Locating inequality in the New Zealand curriculum

Abstract

This article presents a systematic review of the ways in which inequality is featured within New Zealand’s secondary curriculum and Ministry of Education-supported Te Kete Ipurangi online teaching resources. Despite an increasing awareness of global inequality, there is minimal research on how inequality is represented within The New Zealand Curriculum and its implications for teaching and learning. The article draws attention to several insights: a general superficial level of engagement with inequality within the curriculum that was largely concentrated in the social sciences over other subject areas; an alternative emphasis on financial capability and students’ personal financial responsibility for their financial wellbeing; and underlying social, cultural, and neoliberal undertones associated with the individual financial responsibility narrative within the curriculum and Ministry of Education teaching support resources.