Educator Association Updates | December 2025

This article contains updates from various educator associations. News is curated via:

• Your friendly regional representative,

• Announcements, newsletters, spokespersons

This is a live article so please continue to check-in as the month progresses.

🟩 = New update for this month ❌ = No Updates this month

🟩 Aotearoa Educator's Collective

New date for live webinar "Sifting through the draft science curriculum".

Articles which may be relevant to us:

• Over 1000 schools reaffirm their commitment to te Tiriti

🟩 Earth and Space Science Educators New Zealand

• ESSENZ has published the findings from their science curriculum survey here.

• Membership to ESSENZ is free and gives kaiako access to all ESSENZ resources on their Google shared area, as well as access to all the exams that the association has produced. You can join here.

Ngā mihi nui

Jim Critchley and Erin Nolan

ESSENZ Regional Representatives

jimc@mmc.school.nz

erin.nolan@whs.co.nz

🟩 New Zealand Association of Environmental Education

NZAEE is currently working through all of the draft curriculum documents including the overall framework. The 2025 draft is being compared against the 2007 NZC and the 2023 Te Mātaiaho draft, with a particular focus on the changes related to environmental education, such as sustainability, climate change, place-based learning, indigenous worldviews and nature connection.

We are particularly concerned by the significant changes to Mātaitipu Vision for Young People, which was guided by engagement with young people across the motu and then refined by the Youth Voices Group in 2022 - you can watch this video for an overview. The Vision included in the 2025 draft is significantly different.

Our review of the science draft will be ready to share by early February 2026, but in the meantime we recommend attending the upcoming AEC webinar which includes Chris Eames who is involved with NZAEE as part of our curriculum and advocacy work. If you're interested in this review work you can sign up to the NZAEE Curriculum Newsletter here.

Thea DePetris

NZAEE Regional Representative

thea@nzaee.org.nz

🟩 Secondary Chemistry Educators New Zealand

BioLive ChemEd details are now live.

The 2025 review and maintenance has now been completed and published for use in 2026.

• The Conditions of Assessment across all Level 1 internally assessed standards have been updated to include clearer guidance about authenticity.

• For AS1.4 (AS92023) changes to the unpacking have been made for clarity and consistency to strengthen interpretation of the Achievement Standard.

• There are no specific changes to L2 and 3 Chemistry standards or associated resources but the updated conditions of assessment can be found here.

Bay Science has published a list of updated 2026 materials for all sciences here.

Ngā manaakitanga

Lian Soh

SCENZ Regional Representative

lsoh@papamoacollege.school.nz

🟩 Biology Educators of Aotearoa New Zealand

BioLive ChemEd event information is now live.

Ngā mihi nui,

Vicki Wallace

BEANZ Regional Representative

vickia@mmc.school.nz

❌ Horticultural and Agricultural Teachers Associations

No updates. Please check back later.

❌ New Zealand Association of Science Educators

NZASE has published their draft science curriculum feedback responses here.

Ngā manaakitanga

Lian Soh

NZASE Regional Representative

lsoh@papamoacollege.school.nz

❌ New Zealand Institute of Physics (Education)

No updates. Please check back later.

Ngā manaakitanga

Mat Synge

NZIP Regional Representative

msynge@aquinas.school.nz

❌ Empower Kaiako for Equity Aotearoa

No updates yet - please check back later.

Ngā mihi nui

Keri Tan Garlick

President of Empower KEA

president@empowerkea.org.nz

❌ Te Kikini o te Rehutai (Tauranga Moana Māori Teacher's Association)

No updates this term; but note the change in email address.

Ngā manaakitanga

Whaea Tania Jackson

Tauranga Moana Māori Teacher's Association

tjackson@katikaticollege.school.nz

❌ New Zealand Association of Primary Science Educators

No updates yet.

Ngā manaakitanga

John Marsh

NZAPSE

johnm@tauranga-int.school.nz

Sentiments from the Sector Last update: 2/12/25

Public statements, open letters and petitions from various educator associations and groups.

