NZ Numeracy co-requisite workbook: Numeracy Matters

Phyl Haydock, a long-standing member of the LearnWell team, has dedicated her career to helping students succeed in maths. Her latest resource, Numeracy Matters, is an engaging, easy-to-follow workbook, designed to meet New Zealand’s numeracy co-requisite. Packed with clear explanations, practical examples and exercises, it supports learners of all abilities to build confidence and real-world skills. We recently chatted to Phyl about mathematics as a discipline and how this new resource has come to be.

Phyl’s journey to creating a NZ Numeracy co-requisite workbook

Phyl, what led you to create Numeracy Matters?

I’ve worked with ESA Publications/LearnWell for many years, editing and writing resources to help students succeed. Before that, I was a Maths and English teacher in New Zealand and Australia. I often wrote worksheets and exams for my classes, so moving into educational publishing felt like a natural step.

When asked to write a workbook for the NZ Numeracy co-requisite, I was happy to do so. Numeracy is vital for everyone—it helps us engage with daily life confidently. I designed this workbook to provide clear explanations and plenty of practice to help students succeed.

How maths teaching has changed in New Zealand

From your time in the classroom to today, what’s been the biggest shift in teaching maths?

Maths concepts stay the same, but how we teach them has evolved. These days, statistics is a much bigger part of the curriculum. It’s exciting because it connects directly to the real world—students can explore topics they care about and use data to form opinions and back them up.

How have teaching resources changed over time, and how does Numeracy Matters reflect these changes?

Resources have become much more appealing, especially with the availability of affordable colour publishing. Numeracy Matters is designed with modern learners in mind. We’ve used full-colour visuals and straightforward explanations to make the material engaging.

What is the NZ numeracy co-requisite?

For those who are new to it, what is the Numeracy co-requisite? 

The Numeracy (Pāngarau) co-requisite is a 20-credit compulsory qualification that all students in New Zealand will need to achieve in order to be awarded any level of NCEA. They must also achieve a Literacy (Te Reo Matatini) corequisite. 

How does Numeracy Matters prepare students for it?

This NZ numeracy co-requisite workbook covers all seven content areas and three process ideas in the standard. It breaks everything down clearly and provides plenty of practice to help students feel confident and ready for their assessments.

Who is this NZ numeracy co-requisite workbook designed to help?

You’ve designed this workbook for a wide range of learners—who do you think will benefit most?

It’s for everyone, but I think it will be especially helpful for students who’ve struggled with maths or lack confidence. The explanations are simple, and the exercises are carefully scaffolded to build understanding gradually.

In the past, many high school students eagerly dropped maths as soon as they could because they lacked confidence in it. That will no longer be possible with the Numeracy co-requisite becoming compulsory, and students need to be well-supported to achieve it. This resource fully covers and explains all the maths you need to know for this qualification. 

What about parents and educators?
Parents can use it at home, even if they don’t feel confident in maths themselves—the notes and examples make it easy to follow. Educators can use it in the classroom or recommend it for independent study.

Making maths real and practical

You’ve mentioned the importance of practical, real-world maths. Can you share an example from the workbook?
One of my favourites is the exercise on 3D shapes, which asks students to visualise objects from different angles. It’s something we do every day without realising it—whether we’re looking at a building or a birthday cake! I also like problems that make you think about probability and how likely it is that events happen. 

How does this approach help learners?
It makes maths feel more relevant and engaging. For example, the probability exercises encourage critical thinking—students learn to question claims and understand the likelihood of events. It’s a skill they can use in their daily lives.

Why NZ needs a numeracy co-requisite workbook like this

You’ve talked about how important numeracy is—why do you think it matters so much?
Maths is everywhere. It’s in the way we budget, measure, and interpret statistics. Understanding it gives you the confidence to make informed decisions and take control of your life. We all feel better when we understand what is going on around us. The more you know about things like numbers, relationships, shapes and statistics the more satisfied and competent you will feel and the more you will be able to achieve in your life.

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We’re grateful to Phyl for sharing her expertise and dedication in creating Numeracy Matters. Her thoughtful approach and years of experience have shaped a resource that will genuinely help learners tackle the NZ numeracy co-requisite with confidence. Feedback from both parents and educators has been extremely positive as soon as they've seen Numeracy Matters. View some sample pages in our Shop to see more.