Labour says it would establish an independent body to oversee New Zealand’s curriculum and assessment system if elected in the November 7 general election.
According to a report by 1News, the proposed Independent Council for Curriculum and Assessment (ICCA) would provide expert oversight of curriculum and assessment decisions, according to Labour education spokesperson Ginny Andersen.
Andersen said the council would "provide expert leadership of New Zealand’s curriculum and assessment system," 1News has quoted.
Labour would establish an interim expert group within three months of taking office to provide immediate advice on curriculum and assessment.
The party also plans to pause for one year the rollout of curriculum changes introduced by the current Government that have not yet been implemented. Work already under way on maths and English would continue, with support provided to schools, as reported by 1News.
Under the proposal, the existing NCEA system would remain in place and "unchanged" until 2029, allowing the proposed council time to consider the Government’s planned changes and advise on future reforms.
Labour says the ICCA would cost about $500,000 a year, with funding coming from a reprioritisation of existing baseline education funding, 1News has reported.
Andersen said curriculum decisions should be based on evidence and educational expertise rather than political preferences.
"Governments will continue to set the broad goals and expectations for our education system. That democratic accountability will remain.
"But detailed curriculum and assessment design should be led by expert educators and assessment specialists, not rewritten according to the preferences of individual ministers,” as quoted by 1News.
She said the proposal was not intended to create additional bureaucracy.
"It is about building a coherent curriculum, avoiding rushed changes and improving educational outcomes for students.
“We will keep what is working, carefully assess changes that are underway and make future decisions based on evidence and expert advice.
“Good curriculum reform takes time. It requires professional expertise, proper implementation and the confidence of the parents, teachers and schools who rely on it," 1News has quoted.
Government's curriculum changes
The Government is currently undertaking a major overhaul of New Zealand’s school curriculum. On Tuesday, it released the final two learning areas for the new curriculum covering Years 0 to 10.
Education Minister Erica Stanford said the new framework would provide a consistent national approach to learning.
“This curriculum provides a clear and nationally consistent pathway for learning, helping students develop the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to succeed at school and beyond,” Stanford said, as quoted by 1News.
Schools have until the beginning of 2029 to fully implement the new curriculum framework.
The Government is also replacing NCEA with a new senior secondary qualification system. Under the proposed system, the New Zealand Certificate of Education (NZCE) would be introduced at Year 12 and the New Zealand Advanced Certificate of Education (NZACE) at Year 13, 1News has reported.
Students would study at least five subjects in Years 12 and 13 and need to pass at least three subjects to gain each qualification, alongside a compulsory literacy and numeracy Foundational Award benchmarked at Year 11.
According to 1News, recent consultation on the proposed replacement has shown differing views among educators, students and whānau, with some supporting changes to NCEA while others favour improving the existing qualification rather than replacing it.
National has separately outlined plans to require schools to provide an hour each day of reading, writing and maths, ban mobile phones in classrooms, provide additional resources and replace NCEA with a system featuring A+ to E grades and an exam in every subject, 1News has reported.
Labour's proposal would place future detailed curriculum and assessment design under the proposed independent council while leaving broader education goals and democratic accountability with elected governments.
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