Draft Years 11-13 curriculum lacks key sexuality education content

Public consultation on the draft Years 11-13 Health and Physical Education curriculum – which includes Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) – is open until 15 June.

Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa welcomes a more consistent national curriculum that ensures all young people across the motu receive the same foundational learning, and that continues into Years 11 to 13. But we’re concerned that the proposed Years 11-13 Health curriculum doesn’t meet international best practice, reflect what young people tell us they want and need, or effectively support them to respond to health challenges at personal, community, and societal levels.

The draft curriculum divides health into physical, mental, and social strands. This fragments the holistic concept of wellbeing recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and omits Taha Wairua, or spiritual health, the essential fourth pillar of Te Whare Tapa Whā. Overlooking Taha Wairua fails to reflect Aotearoa’s unique health context and fails to uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

The problem with separating health into strands is that it makes complex sexuality-related topics unclear. The draft curriculum doesn’t acknowledge the interconnected nature of issues such as sexual and reproductive health, alcohol and other drugs, consent, relationships, and digital environments.

Key content is either absent from this draft curriculum, or insufficient in addressing the realities and challenges young people face today.

There are significant gaps in important areas, including:

• condom use (despite declining usage rates among young people)

• knowledge and practices related to STI rates

• cervical cancer

• HPV screening and vaccines

• access to sexual health services

• gender-based violence

• infertility prevention and care

The “digital world and being online” element also doesn’t go far enough in addressing sexuality-related harms and influences online. With the rise of deepfakes, AI chatbots, and misinformation or disinformation being presented as fact through convincing formats, young people need to be taught to critically examine the sexuality-related content they see online before accepting it as fact.

A robust Health curriculum that includes RSE should include content that equips young people with the knowledge and skills to keep themselves and others safe.

The approach of the draft curriculum is not inclusive or trauma-informed. As we mentioned in our previous article about the draft Years 0-10 curriculum content, we’re disappointed by this lack of diversity and inclusivity, particularly around gender diversity.

The binary language used does not reflect and respect LGBTQIA+ communities, and risks creating confusion between gender identity and physiological health needs. This is especially concerning in the context of sexual and reproductive health – for example, anyone who has a cervix will need access to cervical screening information and resources.

This lack of inclusivity risks the curriculum contributing to discrimination against our LGBTQIA+ communities and undermining its own goal of creating safe, inclusive environments.

The hyper-focus on teen pregnancy also lacks a trauma-informed lens. While we recognise teen pregnancy is an important issue, we urge the Ministry of Education to consider shifting the angle to reduce stigma and reflect students’ lived experiences. Many young people will know a teen parent or may have been raised by one.

The omission of wairua or spiritual health remains a significant concern, especially in the context of upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

We want to see a more inclusive and culturally responsive curriculum that recognises health as holistic, in line with WHO and international best practice.

We want to see more specific sexuality education topics covered, including:

• condom use

• negotiating safer sex

• communication and consent

• critical analysis of mis/disinformation

• harmful narratives linked to pornography

• gender-based violence

There are different ways for you to find out more about and have your say on the draft curriculum for Years 11-13. You can:

• Join our Advocates for Relationships and Sexuality Education facebook group

• Download our RSE "Activating Advocates" social media assets and share on social media

• Share your thoughts on our webform

• Look at our Let's talk sex ed page. This page will be updated with more information on the draft Years 11-13 curriculum shortly

• Enter a submission by 15 June – read our guidance on how to do this