Newsletter Week 5 Term 2

Hastings Christian School

20 May 2026

From the Principal

As many of you will no doubt have heard by now, the government has given details this week of the significant changes being introduced to both the New Zealand Curriculum and the senior secondary assessment system. These changes represent the most substantial shift in secondary education since the introduction of NCEA in 2004, and they will shape how students learn, are assessed, and prepare for life beyond school.

At the heart of the reforms is a move toward a more “knowledge-rich” curriculum. This means that each subject will have a clearly defined body of knowledge that students are expected to learn and master. Importantly, this knowledge will be assessed nationally, ensuring greater consistency across schools and helping to strengthen confidence in student achievement both within New Zealand and internationally.

One of the most noticeable changes is that every subject will now include an external examination. While internal assessments will remain part of the system, all students will sit at least one exam in every subject. The balance between internal coursework and exams will vary depending on the subject area, but the overall direction is clear: the Government is seeking a more rigorous, coherent, and academically robust qualification structure.

NCEA will gradually be replaced by a new three-stage qualification system:

2028: Foundational Award introduced at Year 11 (replacing NCEA Level 1)
2029: New Zealand Certificate of Education (NZCE) introduced at Year 12 (replacing NCEA Level 2)
2030: New Zealand Advanced Certificate of Education (NZACE) introduced at Year 13 (replacing NCEA Level 3)

Our current Year 9 students will be the first cohort to move fully through this new system.

One major change is the structure of senior secondary study. Students in Years 12 and 13 will study at least five subjects each year, and they must pass a minimum of three subjects to gain their qualification. Records of Achievement will clearly show the number of subjects passed — for example, “NZCE 4” or “NZACE 5” — encouraging students to strive for broader achievement across multiple learning areas.

Assessment reporting will also become clearer and more transparent. A new six-point grading scale will apply across all subjects:
A+, A, B, C, D, and E.
Students must achieve at least a C grade to pass a subject. This grading system is designed to be easier for parents and employers to understand and more comparable with international systems and tertiary education grading practices.

Students who achieve highly across all five subjects will also be eligible for endorsement awards recognising outstanding academic performance.

While these reforms are substantial, they also present exciting opportunities. Given we made the decision two years ago to walk away from level one NCEA in order to use our own bespoke knowledge-rich curriculum, we are confident that we are well placed to respond thoughtfully and effectively. Our commitment remains the same: to provide students with a strong, Christ-centred education that equips them with wisdom, knowledge, discernment, and the skills needed to flourish in further study, work, and life.

Further information will continue to be released by the Ministry of Education over the coming months as consultation and implementation planning continue.

Gavin Clark

Principal

Year 9 Parents

Please check your emails for important information from Mr Feyter & Mrs McEvoy regarding the curriculum changes and how they will affect the current year 9 cohort.

Bus Route

As many of you have noted, the new public bus route goes right past our school at pick up time. We have had a number of incidents involving the buses and have lodged our concerns with the council. In the meantime, we would suggest that you avoid the first park from the corner of Lumsden Rd facing toward the school as it is difficult for the bus to swing around the corner.

House Event

Kia ora whānau, We are excited to share details of our upcoming whole school house event, Medieval Mayhem, taking place on:

Tuesday 26 May at 1:00pm

This is a high energy, rotation style event involving students from Year 1 to 13, where they will compete in mixed year level house teams across a range of fun, medieval themed challenges.

What students can expect:
Students will rotate through activities such as Dungeon Crawl, Joust a Plaisance, Capture the King, Trebuchet Target, Robin Hood, Castle Building, and more. The focus is on participation, teamwork, and building house spirit.

What students need to do:

Dress up in a medieval or renaissance costume or wear their house colours
Come ready to participate, encourage others, and represent their house with pride

House colours:

Mako – Blue
Kahu – Yellow
Maunga – Black
Harakeke – Red
Toki – Green

House events are always a highlight of the term, and we are looking forward to seeing strong participation and great house spirit across the school.

B3 Bible Reading

We love seeing our students reciting scripture.

Here is a clip of B3 reciting 1 Corinthians.

B3 Bible Reading

Taffies, Trains, and Time Travel: The Year 13 Classics Capital Adventure!

Last week, the Year 13 Classics class packed their bags and headed to Wellington for an action-packed, knowledge-filled trip. Accompanied by Mr. Feyter and Mrs. Andrews, the group dove headfirst into history, politics, and the art of navigating public transport. Here is how our epic capital city expedition went down:

Day 1: Feeding Time at Parliament Our first stop was Parliament for Question Time, which could honestly only be described as "feeding time at the zoo." MPs yelled, heckled, and engaged in a lot of talking, though we aren't entirely sure how much actual listening took place. Mr. Feyter managed to completely embarrass himself by standing up at the absolute wrong time, unsuccessfully trying to drag Alex down with him for company. Meanwhile, a distinct highlight was watching Winston Peters and Shane Jones casually passing around caramel taffies, contributing very little to the actual debate other than the occasional passionate yell of "MINING!" Following the political drama, we calmed things down with an afternoon exploring the exhibits at Te Papa.

Day 2: The Great Public Transport Challenge The next morning started with a twist: the school vans were confiscated, and we had to survive the day using only public transport. We definitely took the scenic route, but after hopping on and off a few buses and a train, we successfully made it from Lower Hutt to Victoria University. The Classics Department treated us to the incredible privilege of holding and examining actual ancient Greek artefacts and pottery!

After some free time, we headed to the Supreme Court and Old High Court. We stepped into the legal world with a re-enactment of a historical trial, gaining valuable insights into the New Zealand justice system.

Bringing it Back to the Classroom All of these experiences tie directly into our upcoming unit, where we will be diving into the Trial of Jesus and analyzing it through the complex lenses of the Roman Empire and Jewish society. Seeing modern politics and historical legal frameworks up close has given us the perfect head start.

To wrap up our trip on the final day, we visited the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand. We learned deeply about Jewish history, heard moving stories from second and third-generation Holocaust survivors, and had the opportunity to visit the Synagogue.

We returned to school with our brains completely full and our energy completely drained. A massive thank you to Mr. Feyter and Mrs. Andrews for a brilliant trip—we are incredibly grateful for the unforgettable experiences shared outside the classroom walls!

Year 13 Classics Class