Kia ora koutou,
Last week, the Government released further details about the new secondary qualifications replacing NCEA – the New Zealand Certificate of Education and New Zealand Advanced Certificate of Education. It also announced a new timeframe for implementing the final national curriculum for Years 0 to 8, and further investment in literacy and maths for primary and intermediate schools. You can read more about these in this Bulletin.
The next bulletin will be on 28 May, covering Budget 2026 decisions.
Ngā mihi,
Ellen
Important Actions | Me Mātua Mahi#
- Ensure your roll is accurate as at 28 May (roll count date) and submit your roll return file by 5 June (Year 9 and above)
- Complete applications to change technology provider for 2027 by 31 July (Year 7 and 8 technology providers)
Need-to-know | Me Mātua Mōhio#
New timeframe for Years 0 to 8 final National Curriculum#
The implementation timeline for Years 0 to 8 is being further extended to create more time for principals and tumuaki to lead and facilitate change in schools and kura.
From the start of 2027, you are expected to use the new Years 0 to 8 Science, Social Sciences, Pūtaiao, and Pūmanawa Tangata, enabling you to plan full implementation over 2027 and 2028.
From 2029, schools will need to implement the rest of the Years 0 to 8 curriculum.
All Years 9 to 10 content for both the New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa must still be taught from the start of 2027.
New timeframe for Years 0–8 final National Curriculum – Tāhūrangi
Further details announced about new senior secondary qualifications#
The Government has released further details about the new qualifications replacing NCEA, including how students will be graded, and how achievement will be recognised and assessed from 2028 onwards. Read the announcement here:
Details of NCEA replacement confirmed – Beehive
The new subject based qualifications will be aligned with the secondary curriculum being finalised this year and rolled out progressively from 2028.
From 2028, NCEA will be replaced with two new national qualifications:
- New Zealand Certificate of Education (NZCE) for Year 12
- New Zealand Advanced Certificate of Education (NZACE) for Year 13.
Alongside these, a new Foundational Award, will be introduced, focused on literacy and numeracy and benchmarked at Year 11.
Read more here:
Further details confirmed for new senior secondary qualifications replacing NCEA – Tāhūrangi
New Reporting to Parents and Whānau statement available#
A new statement has been released for schools to use when introducing the new reporting guidelines. It explains that schools will start using the new reporting components during 2026, so parents and whānau may not see all the changes in their child’s report until next year.
The new statement is available here:
New Reporting Statement for Schools – New Zealand Curriculum
More Reporting to Parents and Whānau school leader webinars
Due to demand, additional Reporting to Parents and Whānau webinars are now available. These cover reporting essentials, reporting moderation, interacting with parents, whānau, and school boards. Read more at:
Reporting to parents and whānau – Tāhūrangi
June roll return#
This roll return is for state and state-integrated schools with students in Year 9 and above, and all charter schools. The roll count date is 28 May and is due on 5 June.
There is no change to the process of generating your roll return. Send the Ministry of Education file from your student management system (SMS).
If you have any questions about your June roll return process, email [email protected].
Changing technology providers for Years 7 and 8#
The deadline for change of technology provider applications is 31 July for the 2027 school year. You can apply here:
Change of Technology Provider Application [DOCX, 58 KB]
If the change of technology provider is approved, staffing will be removed from the existing technology provider and allocated to the new provider.
If your students attend technology classes at another school, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) is recommended. You can find that here:
Technology Memorandum of Understanding [DOCX, 59 KB]
If you have any questions about changing your technology provider, contact your local Te Mahau office or [email protected]. You can also read more at:
Technology class staffing and transport for Years 7 and 8 – Ministry of Education
Heads-up | He Kupu Puaki#
Attendance webinars#
Thank you to those who attended our recent webinar on the Attendance Services Case Management System (AS CMS).
View details of previous webinars and upcoming webinars here:
Attendance webinars – Ministry of Education
Find out more about attendance services, the School Portal and AS-CMS at:
Attendance services – Ministry of Education
Latest Curriculum Insights study results#
The 2025 Curriculum Insights report is available, giving the strongest national picture yet of how students in English-medium settings are progressing in reading, writing, and maths.
