NZHTA Start of Term 2 Pānui, 2026

NZHTA Start of Term 2 Pānui, 2026

Kia ora koutou e te whānau,

I hope that you had a re-energising term break and you’re all ready for a big Term 2! The highlight of the break must be the 2026 NZHTA Conference – more on that below. There is going to be plenty of news coming out this term on curriculum updates for both Y1-10 Social Sciences and Y11-13 History. We will keep you as updated as we can with any Ministry announcements. Lastly, I wish you all an enjoyable long weekend and for those attending commemorations throughout the motu this Anzac Day / Te Rā o Ngā Hōia 2026.

In this pānui:

• NZHTA Member Feedback to the Ministry of Education

• 2026 NZHTA Conference – It’s a wrap!

• Message from the moderator

• Support with marking history internals

• Term 2 NZHTA workshop in Tauranga

• Sgt. Haane movie release

• PD History teaching resource: Why does anyone do anything?

Take care and reach out to me as always with any help you need.

Ngā mihi

Nick Fitness

nzhtaexec@gmail.com

NZHTA Member Feedback to the Ministry of Education

This link will take you to a copy of the NZHTA Position Statement on the draft Social Sciences Phase 1-4 Curriculum which was sent to the Ministry today. The responses have been grouped into a range of key themes. Thank you to all of you who submitted feedback to be included in this submission.

Our position is clear: the draft social sciences curriculum, in its current form, is not ready for implementation. The design as it stands will undermine effective teaching and student learning and substantive revision is required. We will await a response.

2026 NZHTA Conference – It’s a wrap!

Thank you to all those who attended the recent conference in Hawke’s Bay. We have had fantastic feedback on the speakers and workshops, the opportunities to connect with other teachers, the local field trips, and the delicious kai! I want to also acknowledge the massive efforts of our Conference Convenor Rene Hanham, and Kārena Ngata for facilitating the Kaiako Māori teaching history day. Ka rawe te mahi tahi!

Lots of kaiako have been after links to the presentations and workshops from our conference. We are still in the process of gathering these together and I will put a link up as soon as I have these compiled.

Message from the moderator

Thank you to everyone who attended my plenary session and workshops at the NZHTA conference in Napier. It was a joy to be able to attend, and I am heartened by the overwhelmingly positive feedback that was provided. New 91232 exemplars have now been published. These now show clear Achieved, Merit and Excellence samples of student evidence. I trust they will be a useful resource.

We have had our first moderations in for 2026. From this I have already identified 4 samples of student work that I am going to use to update exemplars or to add as Assessor Practice Tool (APT) samples. Getting moderation to me early really does help me to provide timely and effective assessor support. A reminder that you can (and it’s much appreciated when you do) submit your moderation as soon as you are ready to, rather than wait until the October 20 submission date.

A new exemplar has been published for History Level 1 AS91437. Click here to see this and other resources: https://www2.nzqa.govt.nz/.../past-exams-and.../history

Support with marking history internals

NZHTA will host an "Ask the Kaiārahi and NAA drop-in session” on Wednesday 29 April. If you have general questions that have come from marking, or before you begin your marking, then drop in to the meeting and ask myself and the NAA. There is a live poll on Facebook for the best time, afternoon or evening – I will confirm the time on Monday!

Term 2 NZHTA workshop in Tauranga

Please REGISTER HERE to attend an upcoming NZHTA workshop. This workshop is tailored for history teachers who want to strengthen their practice, connect with colleagues, and maybe even a chance to share your expertise with others! A big focus for this PD will be the curriculum changes.

Where: Tauranga - Te Manawaroa, Level 1 University of Waikato Tauranga campus

When: Friday 19 June

Time: 9am-2.30pm

And don’t worry - there will be plenty more workshop sessions being announced for across the motu soon!

Sgt. Haane movie release

Directed by Tearepa Kahi, Sgt. Haane  tells the story of L. Sgt. Haane Manahi DCM (Te Arawa, Ngāti Raukawa), whose extraordinary courage during a 1943 World War II battle at Takrouna, Tunisia, secured a critical victory for the Allies. Blending dramatic re‑enactment with  the voices of descendants, the film explores legacy, whakapapa and remembrance.  The  film Sgt. Haane releases nationwide in theatres on April 30.

This article identifies and addresses students’ blind spot over agentive explanation. Finding that her students’ causal explanations tended to be weaker when considering motivation, Harley-McKeown adapted the dartboard technique to the needs of her students. Harley-McKeown offers some interesting ideas about teaching this aspect of causation, as well as a model of thinking about how to use and adapt others’ metaphors as teaching resources. This could be useful for your 1.4, or 2.4 assessments.

Missed a pānui?

You can find all our previous pānui on our website: https://nzhta.org.nz

Kōrero Mai | We'd love to hear from you!

At NZHTA, fostering connections with our history community is at the heart of what we do. Whether you have questions, feedback, or ideas to share, we’re here and ready to listen. Your input helps us continue to support educators, enhance our resources, and advocate for quality history education across Aotearoa New Zealand. Reach out to us and let’s keep building a strong, supportive network together.