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[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]

Kia ora Penny,

 

Thank you for the information request below.  The Ministry will consider
and respond to your request in accordance with the Official Information
Act 1982 (the Act).

 

Under section 15(1) of the Act, we are required to make and inform you of
our decision on your request as soon as reasonably practicable and in any
case not later than 20 working days after the day on which your request is
received.  You can therefore expect to receive our decision on your
request on or before 30 July 2026.  If more than 20 working days are
needed due to the potential workload and/or consultations involved in
answering your request, we will notify you accordingly.

 

In the interim, if you have any questions about your request, please email
[1][email address].

 

 

Ngâ mihi,

Enquiries National Team | Te Tâhuhu o te Mâtauranga | Ministry of
Education | JH
[2]education.govt.nz
We shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent
outcomes
He mea târai e mâtou te mâtauranga kia rangatira ai, kia mana taurite ai
ôna huanga

[3]Te TD huhu o te MD tauranga

 

Dear Hon Erica Stanford, Minister of Education AND Ministry of Education,

 

I am an investigative reporter. I recently published an article which
examined a politically partisan activity in a New Zealand high school
social studies lesson, the Post Primary Teachers' Association's (PPTA)
characterisation of students with traditional or conservative values as
holding "extremist" views, and the influence of international bodies on
New Zealand education policy. I am making this request in the public
interest.

 

Request 1

All briefings, advice, reports, or correspondence held by the Ministry of
Education relating to the PPTA's development of guidelines - as published
in The Press on June 24 2026, described publicly as “Dealing with
Extremism in the Classroom" - for teachers to identify or manage students
deemed to hold extremist or far-right views. This includes any documents
in which the Ministry was consulted on, or gave a view on, this
initiative. I am seeking documents created or received between 1 January
2024 and the date of this request.

 

Request 2

Any document held by the Ministry that defines, describes, or sets out
criteria for "misinformation," "disinformation," or "extremism" in a
student or school context, including any document setting out who is
responsible for determining or reviewing those definitions.

 

Request 3

Any guidance, circulars, or policy documents issued by the Ministry to
schools concerning the use of politically partisan content in classroom
materials, including materials depicting foreign political figures. If no
such guidance exists, any internal advice, briefings, or correspondence
about whether such guidance is needed.

 

Request 4

Any internal policy, review process, or oversight framework used by the
Ministry to monitor whether classroom materials and resources delivered to
students align with the New Zealand Curriculum's principles of balance and
inclusion.

 

Request 5

Any records held by the Ministry of complaints received about the use of
politically partisan content in New Zealand school classrooms for the
three financial years 2023/24, 2024/25, and 2025/26 (to the date of this
request), including the total number of complaints received and a summary
of outcomes. (I do not require the personal details of any complainant or
school.)

 

Request 6

All briefings, reports, correspondence, funding agreements, or other
documents held by the Ministry relating to the World Economic Forum's
frameworks, programmes, or recommendations concerning misinformation,
disinformation, or media literacy in schools, received or created between
1 January 2020 and the date of this request.

 

Request 7

Any briefings, advice, or correspondence held by the Ministry discussing
whether it is appropriate for a teacher union (and specifically the PPTA)
to develop guidelines governing what views students may hold or express in
classrooms, including any document setting out the Ministry's formal or
working position on this matter.

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Penny Claridge

 

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