Outcomes of the 2025 biennial consultation on the New Zealand Scholarship subject list - A2025/15

To:

• Principal
• Principal’s Nominee
• All Teachers

Outcomes of the 2025 biennial consultation on the New Zealand Scholarship subject list (the List)

Every two years, NZQA consults with the education sector and other interested groups about the subjects assessed in New Zealand Scholarship. 

NZQA sought feedback between 12 June and 11 July 2025 on subjects to be included on, or excluded from, the List from 2027. Feedback was not sought on any specific subject. Respondents could free-type the subjects they wanted to provide feedback on, rather than selecting from a pre-populated list.

Go to the current Scholarship subject list

The biennial review aims to maintain the credibility of Scholarship by ensuring subjects:

• are relevant and meet government and sector expectations
• can be administered effectively and efficiently, and
• have sufficient workforce supply to support quality assessment at the appropriate level.

How New Zealand Scholarship subjects are selected

NZQA received 37 submissions. Of these:

• three supported splitting Health and Physical into two separate subjects.
• Agribusiness, Business Studies and Social Studies had 11, 15 and 1 submission respectively in support of their inclusion. 

All feedback was considered, and each subject was assessed against the criteria for inclusion. The inclusion of Lea Faka Tonga was also reconsidered. 

The following outcomes were endorsed by NZQA’s Technical Overview Group Assessment and agreed by the NZQA Board:

• Health and Physical Education to remain as a single subject.
• Agribusiness is not added to the list at this time.
• Business Studies is added to the list from 2027.
• Social Studies is not added to the list at this time.
• Lea Faka Tonga is not added to the list at this time.

The next review is planned for 2027, to determine subjects for inclusion or exclusion from 2029.