NZHTA Special Pānui
Tēnā koutou katoa,
26 November 2025
This pānui is intended to outline and update you, our members, on our decision making to date with regards to future Networks of Expertise (NEX) funding opportunities for NZHTA. We believe transparency matters and at the heart of our mahi is a steadfast commitment to honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi in all that we do as an association both now and in the future. We are united by a shared commitment to high-quality education and to the development of a curriculum that is coherent, equitable, and future focused. Teachers, academics, and community partners should know how decisions that shape our learning area have been made.
This pānui contains our initial response to the draft curriculum and some key decision making points with regards to future NEX funding which we request input from you all on via a survey link here:
SURVEY LINK: NZHTA special pānui survey questions
Our response to the draft Social Sciences Curriculum
An open letter was sent to Minister Stanford on 20 October 2025 outlining a range of initial concerns with this material. After an online hui, the NZHTA Executive passed decision to become a signatory to He Rau Ringa: the Joint Subject Associations of Aotearoa New Zealand. On 11 November 2025, an open letter was sent to Minister Stanford as a collective voice of Aotearoa New Zealand’s subject associations. 27 subject associations, including NZHTA, sent a joint letter to the Minister raising concerns about consultation practices, who is writing Phase 5 subjects, and NEX funding and roles.
Networks of Expertise (NEX)
The Networks of Expertise (NEX) support the development and collective capability of subject associations to deliver Professional Learning and Development (PLD) supports to teachers and kaiako. They provide right-on-time teaching, learning and assessment support through mechanisms such as online forums, resource development and sharing, inquiry clusters and face to face collaboration opportunities, and appointment of a kaiārahi. The NZHTA has used NEX funding to finance a full-time kaiārahi, a wide range of resource development, Exec support and work in regions, and face-to-face workshops.
Decision regarding future NEX funding
NZHTA have been offered NEX funding for 2026-2028. To provide some context of the decrease in funding, the offer for the next three years is roughly what our association have received for the past one year. This equates to a 62% drop in funding for NZHTA next year. We have requested additional information and time to consider the Ministry of Education’s offer, with a focus on implementing Phase 5 of the curriculum. The Ministry has made the decision, after facing questions from associations, to change the wording of Clause 3 (a) from “Commit to supporting the direction and intent of the updated learning area content of the NZC and qualification structure” to “Commit to supporting the implementation of the refreshed learning area content of the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) and qualification structure.
Ngā mihi nui
Craig Thornhill
NZHTA Chair
