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16/12/2025
Annette Thomson
[FYI request #32910 email]
Tēnā koe Annette
OIA: GEMS-45833 – decision to combine dance and drama subjects for years 0-8 curriculum
Thank you for your email of 19 November 2025 to the Ministry of Education (the Ministry)
requesting the following information:
1. I am respectfully requesting
a) all written documents, reports, memos, letters, notes, emails and draft documents;
b) non-written documentary information, such as material stored on or generated by
computers and databases, video and tape recordings, maps and photographs;
c) and information which is known to an agency but which has not yet been recorded
in writing or otherwise relevant to the decision to put Dance and Drama together
under 'performing arts' in the draft arts curriculum document and associated support
documents.
2. I specifically want the answers to the following questions:
a) When was the decision made?
b) at what date/point in the process of writing the draft arts curriculum?
c) What is the evidence,research and rationale for putting these two subjects together
in 0-8?
d) Who subsequently wrote the content for the draft arts curriculum for Drama and
Dance? This can be a named body eg ministry rather than individuals
Your request has been considered under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act).
Regarding
part one of your request, the scope of information requested is extremely broad,
effectively seeking everything written and not written as it relates to the dance and drama learning
areas for the Years 0-8 curriculum development for a six-month period.
Wellington National Office, 1 The Terrace, Levels 5 to 14, Wellington 6011
PO Box 1666, Wellington 6140, DX SR51201 Phone: +64 4 463 8000
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As it is currently worded, the information relevant to
part one of your request cannot be made
available without substantial resources being applied to its collation, to the extent that it would
interfere with the Ministry’s other operations. We considered imposing a charge or attempting to
refine your request; however, it appears that the second part of your request is in effect a
clarification of the information that is most important to you. I am therefore refusing
part one of
your request under section 18(f) of the Act, as the information requested cannot be made available
without substantial collation or research.
Regarding
part two of your request, as you have noted, the draft of the Arts learning area is now
organised into three strands in Years 0-8 – Performing Arts, Music, and Visual Arts, with Dance
and Drama sitting within the ‘Performing Arts’.
The focus on Performing Arts as an integrated strand recognises the opportunities for connected
learning across dance and dramatic art forms in the early years. In Year 9, this splits into specific
teaching sequences for Dance and Drama to support strong pathways to the Year 11 subjects.
Within the Arts learning area, students are given the opportunity to engage with a wide range of
forms, genres and experiences, bringing the diversity of the arts to life across all years and art
forms. Drama is an important component of a fulsome arts curriculum and helps to foster essential
skills and capabilities in learners, and the important links to foundational learning areas such as
English.
Please be assured that we are taking all feedback on board in finalising the learning areas ahead
of the release of the full and final national curriculum in mid-2026.
As part of the engagement approach, we will be undertaking in-class testing of the draft Years 0-10
content in Term 1, 2026 to ensure the curriculum is informed by real classroom experiences, as
well as inviting wider feedback across Years 0-13 content.
In response to
parts 2a and 2b of your request, due to the iterative nature of the curriculum
development approach, we cannot provide you with a specific date as to when Drama and Dance
were organised as knowledge within the Performing Arts strand at Years 0-8.
In response to
part 2c of your request, during development, the writing group examined
international jurisdictions and found significant variation in how Dance and Drama are taught within
the Arts. In many countries, these subjects are not taught as standalone disciplines at the primary
level. For example:
• Dance often focuses on traditional or cultural forms
• Drama frequently takes the form of theatre studies rather than a broad creative practice.
Combining Dance and Drama within Performing Arts reduces the size and complexity of the
curriculum and aims to mitigate the high cognitive load for learners and the significant workload for
teachers.
Earlier drafts of the Arts in Te Mātaiaho released for consultation in 2023 combined all four arts
into a single learning area. However, this approach resulted in sector feedback that the statements
GEMS-45833
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were overly broad, high-level and lacked clarity. Therefore, merging Dance and Drama into
Performing Arts was seen as a practical and pedagogically-sound solution that:
• Maintains coherence within the Arts
• Supports teacher capability
• Reduces curriculum overload while preserving depth of learning
• Allows practices from Te Ao Māori to sit more comfortably – e.g. Te Ao Haka.
The draft learning area is currently available for feedback, and we encourage the sector to engage
through the formal consultation process:
https://tahurangi.education.govt.nz/draft_curriculum_years0to10.
In response to
part 2d of your request, the refreshed curriculum content released to the sector has
been written by the Ministry, for New Zealand learners, and reflects the priorities and aspirations of
our education system.
While the Ministry engages external expertise in the curriculum development process, the Ministry
retains full ownership of the curriculum, and is committed to making sure it reflects our national
context and values. We are focused on delivering a high-quality, inclusive curriculum that supports
all learners to thrive. Bringing together all of the knowledge and skills provided by the various
experts means that individuals may not see their input reflected as they have provided it; however,
all expertise is valuable in determining the final product.
Please note, we may publish this response on our website after five working days. Your name and
contact details will be removed.
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
Claire Eden
General Manager, Business Operations
Te Mahau | Te Poutāhū (Curriculum Centre)
GEMS-45833
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