The Refreshed New Zealand Curriculum

The Ministry of Education (MOE) is undertaking significant changes to education in New Zealand, including the development and implementation of a refreshed New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) for Years 0-13 and the phased replacement of the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) with a new national qualification system from 2028.

Schools, publishers and other education providers are working hard to navigate these significant changes and support students, teachers, parents and the wider community throughout the transition.

What is happening and when?

The refreshed New Zealand Curriculum is being introduced progressively. In 2026, the updated English and Mathematics and Statistics curriculum is required for Years 0-10, with other learning areas being introduced in stages from 2027.

The rollout of some learning areas for Years 0-8 has been delayed, with the remaining areas now required from 2029.

The senior secondary curriculum will follow from 2028, beginning with Year 11, followed by Year 12 in 2029 and Year 13 in 2030. These changes will take place alongside the phased replacement of NCEA with a new national qualification system.

The complete Years 0-10 curriculum is planned to be published on Tāhūrangi by September 2026, with Years 11-13 expected later in the year.

The Refreshed National Curriculum Timetable

Source: https://tahurangi.education.govt.nz/national-curriculum-writing-groups

What is LearnWell doing?

At LearnWell, we are actively reviewing the curriculum changes and planning how our resources can best support learners, teachers and parents throughout the transition.

Updating and developing quality educational resources takes time, particularly as the new curriculum continues to be introduced. We are working carefully to ensure our resources remain relevant, useful and appropriate for New Zealand learners.

As the changes roll out, we will continue to provide updates on our existing resources, new releases and other helpful information to support you along the way.

LearnWell Primary School Resources

Expected Timeframes

Our updated Years 0-8 Start Right Mathematics Workbooks are expected to be available from Term 4, 2026.

Other Start Right subjects will be updated progressively, in the following order: English, Science, then Social Studies.

Our Homework books will follow once the core subject resources have been completed.

All resources updated for the new curriculum will be clearly identified with a “New Curriculum” label on their covers, on our website and in stores, making it easy to identify the latest editions.

What should I use now?

Rest assured that our current Start Right Workbooks continue to be valuable companion resources for reinforcing classroom learning and building essential skills. Their structured approach makes them suitable for use both in the classroom and at home, including for home education.

We also offer the Lucy Pritchard Start Right Workbooks as part of our Learning Toolbox range. These resources are designed to help learners strengthen and consolidate the basics, provide additional support where needed, and encourage curiosity and independent learning.

View Our Start Right Range