Health and PE: what's changed in the new curriculum
The final Health and Physical Education learning area came out in September 2026. Years 9–10 are expected to start using it in 2027, and Years 0–8 in 2029.
Checked against the Ministry of Education on 4 November 2026.
When it starts
- Years 9–10
- Expected to start on 1 January 2027. Fully in place by the end of 2027.
- Years 0–8
- Expected to start on 1 January 2029. Fully in place by the end of 2030.
- Final version
- Published 15 September 2026. It's a proposed statement until it's gazetted.
What's changed
Health and PE now has two strands, Health and Physical Education, with knowledge and practices set out for each year.
Health covers physical and mental health, and relationships and society. Topics include body care, mental health, puberty, consent, online safety, nutrition, and alcohol and other drugs.
Consent is introduced earlier and builds across Years 0–10. Online safety now progresses from privacy through to algorithms, grooming and misinformation.
PE moves away from teaching particular sports. It's built on ideas that transfer: the moving body, skill acquisition, participating with others, psychology of movement, outdoor education and water safety, which runs from floating and safe entry up to rescue skills.
What's in each year
Pick a year to see the topics in its phase. These come from our reading of the September 2026 document, grouped by phase. The official document breaks each phase down year by year.
Year 5 Health and PE
Year 5 sits in Phase 1 (Years 0–3). These are the topics across Years 0–3; the official document breaks them down year by year.
- Participating with others
- The moving body
- Skill acquisition
- Water safety
- Mental health
- Boundaries and safety
- Relationships
- Physical and mental health
- Body care
- Approaches to health
Year 5 Health and PE
Year 5 sits in Phase 2 (Years 4–6). These are the topics across Years 4–6; the official document breaks them down year by year.
- The moving body
- Participating with others
- Skill acquisition
- Physical and mental health
- Outdoor education
- Inclusive communities
- Body care
- Social and cultural influences
- Mental health
- Consent
- Water safety
- Online safety
- Puberty
- Relationships
Year 5 Health and PE
Year 5 sits in Phase 3 (Years 7–8). These are the topics across Years 7–8; the official document breaks them down year by year.
- The moving body
- Outdoor education
- Participating with others
- Social and cultural influences
- Skill acquisition
- Approaches to health
- Psychology of movement
- Inclusive communities
- Consent
- Mental health
- Online safety
- Puberty
- Sexual relationships
- Relationships and society
Year 5 Health and PE
Year 5 sits in Phase 4 (Years 9–10). These are the topics across Years 9–10; the official document breaks them down year by year.
- Outdoor education
- Participating with others
- Social and cultural influences
- Approaches to health
- Inclusive communities
- Mental health
- Sexual relationships
What moved, was added or was dropped
The main changes compare the October 2025 consultation draft with the final release, as listed in the Ministry's own change documents. Later amendments and moves between learning areas are marked. None of this is a comparison with the 2007 curriculum.
- Content tied to specific sports and activities was replaced with broader "activity contexts" for movement learning. Source
- Consent now starts earlier and is developed step by step through every phase. Source
- The document now spells out the law: boards must inform their school community about how the health curriculum will be taught, and parents can ask for their child to be released from sexuality education. Source
What teachers told the Ministry. People said the draft had too much content, leaned too heavily on particular sports, and didn't make hauora or outdoor education visible enough. The final version cut content, made examples illustrative, put hauora and physical literacy up front, and broadened outdoor education beyond safety.
Official documents
- Health and PE, Years 0–10 (learning area page)
- Health and PE Years 0–10, September 2026 (full document, PDF)
- What's new in Health and PE (PDF)
- What you told us: Health and PE (PDF)
Kuraplan's summary, in our own words. The curriculum itself is © Ministry of Education, CC BY-NC 4.0. Always check the official documents for the exact wording.
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