirm this explicitly in your response.
If any material is withheld for other reasons, please state the grounds for withholding with reference to the relevant section of the OIA, and release all reasonably separable material.
Yours faithfully,
H Patel
From: Enquiries National
Ministry of Education
[UNCLASSIFIED]
Kia ora H Patel
Thank you for the information request below. The Ministry will consider and respond to your request in accordance with the Official Information Act 1982 the Act).
Under section 15(1) of the Act, we are required to make and inform you of our decision on your request as soon as reasonably practicable and in any case not later than 20 working days after the day on which your request is received. You can therefore expect to receive our decision on your request on or before 10 October 2025. If more than 20 working days are needed due to the potential workload and/or consultations involved in answering your request, we will notify you accordingly.
The Ministry may publicly release on our website the response to your request five days after you have received it. Any personal information will be removed.
In the interim, if you have any questions about your request, please email [email address]
Ngā mihi
Enquiries National Team | Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga | Ministry of Education | TW
education.govt.nz
We shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent outcomes
He mea tārai e mātou te mātauranga kia rangatira ai, kia mana taurite ai ōna huanga
-----Original Message-----
From: H Patel <[FOI #32297 email]>
Sent: Friday, 12 September 2025 7:46 am
To: Enquiries National <[email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - Request for information on changes to food, nutrition, and home economics subjects in New Zealand secondary schools from 2028
[You don't often get email from [FOI #32297 email]. Learn why this is important at https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentific... ]
Dear Ministry of Education,
I request under the Official Information Act all documents and records relating to the apparent reorganisation or removal of curriculum subjects that address food, nutrition, and wellbeing - specifically changes affecting Food and Nutrition (Health Studies, Year 11), Home Economics (Year 12/13), and Food Technology (Technology learning area).
This request seeks to clarify whether and how nutrition, wellbeing, and practical food preparation learning will continue to be provided under the new senior secondary subject structure (as posted at https://tahurangi.education.govt.nz/seni...) and the decision-making behind these changes.
Accordingly, I request the following information:
1. Decision-making records - any Cabinet papers, Ministerial decisions, memoranda, or approvals that considered, recommended, or confirmed changes to Food and Nutrition, Home Economics, and Food Technology, including whether they would be removed, merged, or replaced.
2. Policy and analysis - Ministry briefing papers, impact analyses, options, and any other advice, including but not limited to those addressing:
- how food/nutrition content will be delivered under the new structure;
- rationale for not listing a subject explicitly focused on food and/or nutrition under Health & PE;
- anticipated impacts on student health, wellbeing, and learning outcomes;
- whether practical food preparation learning will continue in any subject, other than Hospitality;
- anticipated workforce impacts - including redeployment, job losses, or attrition of specialist teachers due to 'their subject' no longer being offered.
3. Consultation - materials, submissions, feedback, engagement notes, summary reports, surveys/data collected from schools, teachers, and subject associations, health/nutrition experts, parents, students, iwi, or other community stakeholders, or records of any meetings where these changes were discussed; including details of the type of stakeholder where available.
4. Comparative materials - any working documents mapping the current subject content (Food and Nutrition, Home Economics, Food Technology) to the proposed/replacement subjects, showing how content will be retained, merged, or omitted.
If portions of this request are likely to be refused for reasons of substantial collation, I am happy to discuss narrowing the scope or receiving information in stages.
I understand that some parts of my request may relate to detailed materials that are still under development (for example, detailed subject content and course design). For clarity, I am requesting information that has informed the confirmed list of 'Years 11-13 subjects for the National Curriculum', as published on 11 September 2025 - including decision-making, analysis, consultation, and planning carried out to date. If any part of my request cannot be answered for this reason, please confirm this explicitly in your response.
If any material is withheld for other reasons, please state the grounds for withholding with reference to the relevant section of the OIA, and release all reasonably separable material.
Yours faithfully,
H Patel
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From: Enquiries National
Ministry of Education
[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]
Tēnā koe H Patel,
Please find attached a letter in relation to your Official Information Act
request of 12 September 2025.
Nāku noa, nā,
Official and Parliamentary Information | Ministry of Education | HW
[1]education.govt.nz
He mea tārai e mātou te mātauranga kia rangatira ai, kia mana taurite ai
ōna huanga
We shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent
outcomes
[2]Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga
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DISCLAIMER:
This email and any attachments may contain information that is
confidential and subject to legal privilege. If you are not the intended
recipient, any use, dissemination, distribution or duplication of this
email and attachments is prohibited. If you have received this email in
error please notify the author immediately and erase all copies of the
email and attachments. The Ministry of Education accepts no
responsibility for changes made to this message or attachments after
transmission from the Ministry.
References
Visible links
1. http://www.education.govt.nz/
2. https://www.education.govt.nz/
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From: H Patel
Kia ora Cindy,
Thank you for the update.
With specific reference to the rejection of parts 1 and 2 of my request under section 18(d) of the Act, are you able to give:
- a timeline of when the advice you mentioned is expected to be published (i.e. 1-2 weeks, 4-6 weeks etc.); and
- the expected location where this will be published (e.g. www.education.govt.nz/news)
Yours sincerely,
H Patel
From: Enquiries National
Ministry of Education
Thank you for your email to the Ministry of Education.
This is an auto generated response confirming your email has been received.
Please do not respond to this message.
We will respond to your email as soon as possible.
Tēnā koe mō tō īmēra mai ki te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga.
He urupare aunoa tēnei hei whakaatu kua tae mai tō īmēra
ki a mātou. Kaua noa e whakautu i tēnei karere.
Mea ake nei ka urupare tonu atu mātou ki tō īmēra.
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DISCLAIMER:
This email and any attachments may contain information that is
confidential and subject to legal privilege. If you are not the intended
recipient, any use, dissemination, distribution or duplication of this
email and attachments is prohibited. If you have received this email in
error please notify the author immediately and erase all copies of the
email and attachments. The Ministry of Education accepts no
responsibility for changes made to this message or attachments after
transmission from the Ministry.
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From: Enquiries National
Ministry of Education
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[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]
Tçnâ koe H Patel,
Please find attached the Ministry’s response to your Official Information
Act request.
Nâku noa, nâ,
Official and Parliamentary Information | Ministry of Education | TF
[1]education.govt.nz
He mea târai e mâtou te mâtauranga kia rangatira ai, kia mana taurite ai
ôna huanga
We shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent
outcomes
[2]Te Tâhuhu o te Mâtauranga
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
DISCLAIMER:
This email and any attachments may contain information that is
confidential and subject to legal privilege. If you are not the intended
recipient, any use, dissemination, distribution or duplication of this
email and attachments is prohibited. If you have received this email in
error please notify the author immediately and erase all copies of the
email and attachments. The Ministry of Education accepts no
responsibility for changes made to this message or attachments after
transmission from the Ministry.
References
Visible links
1. http://www.education.govt.nz/
2. https://www.education.govt.nz/
hide quoted sections
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H Patel left an annotation ()
Part 1 and 2 - refused as the information will soon be made public "within 4 weeks" of 10 November 2025 (s.18(d)).
Part 3 - refused under s.18(f) (requires substantial collation).
Part 4 - considered refused; the documents they supplied are public facing talking points rather than working documents comparing the old and new curricula (as requested). If the requested documents do not exist this should have been refused under s.18(e).
Link to this