The Mental Health Foundation (the MHF) is concerned the government’s draft health and physical education curriculum is regressing New Zealand’s education system back to the early nineties.
Although it was a key area of learning for over 30 years, mental health and wellbeing is not directly mentioned in the new draft curriculum, which covers students aged between five and 15. The fate of the current guide supporting mental health education in schools is also uncertain – it may be axed when the new curriculum is rolled out in 2027.
“75% of young people believe mental health is the biggest issue facing their generation,” the chief executive of the MHF, Shaun Robinson, says.
“Many young New Zealanders want more mental health and wellbeing content – not less. It’s simply virtue-signalling to say the draft curriculum is designed to help New Zealand kids ‘mentally thrive’ – as it does in its introduction – but then strip out the content that for decades has helped schools to do just that.”
Other guidance supporting positive mental health in schools may no longer be provided, such as that on whole-of-school and te ao Māori approaches, different cultural models, gender diversity and safe relationships. The result is one-size-fits-all curriculum out of step with both local, and international evidence including from WHO, UNICEF and UNESCO.
“Our wellbeing is holistic. When we feel good, safe and included, we’re better able to concentrate, focus and learn,” Mr Robinson says.
“There’s good research to show, for example, that ākonga Māori do well at school when ‘being Māori’ is affirmed, and when te reo Māori, mātauranga Māori, and tikanga Māori are valued at school.
“This draft curriculum barely mentions te ao Māori. Gender is only mentioned twice, and age-appropriate information on rainbow communities is completely absent.
“Aotearoa New Zealand is a diverse place - a one-size-fits-all approach like this simply won’t work.”
While the MHF acknowledges the government’s intention to simplify and clarify the curriculum, it says the changes have ‘gone too far’ and could cause harm.
“New Zealand has one of the highest school bullying rates in the OECD. We know from over a decade of running our bullying prevention programme Pink Shirt Day that this lack of evidence-based, diverse content can put students – especially students from marginalised groups – at risk.”
The MHF encourages people across the motu to submit their feedback on the draft curriculum, alongside their feedback on its mental health content. Public consultation is open until Friday, 24 April 2026, at this link: https://education.surveymonkey.com/r/NWCBTPH