Science

• Earth & Space Science Educators of New Zealand (ESSENZ)

  • An Open Letter From Earth and Space Science Educators of New Zealand (ESSENZ) Regarding the Draft Science Curriculum
    

    
    

English

• New Zealand Association for Teachers of English (NZATE)

  • NZATE Open Letter to Minister Stanford on English Curriculum November 2025

Social Studies

• Aotearoa Social Studies Educators Network (ASSEN)

  • Aotearoa Social Studies Educators Network public statement

• New Zealand Board of Geography Teachers (NZBOGT)

  • NZ Board of Geography Teachers Open Letter to Minister Stanford
    

• New Zealand Art History Teachers Association (NZAHTA)

  • Campaign to save Art History

Mathematics

• Acdemic Open Letter

  • An open letter from leading mathematics academics from every New Zealand university

Health & P.E

• Physical Education New Zealand (PENZ)

  • Curriculum Update: PENZ Letter to the Minister of Education

  • Unpacking the Draft HPE Curriculum: Key Timeline

  • Deep Concerns Over Draft HPE Curriculum

• Education Outdoors New Zealand (EONZ)

  • Petition to save Outdoor Education

  • EONZ declares commitment to Te Tiriti, urging all readers to sign The National Iwi Chairs Forum petition.

Arts

• Music Association of New Zealand (MENZA), Aotearoa New Zealand Arts Association in Education (ANZAAE), Whakaari Aotearoa Drama New Zealand (WADNZ), Dance Association of New Zealand (DSZANZ)

  • Joint press release from the presidents of all four Arts Subject Associations.

  • Open Letter to Hon. Erica Stanford, Minister of Education: Why Art History Matters

Technology

• Home Economics and Technology Teachers Association New Zealand (HETTANZ)

  • Feed Our Future: Reinstate Home Economics/Food and Nutrition in the NZ curriculum

  • The petition above has been delivered to parliament.

Mana Whenua Groups

• Ngā Kura ā Iwi

  • Ngā Kura ā Iwi Statement on the Removal of Te Tiriti Obligations
    

• National Iwi Chairs Forum

  • National Education Coalition Unites Against Changes To Education And Training Act. “Collectively, our coalition represents 88 iwi and over 95,000 teachers, principals, schools, and kura who are standing against the Government’s tinkering with Te Tiriti.”

Principal Groups

• Secondary Principals Council (SPC)

  • Secondary principals urge Education Minister to reverse Te Tiriti decision

• New Zealand Principals Federation (NZPF)

  • Latest Curriculum Like a Foreign Document Say Principals

  • Open Letter - Opposition To Undermining The Independence And Core Functions Of The Teaching Council

• via NZEI Te Riu Roa

  • More than 650 primary and area school principals have published an open letter to Education Minister Erica Stanford
    

• Western Bay of Plenty Principals Association (WBOPPA)

  • Open Letter To The Minister Of Education - Western Bay Of Plenty Principals Association (WBOPPA)

• Hawkes Bay Principals Association (HBPA)

  • Open Letter From The Hawkes Bay Principals' Association To The Minister Of Education

• Wellington Regional Primary Principals' Association (WRPPA)

  • Open Letter From The Hawkes Bay Principals' Association To The Minister Of Education

• Rotorua Principals Association (RPA)

  • Open Letter To The Minister Of Education: RPA Endorsement Of Sector Concerns

    
    

• Canterbury Primary Principals’ Association (CPPA)

  • Open Letter To The Minister Of Education: CPPA Support For Sector Concerns

    
    

• Whiria New Plymouth & South Taranaki Principals’ Association Open Letter

  • Open Letter to the Minister of Education: Whiria Endorsement of Sector Concerns

• South Canterbury Primary Principals' Association Open Letter

  • South Canterbury Principals' Association open letter

• Hawkes Bay Primary Principals' Association Open Letter (HBPPA)

  • Open Letter: Sector Concerns Regarding Recent Education Changes

    
    

• Open Letter from the Principals in Thames

  • Open Letter from Principals in Thames

    
    

• Eastern Bay of Plenty Principals’ Association Open Letter

  • Eastern Bay of Plenty Principals’ Association Open Letter

    
    

• Auckland Primary Principals' Association Open Letter

  • Auckland Primary Principals' Association Open Letter

    
    

• Howick and Pakuranga Principal's Association Open Letter (HPPA)

  • Howick and Pakuranga Principal's Association Open Letter
    

• Franklin Region School Principals

  • Open Letter From Franklin Region Schools To Minister Of Education, Hon Erica Stanford

    
    

• Eden-Albert Principal's Cluster

  • Letter to local MPs responsible for Eden Albert Schools
    

• Hieke Nelson Principals' Association (HPA)

  • Hieke NPA Opposes Removal Of The Requirement For School Boards To Give Effect To Te Tiriti From Education Legislation
    

• South Otago Principals Association

  • Open Letter To Ministers Of Education From South Otago Principals' Association

• New Zealand Area Schools Association (NZASA)

  • Open Letter From NZ Area Schools Association To Minister Of Education

• Papakura Principals' Association Open Letter

  • Papakura Principals' Association Open Letter

• Tai Tokerau Principals' Association

  • Tai Tokerau Principals' Association Open Letter