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One-hour-a-day Teaching Guidelines and Resources 

7 March 2023

Schools and many kura will now have their hour-a-day programmes in place,  where students spend an hour a day on reading, writing and maths and pānui, tuhituhi, and pāngarau.

This teaching will be happening in planned lessons as well as integrated into other learning areas, and importantly, students will be getting daily experiences with explicit teaching of new concepts and knowledge, as well as time to practise and revisit learning. 

Teachers will still identify the progress and needs of ākonga throughout the year, and will develop clear next steps for any additional support or adaptations that may be required, as well as using teaching techniques like investigations, collaborative learning, and games so that ākonga stay engaged with their learning.  

We’re providing practical guidance and supports for schools and kura who need them. Resources and more information for Years 0 – 8 can be found here on Tāhūrangi: One hour a day.

There is also more information for parents, caregiver and whānau on the parents and whānau page.

Educators using Te Marautanga o Aotearoa can find more details at Pānui me te Tuhituhi me te mahi Pāngarau.

Changes for specialist schools and kura with specified kura boards

Some schools and kura have been given additional time to implement these changes, in recognition of additional complexities that they might have to work through relating to timetabling and resourcing.   

Specialist schools with students in Years 0 – 8 will introduce this policy as soon as practicable, but have been given an extended, Term 1 2025 deadline.   

Kaupapa Māori kura run by a specified kura board are expected to begin implementation of this policy decision from 22 July 2024. This allows time for kura and the Ministry to discuss how the policy can be implemented in ways suitable to these settings.   

Specified kura board means the board of any of the following:   

  1. a Kura Kaupapa Māori   
  2. a designated character kura with a character that is hapū- or iwi-based or that affiliates with Ngā Kura ā Iwi o Aotearoa   
  3. a State integrated kura with a special character that is hapū- or iwi-based

These schools make up approximately a third of specialist schools and kura, and just under a half of all Māori Medium ākonga.