The development process#
The development of the Phase | Tūārere 5 (Years | Tau 11-13) subject list was a thorough and well-considered process. It involved multiple pieces of advice, extensive discussions between officials and the Minister, and took many months to reach a conclusion.
Initial subject list#
The Ministry of Education released a list of Phase | Tūārere 5 (Years | Tau 11-13) senior secondary subjects on 11 September 2025.
Senior secondary subjects for Years 11-13 confirmed for the National Curriculum – Tahurangi
Refinements#
Since then there have been further refinements to the subject list as subject descriptors were developed.
An updated list of subjects was released with newly developed descriptors on 5 December 2025.
Subject Descriptors for Phase |Tūārere (Years | Tau 11-13) now available – Tahurangi
Changes to the initial subject list#
The changes to the initial subject list released earlier in the year include the following.
- A change to Materials and Processing Technology Years 11-13 as listed in the original subject list. During the writing of the subject descriptions and feedback, it became evident that the knowledge, skills and capabilities differ across the contexts within the subject in Years 11-13. The subject has now been separated to three stand-alone subjects: Resistant Materials Technology, Textiles Technology, Food and Processing Technology.
- There is currently one Year 11 Science subject. We will consider whether there needs to be another Science subject developed for Year 11 as we work through the design and scope of the knowledge strands involved in science. We need to ensure coherent sequential knowledge through to Year 12 and 13 science subjects.
Some subjects are included in both the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa (TMoA) lists, and the curriculum content will be the same. They will be available in both English and te reo Māori and designed to be appropriately delivered in each curriculum context.
