When parents send their children to school, they expect them to learn real facts, to think for themselves, and to understand the wider world. They don’t expect politics to be hidden inside the lessons.
But that’s what New Zealand’s old history curriculum had become. The “Aotearoa New Zealand’s Histories” curriculum introduced by Labour told students to look at everything through one narrow view of colonisation, oppression, and power. Instead of learning how to explore history, students were told what to think about it.
ACT believes education should open young minds, not close them. That’s why, as part of our Coalition Agreement, we committed to restore balance to the curriculum. The new version brings history back to what it should be: a broad, factual look at how societies grow, change, and connect with each other.
The old curriculum was built around four “big ideas.” These claimed to explain all of New Zealand’s past, but in truth they reduced it to the story that history is only about who has power and who doesn’t.
The new curriculum removes those “big ideas.” It doesn’t frame our story as victims against villains. Instead, it encourages students to see how New Zealand’s history fits into the wider history of the world.
Māori history still has a central place, but it’s now taught alongside the experiences of other cultures and the global forces that changed technology, trade, and government everywhere. That comparison makes history richer and more engaging. It helps students see how people across the world faced the same challenges in different ways, learning and improving over time.
The Education Review Office found that many students were bored by the old curriculum. They wanted to learn about the wider world – the rise and fall of empires, the spread of new ideas, the growth of democracy and science – not just repeat a single story about local politics.
Children are naturally curious. When they can connect New Zealand’s story to world history, they start to see how we all fit into something bigger. They learn that progress isn’t owned by any one group but is a shared human achievement.
If we teach children that history is only about guilt and blame, they will grow up divided and cynical. But if we teach them that people everywhere have achieved great things through learning, effort, and cooperation, they will grow up confident and united.
For too long, political activists have used schools to push their own ideas and promote their own worldview. With ACT in Government, we’re ending that.
When education is based on truth and curiosity instead of ideology, every student – whatever their background – can understand the past honestly and help build a better, more united future.
On a different note, I am also pleased to see the introduction of financial literacy to the curriculum. Young people will now learn about budgets and debt, meaning they are empowered with the knowledge to make better decisions for themselves and their family in the future. -by Dr Parmjeet Parmar, ACT party list MP