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4/02/2026
Frank Wilson
[FYI request #33290 email]
Tēnā koe Frank
OIA: GEMS-46383 – Social Science Curriculum
Thank you for your email of 16 December 2025 to the Ministry of Education (the Ministry)
requesting the following information:
I am writing to request information under the Official Information Act regarding the development of
the social sciences curriculum.
1. Specifical y, I would like to receive al documentation related to the decision-making process
for the inclusion of content in the curriculum, with a focus on the practices and suggestions
that contributed to its formation.
2. Suggestions from Reviewers and Contributors Please provide a summary of the practices
suggested by the individuals previously named on Tāhūrangi as the review group (Bronwyn
Wood, Bronwyn Houliston, Mary Robinson, Maria Perreau, Colin McLeod, Andrea
Thompson, and Sarah Hopkinson). I understand that you may not be able to name specific
individuals, so please list suggestions frpm the group as a whole in two categories: those
that were included in the draft curriculum and those that were not.
Suggestions from AI Tools
3. Please provide a summary of any practices suggested by AI tools in the development of the
curriculum. Again, I would appreciate it if these suggestions could be categorised into two
groups: those included in the draft and those that were not.
4. Suggestions from the Minister or Associate Minister Please provide a summary of the
practices suggested by the Minister or Associate Minister for the social sciences curriculum.
As above, please categorise the suggestions into those included in the draft and those that
were not.
5. Suggestions from the Curriculum Coherence Group Please provide a summary of the
practices suggested by the members of the Curriculum Coherence Group. These
suggestions should also be listed in two categories: those included in the draft and those
that were not.
Wellington National Office, 1 The Terrace, Levels 5 to 14, Wellington 6011
PO Box 1666, Wel ington 6140, DX SR51201 Phone: +64 4 463 8000
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Criteria for Selection of Practices
6. I would like to understand the criteria used to determine which practices were included in the
draft curriculum and which were excluded. In particular, I am interested in the reasoning
behind the decision that the majority of history-related statements are phrased as
"consider..." rather than as actionable practices.
7. Inclusion of Knowledge Statements from the 2022 ANZHC Please provide a list of any
“Know” statements from the 2022 ANZHC (Aotearoa New Zealand Histories Curriculum) that
were considered for inclusion in the draft 2025 social sciences curriculum.
8. Exclusion of Knowledge Statements from the 2022 ANZHC Please provide a list of any
"Know" statements from the 2022 ANZHC that were excluded from the draft 2025
curriculum, along with the reasons for their exclusion. For each excluded statement, please
indicate which group or tool (e.g., review panel, AI tools, Minister or Associate Minister,
Curriculum Coherence Group, etc.) provided the rationale for exclusion.
I would appreciate it if the documents could be provided in electronic format where possible. If any
part of my request is unclear or if you need further clarification, please feel free to let me know how I
could refine my request to make it easy to collate.
Your request has been considered under the Of icial Information Act 1982 (the Act).
Curriculum development is an iterative and ongoing process, taking into account feedback
received through the various regular internal and external reviews of curriculum content. As part of
this process, feedback is regularly exchanged across multiple individuals and in multiple formats.
As your request is currently worded, you seek decision-making documents, summaries of
suggestions from reviewers, contributors, artificial intelligence (AI) tools, the Curriculum Coherence
Group and the Associate Minister of Education for an unspecified time-period.
After careful consideration, I am refusing
parts one to five of your request under section 18(f) of
the Act, as the information requested cannot be made available without substantial collation or
research. Attempting to provide a substantive response to your request would require extensive
searches across multiple systems and individual mailboxes, and detailed review of a large volume
of material to identify and extract relevant content, including the creation of new material.
It is worth noting, summaries can be provided under the Act as per section 16, however, to
produce the requested summaries requires a detailed analysis of hundreds of individual items
which the Ministry is unable to do without substantial collation and research such as would
interfere with normal operations. Additionally, and relevant to
part two of your request, to the
extent that the Ministry can identify feedback from the Contributing Group, that documentation and
correspondence pertaining to the development of draft curriculum content is likely to be withheld
under section 9(2)(g)(i) of the Act, to maintain the effective conduct of public affairs through the
free and frank expression of opinions by or between or to Ministers of the Crown, or officers and
employees of any department or organisation, in the course of their duty.
Furthermore, where you seek categorised lists, the Ministry is not required to create new
information for the purposes of responding to a request. I am therefore also including a refusal
under section 18(g) of the Act, as the Ministry does not hold the requested information as
OIA: GEMS-46383
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categorised lists, and I have no grounds for believing that it is either held by or more closely related
to the functions of another department or organisation subject to the Act.
You can find information on the draft social science learning area for Years 0-10 on the Ministry’s
Tāhūrangi website, including an information sheet outlining proposed changes to the learning area:
https:/ newzealandcurriculum.tahurangi.education.govt.nz/new-zealand-curriculum-online/nzc---
social-sciences-phases-1-4-years-0-
10/5637290851.p#:~:text=Links%20to%20Social%20Sciences%20supports%20and%20resources
%3A
Regarding
part six of your request, the Act applies to official information held by an agency. The
Act does not require agencies to create new information, as noted above in response to
parts one
to five, provide conjecture, or form an opinion to respond to a request. In this case, the information
you seek for
part six would require the Ministry to develop a view, interpretation, or assessment
that does not currently exist, or to create new documentation for the purposes of answering your
question.
In addressing
parts seven and eight of your request, as mentioned above, while the Ministry is
not required to create new information (such as categorised lists), linked below is the 2022
Aotearoa New Zealand’s Histories content, and the draft social sciences learning area for Years 0-
10 that is currently open for consultation to support you in undertaking a comparative assessment.
Aotearoa New Zealand’s Histories 2022:
https:/ nzhistory.govt.nz/sites/default/files/documents/MOE-aotearoa-nz-histories.pdf
Draft social sciences learning area for Years 0-10:
https:/ newzealandcurriculum.tahurangi.education.govt.nz/new-zealand-curriculum-online/nzc---
social-sciences-phases-1-4-years-0-10/5637290851.p
As such, information requested for
parts six, seven and eight of your request is not held by the
Ministry and I am therefore refusing
parts six, seven and eight of your request under section
18(g) of Act, as above
As required under sections 18A and 18B of the Act, I have considered whether inviting you to
refine, fixing a charge or extending would enable this part your request to be answered. However, I
do not consider that any of these mechanisms would sufficiently mitigate the administrative burden
associated with collating and assessing to produce the requested summaries and lists, which
would have a significant impact on the Ministry’s ability to carry out its core functions.
If, having considered the above, you wish to submit a more targeted request, such as focusing on
a specific topic, type of document, or a specified timeframe we would be happy to consider this.
As mentioned above, consultation is open on the draft social sciences learning area for Years 0-
10. We encourage you to engage with the draft material and provide feedback as part of the formal
consultation process. Al feedback received through this process wil be considered in finalising the
learning area.
Further information on how to provide feedback is linked here:
newzealandcurriculum.tahurangi.education.govt.nz/y0-10-draft-curriculum-consultation
OIA: GEMS-46383
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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
Cindy McDonald
Principal Advisor
Government, Executive and Ministerial Services
OIA: GEMS-46383
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