Citizenship Education in New Zealand: We Know ‘What Works' but to What Extent is it Working?

Abstract

Citizenship education appears in the curricula of many nations. The aims of citizenship education are often based on the aspirations of society and supported by research and theory that describes what citizenship education is or should be. Seldom do we find links between these aspirational visions and actual societal outcomes. Citizenship education, in different guises, has been a goal of the New Zealand education system since formal schooling was established in 1877. This article sets out to ask whether this focus has had the intended outcome. The citizenship education goals of the current curriculum are matched against national and international studies that give an insight into what kind of society and what kind of citizens New Zealand has produced. The results show that overall New Zealand is a stable, democratic, safe and fair society but with areas of injustice and inequity still to be addressed.