Academic Dr Alex Barnes is disappointed by proposed changes to the Aotearoa New Zealand's Histories curriculum. Photo: RNZ / Layla Bailey-McDowell
Dr Alex Barnes, a Pākehā father who grew up in the kōhanga reo and kura kaupapa movement, says proposed changes to the Aotearoa New Zealand's Histories curriculum risks "leaving our past to chance".
The government released the full draft of the curriculum for year 0-10 students in October with Education Minister Erica Stanford calling it another significant step toward delivering a world-leading system for every learner.
ACT Party leader and Associate Education Minister David Seymour also celebrated the draft curriculum, saying the proposed social sciences changes would "restore balance" and remove political bias.
The Ministry of Education said the new curriculum still reflected Te Tiriti o Waitangi and te ao Māori principles, while giving students broader opportunities to learn about global history.
However, the proposed changes - particularly to the social sciences curriculum, which dropped Aotearoa New Zealand's Histories and added more international topics - has faced backlash from educators as being "dishonest", "regressive" and "not an honest reflection of our past".
The changes are part of a growing wave of criticism of the government's approach to Māori language, culture, and Te Tiriti o Waitangi in schools. On Tuesday, the government announced it would remove schools' legal obligation to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, a move that has again alarmed educators and Māori leaders.
Barnes, who has studied how the Aotearoa NZ's Histories curriculum was implemented and its impact agreed with the critics, and was concerned about the government's plan to fold the histories curriculum into the wider social sciences framework, rather than keeping it as its own subject.
"Integrating it dilutes its power," he said.
"It weakens its importance and leaves it to chance whether our histories are taught accurately or prominently."
He told RNZ that approach risked undoing the progress made over the past year.
"That effectively removes it as a key part of our education system.
"People want accurate history. Māori and non-Māori. They've been saying for years, 'I didn't learn this at school.'"
Dr Alexander Barnes (Pākehā) has affiliations to Mātaatua, Tainui and Te Tai Tokerau regions through his ongoing involvement in kaupapa Māori movements and his daughter Hautonga Mary Hotere-Barnes (Ngāti Maniapoto, Te Aupōuri, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Wai). Photo: Supplied / Dr Alexander Barnes
Barnes has spent over 20 years in education and adult learning, and completed a PhD on te Tiriti-based co-governance education in Aotearoa.
He was also one of the kairangahau (researchers) at the New Zealand Council for Educational Research, studying how the Aotearoa New Zealand's Histories curriculum was implemented, and found it helped schools connect learning to local places and stories.
"Teachers and principals saw the histories curriculum as a chance to deepen understanding of whakapapa, place, and identity," he said.
"It gave schools a framework to connect students to their own stories while recognising how local and global histories intersect."
Barnes is also a graduate of the early kaupapa Māori education movement and now works in Māori health and wellbeing research. He said learning Māori histories from a young age shaped his sense of connection to the whenua and people of Tauranga.
"I grew up with local pūrākau, stories from hapū and iwi about the origins of the whenua and the waka there. It gave me a deep sense of identity and belonging," he said.
"The fact that I was Pākehā didn't really matter. I was part of the whānau."
He said that same sense of belonging is what the Aotearoa New Zealand's Histories curriculum offers tamariki when it's taught well.
"There's a strong desire for our kids to develop pride in who they are, their sense of identity and belonging to Aotearoa," he said.
"You can only be Pākehā in Aotearoa because that identity exists through our relationship with Māori. Understanding both Māori and non-Māori history builds pride and confidence in all children."
Barnes said the curriculum also encouraged schools to build relationships with local hapū and iwi, helping students understand the significance of the places they lived.
"Trips to wāhi tapu (sacred places) or wāhi whakahirahira (place of spiritual or historical significance), sites important to hapū, iwi, and whānau open up a knowledge base that might not have been possible before."
He said teaching Aotearoa's histories helped children make sense of the world and see how communities - Māori and non-Māori - valued collectivity and whānau.
"History isn't static, it lives in the present. When taught well, it helps us understand each other."
Minister of Education Erica Stanford. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii
RNZ approached the minister of education for comment regarding concerns and was redirected to the Education Ministry.
Deputy secretary Pauline Cleaver said it would consider feedback over the six-month consultation period and maintained the framework still reflected the Treaty and te ao Māori principles.
"In Social Sciences, students will be taught about Māori as tangata whenua, the Treaty of Waitangi, the Kīngitanga Movement and Māori concepts such as tūrangawaewae and mana."
Cleaver said Māori history remained a key focus, while global history had been added in response to student interest. Consultation is open until 24 April, 2026.
"The goal is to reflect the diversity of New Zealand and deliver great outcomes for all learners."
She said, in relation to the government's decision to remove the requirement for schools to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, that under changes passed in the House this week, schools would still be required to offer Māori language education if requested by parents, and boards must take steps to achieve equitable outcomes for Māori students and reflect New Zealand's cultural diversity.
"These requirements ensure Māori language and culture remain an integral part of our education system," she said.
'Histories should stay accurate'
David Seymour celebrated the draft curriculum, and said in a statement that it delivered on ACT's coalition commitment to "restore balance to the Aotearoa New Zealand's Histories curriculum".
"The Marxist 'big ideas' such as 'Māori history is the foundational and continuous history of Aotearoa New Zealand' and 'the course of Aotearoa New Zealand's histories has been shaped by the use of power' are gone," he said.
"In their place is a new and balanced History Curriculum… No longer will it indoctrinate young people for political purposes - history education will be for the benefit of the children."
However, Barnes believed that removing the curriculum's focus on colonisation or Māori perspectives did not create "balance".
"If we take out the histories of pre-colonial Aotearoa, colonisation, and its impacts, that continues an imbalance," he said.
"Everything is political, but accurate history doesn't mean indoctrination. It means honest discussions about what shaped Aotearoa."
As a pāpā, Barnes said he wanted his daughter to grow up with a holistic understanding of history. One that connected identity, language, environment, politics, and economy.
"I want her to know she belongs, that her identity is valid, and to understand how our history shapes the present and future.
"Histories should stay accurate, intact, and prioritised, not left to chance."
He said teaching accurate and inclusive histories was vital for tamariki to build identity, belonging, and understanding of Aotearoa's place in the world.
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