A local focus for our study of the world.

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In 2023, we are seeing important changes to the New Zealand curriculum. Along with refinements to the NCEA system, the Ministry of Education has stated that all schools in Aotearoa must align with a new Aotearoa New Zealand Histories Curriculum in Years 1 to 10; one which puts at its forefront the importance of understanding who we are as a country. This is a nationwide transition, with all schools across the North and South Island needing to shift their curricula and account for local histories in all subjects. This new curriculum is embedded in the refreshed Social Sciences Curriculum. Thus, the Aotearoa New Zealand Studies subject is a blend of social studies, international topics, Aotearoa New Zealand history, and local history.

A.N.Z.S (Aotearoa New Zealand Studies) is a small change to an already robust curriculum that we had in World Studies. As the national curriculum transitions to focus more on our own history, with local contexts and examining more local impacts, we have also changed the course to reflect that. We examine subjects such as the The New Zealand Wars | Ngā Pakanga o Aotearoa, New Zealand's role in the Pacific, the Holocaust and Human Rights (which acts as our global focus), as well as local history about the Otago area.

In addition to the curriculum additions and changes, the assessment model is also changing to an ‘Understand, Know, Do’ framework. ‘Understand’ refers to the big social sciences concepts, ‘Know’ suggests the contexts to analyse in regard to the concepts, and ‘Do’ outlines the practical skills students develop and refine over their junior school years. We will transition to this new assessment model over the year as more guidance becomes available.

We are excited about this change, and hope the boys are equally interested in learning more about their own country's history, and the forces which have shaped it.

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsDBJJNJ_ak&t=1s

(Ministry's video on ANZH)