The country’s largest education union is calling for an immediate halt to the Government’s curriculum rollout, warning it risks breaching Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations and undermining Māori learners.
NZEI Te Riu Roa has taken its concerns to the Waitangi Tribunal, urging it to recommend reinstating the requirement for school boards to give effect to Te Tiriti.
The union says recent changes to education law removed that obligation without proper consultation, raising serious concerns across the sector about the direction of education policy.
Alongside the legal challenge, NZEI is also calling for the pause of the ongoing curriculum rollout, arguing the process is moving too fast and lacks meaningful engagement with Māori, educators and communities.
The dispute centres on wider reforms to the national curriculum, including Te Mātaiaho, which critics say risk sidelining te reo Māori, tikanga and mātauranga Māori in classrooms.
Education leaders and iwi have backed calls for urgent scrutiny, with the Waitangi Tribunal already granting an urgent inquiry into whether the changes breach Treaty obligations.
The union maintains that restoring Treaty commitments in education is essential to ensuring equity and better outcomes for ākonga Māori, and says curriculum reform must reflect partnership and consultation under Te Tiriti.
The issue has sparked widespread debate across the education sector, with many schools continuing to uphold Treaty principles despite the legislative change, signalling ongoing resistance to the Government’s direction.
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