Dear Ministry of Education,
The Official Information Act Coordinator
Ministry of Education | Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga
PO Box 1666
Wellington 6140

Tēnā koe,

Official Information Act 1982 Request – Curriculum Development Process Update

I am writing to make a request under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) for documents relating to the curriculum development process and, specifically, any update or revision to the process previously outlined in Education Report 1342593.

By way of background: a previous OIA response (reference 1354085, concerning the Position Paper for the Arts Curriculum and the Position Paper for the Science Curriculum) disclosed that the position papers were not used in the generation of the draft curriculum material. This along with the notes in the released Education Report 1342593 indicates that a new process was followed.I am seeking information to understand the updated process and associated timelines that are now in place.

Information Requested

I request all education reports, briefings, ministerial advice, or other documents provided to the Minister of Education between 1 February 2025 and 31 October 2025 that:

advise the Minister of any new or revised process governing the development of the national curriculum (including any replacement of or departure from the process described in Education Report 1342593);

set out updated timelines, milestones, or key dates associated with curriculum development;

explain why, or confirm that, the position papers (Arts Curriculum and Science Curriculum, as disclosed under OIA reference 1354085) were not used in the generation of the draft curriculum material;
and/or describe any alternative inputs, processes, or methodologies that replaced or supplemented the position paper process in the development of draft curriculum material.

For the purposes of this request, “documents” includes but is not limited to education reports, briefing notes, ministerial advisories, Cabinet papers, correspondence, emails, and meeting minutes, whether in draft or final form, that were prepared by or on behalf of the Ministry of Education and provided to, or intended for, the Minister.

I would prefer to receive the requested information electronically, in PDF format where possible. If any documents are to be withheld in full or in part, I request that you identify the specific grounds under the OIA relied upon for each withholding.

I note that under section 15 of the OIA, the Ministry is required to respond to this request as soon as reasonably practicable, and in any event within 20 working days of receipt. If you require clarification of any aspect of this request, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Ngā mihi,
Yours faithfully,

CMC