GEMS 47183 OIA Response.pdf

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CMC
[FYI request #34013 email]
8 May 2026
Tēnā koe CMC
OIA: GEMS-47183 – Updated process for generating the draft NZC curriculum
Thank you for your email of 10 March 2026 to the Ministry of Education (the Ministry)
requesting the following information:
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:
1.  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);
2.  set out updated timelines, milestones, or key dates associated with curriculum
development;
3.  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.
Your request has been considered under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act),
and numbered for the purposes of responding.
In line with the intent of your request, we have interpreted your request as seeking
advice relating to changes to the processes and timelines of the
New Zealand Curriculum Refresh as a whole, rather than to the content and/or
timeframes relating to individual learning areas.
We have identified eight papers in scope of your request. My decision on the release
of each document is outlined in the Appendix A Document Table below, and the
documents being released to you are attached as Appendix A.

Wellington – National Office, PO Box 1666, Wellington 6140
Phone: +64 4 463 8000
education.govt.nz
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I am withholding some information under the following sections of the Act:
•  9(2)(a), to protect the privacy of natural persons
•  9(2)(f)(iv), to maintain the constitutional conventions for the time being which
protect the confidentiality of advice tendered by Ministers of the Crown and
officials
•  9(2)(g)(i), to maintain the effective conduct of public affairs through the free
and frank expression of opinions by, between or to Ministers of the Crown or
members of an organisation or officers and employees of any public service
agency or organisation in the course of their duty.
Out-of-scope information has also been removed.
As required under section 9(1) of the Act, I have considered the public interest in
releasing the information withheld. I do not consider that the public interest
considerations favouring the release of this information are sufficient to outweigh the
need to withhold it at this time.
The documents released in this OIA response include timelines and milestones that,
in some instances, have been superseded as the curriculum development process
has progressed. Given the iterative and evolving nature of this work, certain key
actions may not have occurred exactly as originally described, with changes
reflecting ongoing refinements, emerging priorities, and new information.
I am refusing some information under section 18(d) of the Act, as the information is
already publicly available. Links to where this information can be found are included
in the Appendix A Document Table below.
In addition to the papers outlined below, we have identified some papers where the
main topic falls outside of the scope of your request, but that included reference to
timelines that supersede those mentioned in the Education Report 1342593 specified
in your request. In accordance with section 16(1)(e) of the Act, the relevant sections
are summarised or extracted below:
•  Report: Draft Years 0-10 New Zealand Curriculum Learning areas for release
[METIS 1354051] seeks the Minister’s agreement to release the draft
New Zealand Curriculum framework, and learning areas, for Years 0-10 on 28
October 2025. The consultation release date supersedes that mentioned in
METIS 1342593 referenced in your request. The report references that the
draft Te Marautanga o Aotearoa framework and Years 0-10 wāhanga ako
would be provided later than originally planned, reflecting the challenges of
quality assuring and finalising content across the national curriculum. The
report also noted the plan to release draft Years 11-13 curriculum subjects in
Term 1, 2026, which has been superseded by the linked timeline here:
tahurangi.education.govt.nz/senior-secondary-subjects-mar26.
education.govt.nz

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• The report that you have mentioned in your request [METIS 1342593]
contains a table outlining the external review groups the Ministry has engaged
as part of the curriculum development process. Whilst we do not believe this is
the intent of your request, we have identified an information update that
provided the Minister with an updated description of the review groups’
purpose. An extract of this update is included below for your information.

education.govt.nz

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In relation to part three of your request, and as advised in the earlier OIA response
referenced in your request, the Arts and Science position papers were developed
during the early stages of designing the Arts and Science curriculum to inform these
learning areas. After changes to the curriculum development approach, the papers
were not progressed or approved.
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

Antony Harvey
Acting Deputy Secretary | Hautū Taupua
Te Poutāhū | Curriculum Centre

education.govt.nz

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Appendix A Document Table
#
Date
Reference  Title
Decision on release
1
11/02/25
1342593
Report: Curriculum  Refused under section 18(d)
development
of the Act. Some information
timelines and
withheld under sections 9(2)(a)
Position Paper
and 9(2)(f)(iv) of the Act.
templates

https://web-
assets.education.govt.nz/s3fs
-public/2025-
03/ER%201342593%20-
%20Redacted_0.pdf?VersionI
d=_hCoWo6MDO96NBnyrWX
dEqCrGYoGGxeG
2.   21/02/2025
1343366
Information update:  Released in part. Some
Timeline of advice
information withheld under
for curriculum and
sections 9(2)(a) and 9(2)(f)(iv)
NCEA
of the Act, out of scope
information removed.
3.
14/03/25
1344254
Report: revised
Released in part. Some
curriculum
information withheld under
development
sections 9(2)(a) and 9(2)(f)(iv)
timelines and
of the Act.
approach
4.
17/04/2025
1346356
Information Update:  Released in part. Some
Timeline of advice
information withheld under
for curriculum and
section 9(2)(a) and 9(2)(f)(iv) of
NCEA
the Act, out of scope
information removed.
5.
06/05/2025
1347171
Information update:  Released in part. Some
National curriculum  information withheld under
development
sections 9(2)(a) and 9(2)(f)(iv)
timeline
of the Act.
education.govt.nz

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#
Date
Reference  Title
Decision on release
6.
22/05/2025
1348066
Information update:  Released in part. Some
Timeline of advice
information withheld under
for curriculum and
sections 9(2)(a) and 9(2)(f)(iv)
NCEA
of the Act, out of scope
information removed.
7
17/06/25
1348765
Report: Curriculum  Refused under section 18(d)
and NCEA
of the Act. Some information
implementation
withheld under sections 9(2)(a)
timeline
and 9(2)(f)(iv) of the Act.

https://web-
assets.education.govt.nz/s3fs
-public/2025-10/1348675%20-
%20Cirriculum%20and%20N
CEA%20implementation%20ti
meline_Redacted.pdf?Versio
nId=_4KQKCt6ZEznDm66arV
JQY9hsrspK2KN
8.
30/07/2025
1351042
Report: Approach
Released in part. Some
to National
information withheld under
Curriculum
sections 9(2)(a), 9(2)(f)(iv) and
Consultation
9(2)(g)(i) of the Act.

education.govt.nz

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