Horticulture and agriculture are not expected to be explicitly included in science classrooms. Photo / 123rf
Horticulture and agriculture are not expected to be explicitly included in science classrooms. Photo / 123rf
THE FACTS
New Zealand is undertaking its first full update of the Year 0–10 school curriculum in nearly two decades.
The updated curriculum is being phased in: Years 9–10 from Term 1, 2027, with remaining Years 0–8 learning areas coming on stream in 2027 and 2028.
Agriculture, horticulture and agribusiness will not be standalone academic subjects; they will move to industry‑led vocational pathways.
New Zealand’s Year 0-10 school curriculum is undergoing its first full update in decades, but it’s unlikely the changes will address a glaring omission in Kiwi children’s education, around horticulture and agriculture.
Neither topic is expected to be explicitly included in science classrooms, and it never has been.
That’s despite these industries being the backbone of the New Zealand economy.
Agriculture and horticulture are growing the products that grow our economy and are essential to the export revenue that funds vital services for all.
Yet we aren’t teaching our young people about it in the ways we should.
That’s a huge missed opportunity to engage young people and open their minds to the many career opportunities in the sectors, bridge the urban-rural divide and build understanding of where our food comes from.
In October, there was a collective sigh of relief from these sectors when the Government backtracked on plans to drop Agricultural and Horticultural Science and Agribusiness as standalone subjects for Years 12 and 13.
Low uptake was part of the Government’s reasoning for the proposal.
However, if children were introduced to these topics earlier, we should see more of an uptake of these subjects in both academic and vocational pathways.
I’m the curriculum director at Sow the Seed, an agricultural and horticultural science advisory team that supports primary industries in education, working closely with the Horticulture and Agriculture Teachers Association.
Together, we are advocating for schools to do more in Years 0-10 to develop young people’s interests.
Almost 90% of New Zealanders now live in urban areas.
If, when students get to the point of choosing subjects, having been exposed to only a minimal amount of agriculture and horticulture content, how do we expect them to select those?
That creates a talent pipeline risk and does young people no favours in terms of broadening their career horizons into our premium export industries.
The Ministry of Education has released a draft of the New Zealand Curriculum for Years 0-10, which is open to submissions until April 24.
Once finalised, the curriculum will become required teaching from the start of 2027.
Sow the Seed and the Horticulture and Agriculture Teachers Association have submitted that agriculture and horticulture content be embedded within the existing Science and Social Sciences curriculum frameworks.
Although the curriculum already contains agriculture and horticulture concepts, such as plant biology, ecosystems, geography and the economy, it’s not structured in a way that encourages teachers to put it into a horticulture context.
Kerry Allen, curriculum director at Sow the Seed, says classrooms need to be more engaged in agriculture and horticulture.
Young people might learn what photosynthesis is, but are not provided with vital contextual learning around growing food and fibre and how that sustains our population and the economy.
Schools have discretion to include content relevant to local industries, but it comes down to individual enthusiastic teachers.
Even in horticulture-intensive areas, growers regularly remark on school leavers having little understanding of horticulture as a career pathway.
We recognise the challenges for teachers.
The curriculum content is already dense, making it difficult to advocate for additions without adding to teacher workload.
However, adding agriculture and horticulture to the curriculum would be supported because people would write resources for it.
Our proposal doesn’t require the creation of a new learning area; rather, it advocates for the embedding of agricultural and horticultural knowledge-rich content within the existing science framework.
That should not create a lot of additional content.
Such a change would empower all students to understand food systems, land use and sustainability.
We are constantly being told that our sectors are valued, but we need those words reflected in actions.
That means a school science curriculum that provides all young New Zealanders with sound knowledge of the real-world context involved in producing crops, the challenges in food security and the economic importance of primary production.
– Kerry Allen is curriculum director at Sow the Seed, an agricultural and horticultural science advisory team that supports primary industries in education, working closely with the Horticulture and Agriculture Teachers Association of New Zealand.
