Principal's Page

Kia Ora Friends - Our Warmest Greetings

There are many changes to education happening very quickly in New Zealand. Three new maths curricula in three years, but with two iterations of the third version, keeping up with change, and rewriting maths schemes and planning has been a mammoth task for the teaching profession.

Teaching is demanding at the best of times, and is becoming more demanding all the time.

Teachers are educators, guides, counsellors, coaches, mentors and role models. They have to be strong in eight different curriculum areas and experts in at least three of them. They have to be patient, kind, encouraging, wise, patient, understanding, insightful, divergent thinkers, consistent and persistent and have a sense of humour. Each year they are parents to up to 30 very diverse young people - from vastly differing cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds. They have to balance the very different expectations of parents and the fact that many children and family members may have English as their second or even third language.

Our staff at Western Heights do this with patience, perseverance and equanimity. They turn up nearly every day and do their very best. I am incredibly proud of the team we have here, and I constantly worry about the demands that high expectations and increasing demands are putting on their health and well-being.

Add in all these curriculum changes, and we are risking major burnout. I see it, and so I do everything I can to lighten loads and look after our staff, but it is not easy.

There is no question that the vast majority of our parent community is patient and supportive - more so than we would sometimes like to ask you to be.

That brings me to the whakatauki we share as a staff -

He waka eke noa

We are all in this together

Thank you for being with us in the waka. We will all keep paddling together, aiming for a better and brighter horizon, and hopefully a more common-sense, consultative, and manageable approach to curriculum change.

Here's the brief timeline of some of the changes we have faced:

2017–2018: National Standards removed

This opens the door for a different approach to tracking progress in mathematics, eventually leading to the Curriculum Refresh and new progress tools.

February 2021: Curriculum Refresh announced

The Government announces a multi-year refresh of The New Zealand Curriculum, starting with Aotearoa NZ Histories, then Mathematics, English, and Science content from 2022.

March 2022: Literacy & Communication and Maths Strategy

The Ministry launches the Literacy & Communication and Maths Strategy to lift outcomes and reduce inequities in literacy and maths from early learning through to the end of secondary.
The strategy commits to:
- Clearer expectations for what students should know in maths
- A Common Practice Model (CPM) describing evidence-based teaching approaches in literacy and maths.

2022–2023: Te Mātaiaho (refreshed NZ Curriculum) and Common Practice Model

2022–23: Draft versions of Te Mātaiaho (the refreshed NZ Curriculum) and draft learning areas, including Mathematics and Statistics, are released for testing. Maths is one of the first three learning areas developed.
March 2023: Phase 1 of the Common Practice Model is released, setting out principles for how literacy and maths should be taught, not just what is taught.

Specific changes to the Maths & Statistics learning area (NZC / Te Mātaiaho)

August 2024: Refreshed Years 0–8 maths content released for feedback

The Ministry releases an updated version of the Mathematics and Statistics curriculum for Years 0–8 for consultation, with feedback open through to early September 2024.

June 2024: National curriculum timelines confirmed

13 June 2024: The Minister publishes official timelines for the updated national curriculum. Key maths milestones:
- Term 1 2025: All schools must be teaching the updated maths and pāngarau for Years 0–8.
- Term 1 2026: Schools with Years 7–13 must teach the updated mathematics and statistics and pāngarau for Years 9–13.
- 2027: Fully refreshed national curriculum (all learning areas) must be in use.

Structural change: curriculum levels replaced

The Ministry explicitly signals the shift away from the old Levels 1–5 structure (for maths) to a Year-based learning area:
- From 1 January 2025, Levels 1–4 of the 2007 Maths & Stats curriculum are removed and replaced by a Years 0–8 Mathematics and Statistics learning area.
- From 1 January 2026, Level 5 is also removed and the Years 0–10 Mathematics and Statistics learning area comes fully into force.

October 2024 onwards: Phase documents for maths released

By October 2024, phase documents for Mathematics and Statistics (for example Phase 3, Years 7–8) are published as part of Te Mātaiaho, with big ideas, progressions and teaching guidance.

Finalisation of Years 0–10 Maths & Stats and new assessment requirements

19 October 2025: Final Years 0–10 maths content published

The Ministry publishes the final updated curriculum content for Years 0–10 English, Te Reo Rangatira, Mathematics and Statistics, and Pāngarau.
The official Maths & Stats page specifies that Phases 1–4 (Years 0–10) become the formal statement of policy for all English-medium schools from 1 January 2026.
Key features of the new Maths & Stats learning area:
- Six strands: Number, Algebra, Measurement, Geometry, Statistics, Probability.
- Year-by-year teaching sequences (Years 0–10) replace broad curriculum levels as the main organising frame.
- Emphasis on mathematical and statistical processes (investigating, representing, connecting, generalising, explaining, justifying).

New assessment and reporting obligations in maths

From the same policy statement, school boards and principals are required to ensure:

Twice-yearly maths assessment (Years 3–8) using one of:
- SMART
- PAT
- e-asTTle (e-asTTle is allowed only during 2026).
Use of common progress descriptors in maths: Emerging, Developing, Consolidating, Proficient, Exceeding, to report against year-by-year expectations.
These requirements sit alongside the refreshed curriculum content and will be in force from 2026.

Finalisation of Years 0–10 Maths & Stats and new assessment requirements

19 October 2025: Final Years 0–10 maths content published

This iteration was another rewrite!

As always, if you have questions or concerns about anything school-related, email me at macash@mac.com, and I will get back to you asap.

My very best regards to you all,

Ash Maindonald

Principal.