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CMC
[FYI request #34415 email]
4 June 2026
Tēnā koe CMC
OIA: [GEMS-47587] – draft curriculum consultation
Thank you for your email of 7 April 2026 to the Ministry of Education (the Ministry)
requesting information about
how consultation responses will be managed, reviewed,
and acted upon, and how the outcomes of this process will be made available to the
Minister and the public.
We extended the timeframe for a response by 20 working days under section
15A(1)(b) of the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) to 4 June 2026 as
consultations necessary to make a decision on the request are such that a proper
response cannot reasonably be made within the original time limit.
Your request has been considered under the Act and our response to each part of
your request is set out below.
1. Collation of Consultation Responses
Who is responsible for collating the responses received through the draft
curriculum consultation? Please specify whether this is an internal Ministry
team, an external contractor, or another party, and provide their name(s) or
organisational identity where possible.
What systems or tools are being used to collate the responses?
The receipt, collation, management, and analysis of consultation responses is the
responsibility of an internal Ministry team. The Ministry utilised Survey Monkey as an
online form to collate the feedback received.
In the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) the Ministry uses NVivo, which is a software
tool used for qualitative data analysis. In Te Marautanga o Aotearoa (TMoA), we
have contracted Te Amokura to analyse submissions. Using
NVivo for TMoA submissions was not viable, due to of the low volume of submissions
in some areas.
An external, independent review of the Ministry’s methodology is in the process of
being finalised to provide additional assurance and to report on the robustness and
Wellington – National Office, PO Box 1666, Wellington 6140
Phone: +64 4 463 8000
education.govt.nz
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transparency of the process. The independent reviewer’s report will be made publicly
available; the release dates and distribution channels are yet to be confirmed.
2. Review Methodology
What methodology will be used to review and analyse the consultation
responses? For example: thematic analysis, quantitative summary,
independent review, or another approach?
Has the review methodology been determined yet, and if so, please provide any
documentation describing the approach.
Will any weighting be applied to different types of respondents (e.g. individual
teachers, subject associations, schools, iwi, sector organisations)?
Regarding the methodology used I can advise that in both the NZC and TMoA, we
are using thematic analysis which is a method used for identifying, analysing, and
interpreting patterns (themes), sentiments and constructive criticisms into qualitative
data. You can find more information on the post consultation process, including the
review methodology, on Tāhūrangi (our online curriculum hub) here:
tahurangi.education.govt.nz/post-consultation-process
All feedback is considered, and no weighting will be applied.
3. Reporting
Will a formal report be produced summarising the findings of the consultation?
If so, please confirm this and provide any terms of reference or scope
documents for that report.
Who will author or be responsible for producing the report?
What is the intended timeline for completion of the report?
Will the report be made publicly available, and if so, when and through what
channel?
‘What you told us and how we responded’ reports for each learning area
and wāhanga ako will be published on Tāhūrangi, alongside the final curriculum
documents in mid-2026. These are drafted by Ministry staff and, as such there are no
formal
Terms of Reference or scope documents for this work.
As advised above, the independent reviewers’ report on the Ministry’s methodology
in relation to the consultation process will also be published.
We are still in the process of analysing the consultation feedback and are actively
considering what other reports will be published.
All information will be available alongside the final
curriculum documents on Tāhūrangi in mid-2026.
education.govt.nz
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4. Ministerial Briefing
When is the report or summary of consultation findings expected to be
provided to the Minister of Education?
What format will the Minister receive this information in (e.g. briefing paper, full
report, Cabinet paper)?
Pūmanawa Tangata remains open for consultation until 5 June 2026 and as noted
above, the Ministry is still undertaking analysis of all consultation feedback. Once this
process is complete, we will update the Minister appropriately.
5. Decision-Making and Sign-Off
Who has authority to sign off on any changes to the curriculum documents as
a result of the consultation? Please specify whether this sits with Ministry
officials, the Minister, Cabinet, or another party.
Under the Education and Training Act 2020, the Minister of Education makes
curriculum statements. The Ministry is preparing advice and making changes to the
draft curriculum documents following consultation, which will then be considered by
the Minister.
What criteria will be used to determine whether a particular piece of feedback
warrants a change to the curriculum documents?
Consultation feedback is assessed against the agreed design principles and Ministry
design criteria.
6. Implementation of Changes
Who will make any substantive changes to the curriculum documents that
result from the consultation process? Please specify whether this is an internal
team, the original lead writers, external contractors, or another party.
Ministry of Education staff work with internal and external subject matter experts to
make, test and review all changes.
What is the intended timeline for any changes to be made and for revised
documents to be published?
The final curriculum documents will be published mid-2026.
Please note, we may publish this response on our website after five working days.
Your name and contact details will be removed.
education.govt.nz
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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
Antony Harvey
Acting Hautū / Deputy Secretary
Te Poutāhū | Curriculum Centre
education.govt.nz
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