Earlier this month, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced National will expedite changes to the maths curriculum, saying new data shows only 22 per cent of Year 8 students are meeting curriculum expectations in the subject.

Luxon was vocal in the media, labelling this “a total system failure”.

The results however, were provisionally benchmarked against a 2023 draft version of a new curriculum statement in mathematics which isn’t yet being taught in schools.

Based on the 2007 curriculum, 42 per cent of Year 8 students are meeting expectations.

Blair Dravitski, principal at Lemonwood Grove School and spokesperson for New Zealand Principals’ Federation (NZPF), says principals are frustrated by this announcement.

“We’ve never even taught from the curriculum that’s being referenced, it’s still in draft,” he tells EducationHQ.

“There was no intention for what they were doing to be published, so we were frustrated with the fact that they’re using it as a benchmark,” he says.

NZPF has accused the Government of spreading misinformation, inaccurate data analysis, crisis creation, and rushed decision making.

Dravitski says having parents call schools to question the validity of the maths results they’ve previously been given, is placing huge amounts of extra pressure on principals.

It’s also affecting teacher morale across the board.

“We’re in an industry that is already stretched having to deliver two [new] curriculums which are significant, in English and maths, at the same time this is really putting additional pressure on the sector,” he says.

“We think we’re doing a good job, we have great teachers and principals across New Zealand, and so when we hear stories that are detrimental to that, it puts a lot of pressure on the morale and us maintaining that motivation to do a good job.”

NZPF president Leanne Otene says the Government has broken the trust of the sector.

“The information being used to justify radical changes to the maths curriculum is based on misinformation,” she said in a statement.

Since the announcement, Otene has held urgent meetings with regional principal groups from Invercargill to Northland, and held a special online meeting to capture the reaction of all the principals and their parent communities. 

“The regions speak as one voice on this issue,” she said.

“All schools are constantly looking for improvements and report that they want the Government to work with us and restore their integrity by apologising for misleading the public 

“What is needed more than anything is a significant increase in the resourcing for students with learning and behaviour needs. Principals know that there will be no improvements in achievement until this is addressed.”