The politics of curriculum reform in New Zealand

This article addresses the impact of neoliberal thought on curriculum reform in New Zealand. A new rhetoric of neutrality and fairness, grounded in a view of the market as a ‘level playing field’ for maximizing student choice, is identified. Particular attention is paid to allegations by a powerful lobby group, the New Zealand Business Roundtable (NZBR), of political correctness in The New Zealand Curriculum Framework. While NZBR critics have portrayed the curriculum reform process as a victory for the politically correct Left, the paper suggests that those on the Right have been far more influential in shaping the overall direction of education policy in New Zealand. It is argued that although some members of the NZBR advance a number of legitimate criticisms against The New Zealand Curriculum Framework, the Roundtable systematically ignores the political correctness inherent in its own view of the world.