The results show that student achievement is largely stable, with early upward shifts in maths and writing.
The full report and summary of results are available here:
Online learning for mentors and provisional teachers#
Te Poipoi Kaiako Mentor Support Programme has 12 new online learning modules supporting the practice of Mentors and Provisional Teachers.
Read about the programme and access the modules at:
Te Poipoi Kaiako | Mentor support programme – Core Education
Education sector logon – Learning Management System
SLA PLD expanded to support specialist teaching in mainstream schools#
Professional learning and development (PLD) to support specialist teaching in structured literacy approaches (SLA) is now available to intervention teachers supporting students in mainstream schools.
This includes:
- teachers working in specialist classes and/or units in mainstream schools
- teachers providing 0.1 or 0.2 ORS specialist teaching
- SENCOs or LSCs providing system-level support to students with high and complex needs.
Find out more about this PLD and how to enrol here:
SLA PLD support for specialised teaching practices – Professional Learning and Development
Te Reo Māori professional learning and development programmes#
Te Kura Raunui beginner and foundational reo Māori lessons
Expressions of Interest (EOI) are now open for Term 3 intake of Te Kura Raunui delivered through Te Ataarangi – the Ministry funded online te reo Māori training programme for kura and school kaiako and kaimahi (Years 0 to 13).
Term 3 will include Rautahi (level 1 – beginners) and Raurua (level 2 – foundational speakers). Kaiako do not need to have completed Rautahi to express interest in Raurua, provided they complete the self assessment to confirm the appropriate level.
Further information can be found at:
Te Rākau Taumatua advanced reo Māori lessons
EOIs are now open for the Term 3 delivery of Te Rākau Taumatua. This is the Ministry funded online te reo Māori training programme for kaiako and kaimahi with proficient reo Māori knowledge, who are teaching mokopuna Years 0 to 13.
EOIs will be reviewed, and eligible participants will receive an email confirming whether they have been offered a place in the programme.
Those interested should complete the self-assessment to determine whether the programme is the right level for them. Further information is available at:
Learner Identity Broker for enabling single sign-on#
More than 100 schools are now connected to the Learner Identity Broker (LIB).
While Ministry applications are not yet live, we recommend enabling LIB now, so your school is fully prepared when applications come online.
Once applications become available, students will access them using their existing Google or Microsoft school accounts, with no additional logins or disruption to learning.
If your school hasn’t already registered, you can do so here:
Register Your School for Learner Identity Broker (LIB) Access – Survey Monkey
Any pātai, email [email protected] or find more information here:
Learner Identity Broker – Ministry of Education
Winter ventilation guidance and support#
Good ventilation continues to play an important role in reducing the spread of various viruses, while also enhancing educational outcomes. During colder weather, adequate ventilation can still be achieved by partially opening windows while maintaining warmth and you can use CO2 monitors to check the ventilation performance.
Find further guidance here:
Ventilation for school buildings – Ministry of Education
Operational funding#
The quarter 3 operational funding instalment will be published in Pourato on 25 June and paid on 1 July.
If you have any questions, email [email protected].
Parent Portal survey#
We’re inviting schools and kura to support improvements to the Parent Portal by sharing a short survey with their communities. We encourage you to share this quick survey with whānau, parents and caregivers. It only takes a few minutes and will help shape future updates. The survey closes on 20 June.
Parent portal survey – Survey Monkey
Kia Manawaroa education pānui#
Kia Manawaroa is our dedicated newsletter for whānau Māori – sharing opportunities, updates, and information about education.
Kia Manawaroa Issue 15 – Mailchimp
Subscribe to Kia Manawaroa pānui – Mailchimp
For feedback or story ideas, please email us at [email protected].
Matavai Pacific education e-newsletter#
Matavai is our monthly e-newsletter featuring the latest Pacific education updates, stories and upcoming events.
Subscribe to Matavai e-newsletter – Mailchimp
For questions, feedback or contributions email [email protected].
