God defend New Zealand or Save the kings and queens?: an examination of the status of New Zealand history at Year 13

Abstract

While the status of New Zealand history in wider New Zealand society has improved substantially over recent years New Zealand in the Nineteenth Century remains the least popular of two topics available for external assessment purposes at Year 13, the most popular remaining England 1558-1667. This thesis considers why this might be so, selecting to explore whether the status of New Zealand history at Year 13 level is an accurate reflection of teacher perceptions about New Zealand history, perceptions which have not yet caught up with those of wider New Zealand society, or whether there are more systemic barriers, unique to the school environment, that prevent New Zealand history from being taught more widely at Year 13. This information was gathered by way of surveys and interviews with Year 13 history teachers who must select between the two topics for their students' external assessment. In addition to their own background and interests, much the same factors that can be seen to influence the status of New Zealand history in wider New Zealand society, these teachers felt influenced by other factors such as the relevance and interest of the topics to students, the resources available at and the traditions of their school, and trends in the education system. The view advanced in this thesis is that the majority of Year 13 history teachers who select England 1558-1667 have not been making a conscious decision against New Zealand history. They recognise the value in the New Zealand in the Nineteenth Century topic, and in New Zealand history more generally, but are pragmatic, with factors such as student interest, assessment, and resourcing shedding a more favourable light on the England 1558-1667 topic. A lack of guidance for teachers on what factors they should consider, combined with ambiguity in the syllabus on what status New Zealand history and content more generally should hold, allows this situation to continue.