Waitangi Tribunal says curriculum overhaul breaches Treaty and pushes ideological agenda

The Waitangi Tribunal has issued a stage-one interim report condemning the government's rewrite of the national school curriculum as ideologically driven and contrary to Treaty obligations. Rachel Mullins, the Tribunal's presiding officer, argued that the "knowledge-rich" approach imposes a one-size-fits-all model that reduces emphasis on local and Māori histories, including the Treaty itself. She noted the policy was pursued despite clear resistance from Māori communities and the education sector, and without solid proof that it would lessen inequities.

The Tribunal found the Crown breached the partnership principle by not engaging meaningfully with Māori, and the active protection principle by advancing the curriculum without evidence of benefit to Māori learners. Mullins urged the government to recommit to partnership and to develop a genuine Māori-medium curriculum through Te Marautanga o Aotearoa. The Ministry of Education has been asked for comment.