Fact Sheet: Home Economics
12 September 2025
Priority 1: Establishing a knowledge-rich curriculum grounded in the science of learning
ACT 1989
Priority 2: Implementing consistent modes of monitoring student progress and achievement
A rich range of exciting secondary subjects have been announced for Years 11-13
(Phase | Tūārere 5) to create a national curriculum for the future
How is this learning taught in schools right now?
INFORMATION
Under the current system, NCEA assessment drives what students learn instead of the
curriculum. Students do not always develop a coherent package of skil s and knowledge that
provides a pathway to work or further study post-school and what is taught could be dif erent
from one school and the next.
Industry-focused learning is assessed primarily through unit and skil standards. While
sometimes these are delivered in coherent packages of learning, this is not always the case, and
some students may only do one or two standards. Most of these standards are also graded on
an Achieved/Not Achieved basis only, so are not always seen as comparable to Achievement
Standards.
Home Economics is currently offered as a subject at NCEA Levels 2 and 3 and has
Achievement Standards. While Home Economics is no longer offered at Level 1, schools
continue to include the learning through other subjects such as Health Studies and Materials &
Processing Technology.
Home Economics was not included in the 2021 NCEA subject list. Under the previous NCEA
Change Programme it was to be replaced with a subject called Food and Nutrition – this was not
fully developed and has not yet been implemented.
NZQA achievement data shows the number of students bei
RELEASED UNDER THE OFFICIAL ng assessed in Home Economics
standards in 2024:
Subject and Level
Number of students assessed in 1 or
Number of students assessed in 14 or
more standards
more credits
Level 2
2329
1107
Level 3
1477
999
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Some schools deliver learning related to home economics through Hospitality courses where
students develop practical skil s in food preparation, hygiene, and presentation. While Hospitality
is primarily focused on vocational training for the food and service industry, it overlaps with
Home Economics in areas like nutrition, food safety, and understanding how food choices affect
wellbeing.
How will this learning be accessed in the future?
Instead of a standalone Food and Nutrition subject, Home Economics learning wil be
incorporated into Health Education.
Food-related product development (e.g. designing a new food product) wil be included in the
Materials & Processing Technology curriculum subject to reflect its important context.
1989
Some of the practical elements of Home Economics (e.g. food preparation, cooking and hygiene
skills), which are currently assessed with Unit Standards, wil be incorporated into a new
industry-led subject for Hospitality. This could also enable students to work towards a tertiar
ACT y
qualification while in a school setting.
The new industry-led subjects will sit alongside Ministry-led subjects in a single pathway as part
of the curriculum.
Students wil be able to include both industry-led and Ministry-led subjects into one learning
programme. In the refreshed curriculum, industry-led subjects wil have the same value and
rigour as Ministry-led subjects. They wil be assessed using Skil s Standards, not Unit
Standards.
INFORMATION
Each subject’s curriculum wil clearly outline the essential learning for students, teachers and
kaiako – ensuring that teaching and learning are driven by the curriculum, rather than the
qualification.
Students wil be able to include both industry-led and Ministry-led subjects into one learning
programme.
OFFICIAL
Industry Skil s Boards would be responsible for developing subjects, while being supported by
the Ministry to ensure that only high-quali
THE ty subjects are part of the new curriculum and
qualifications. This would be an opportunity for industry to play a leadership role in developing
pathways for young people and the workforce of the future.
What happens next (and when)?
UNDER
We are in the early stages of content development for the Ministry-led curriculum subjects.
Detailed subject descriptions wil be available in mid-October and wil be developed with input
from Subject Associations and curriculum writing teams.
There wil be opportunities for teachers and kaiako with appropriate expertise to work alongside
the Ministry to develop the draft curriculum and resources, as well as provide targeted feedback
on content as it is developed. We wil also continue to use our Review Groups.
RELEASED
The draft Ministry-led subject curricula wil be released in Term 1, 2026 for wider feedback.
Industry-led subjects wil be commissioned and scoped following the establishment of the
Industry Skil s Boards in 2026.
New Years 12 and 13 subjects are not due to be used until 2029 and 2030, respectively.
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Document Outline
