Education is a pillar of our society and a standard by which we measure the health of our societal eco system. When learners are thriving, society is healthier and our future is more secure. The provision of good quality curriculum support, long term decision-making and individual learner success are all pathways towards a healthier education system.
But when you have a government that’s insistent on the homogenisation of the education sector, things start to fall apart. In 2025, there was a groundswell of community support from people who refuse to allow that to happen. From NCEA changes, to the retention of Outdoor Education and Home Economics/Food nutrition classes - communities have made clear what they value from our education system.
The implementation of the NCEA system in Aotearoa between 2002 and 2004 was world leading. For the first time, learners were central to the design and development of their own individual learning pathways - which enabled them to learn with flexibility, to cater to their individual needs and supported them to achieve outcomes that aligned with their goals and capabilities. Yes, it had its challenges - but all new systems do.
When changes to the NCEA system were announced last year, there was concern about the lack of genuine engagement and consultation with schools, whānau and iwi. Central to this concern was the disregard for the NCEA’s proven track record of inclusion - the flexible nature of NCEA meant that learners who would otherwise find learning environments challenging, were given opportunities to thrive though diverse experiences.
Naturally, the response to these changes came from the people who understood the issue best. The Aotearoa Educators Collective (an independent group of thought leaders that includes academics, principals and teachers) came together to create a strong petition urging the Government to stop the replacement process and instead engage in authentic, sector-wide consultation to improve and future-proof NCEA. Alongside this, they also asked the Government to stop the narrowing of the New Zealand Curriculum and the removal of a wide range of NCEA subjects, to ensure that learners’ needs and interests are met.
One of the most significant examples of the challenges in education this year was the removal of Outdoor Education in schools. As NCEA was intended to support learners to create alternative pathways to education, Outdoor Education gave young people opportunities they can’t always get in a classroom and helped develop their relationships with our natural environment in ways that other subjects simply can’t.
By removing learners access to Outdoor Education, the Government is effectively narrowing their opportunities to build resilience and confidence. It is restricting their ability to develop highly necessary skills in team work, leadership and problem solving. Education Outdoors New Zealand created a massive petition that brought 50,000 people together to ask for the inclusion of Outdoor Education in Schools to remain.
The same can be said for the removal of Home Economics/Food and Nutrition as a stand alone subject. When it was announced this year that this subject would be replaced by fragmented, theory based lessons, it became clear that our education sector is being forced away from the things that make us unique, into something that doesn’t actually celebrate and encourage the development of individual learners.
For many, Home Economics/Food Nutrition is the kind of subject that seniors students who value opportunities to learn hands-on, practical life skills would find space to explore within. It encouraged these learners to gain confidence in the decisions they make as adults, helping them to create healthy, sustainable futures for themselves. This learning pathway was defended by a petition that speaks for a community of people who demand better for the future learners of Aotearoa.
Amidst all of the efforts of these communities of passionate people, is a government that devalues the individual needs of our children and future generations. However, governments change. Policies change. Power shifts.
But community values and the things we care about for our children don’t change. We are always working towards better outcomes and this year, at this moment in time - that has never been clearer. Over 64,000 signatures were collected in 2025 to mark the moment in time where people power came together to stop the attack on learners and their value in society. And that should be celebrated.