Relationships and sexuality education (RSE) is critical to the learning, development, and wellbeing of Aotearoa New Zealand’s young people. However, there are differing views on what, when, and how much should be taught in schools.
The Education Review Office (ERO) looked at RSE to understand how well it is meeting the needs of students, expectations of parents and whānau, and capabilities of schools. It’s important to note that the purpose of this review wasn’t to evaluate the content of the health curriculum or RSE guidelines, nor to set out what content should be taught. Our aim was to establish what is currently happening with RSE in schools, and how well students, parents and whānau, and schools believe it currently meets their needs. We released this research in December – this article sets out some of our key findings.
Who did we talk to?
We focused on the experiences of students, teachers, leaders, board chairs, and parents and whānau across Aotearoa New Zealand. We visited a wide range of schools, including co-educational, girls’ and boys’ schools, rural and urban schools, primary, intermediate, secondary, and area schools, state and state-integrated (including faith-based) schools, and schools with high Māori and high Pacific rolls. We visited schools across the country and surveyed over 12,000 people.
We also invited a wide range of stakeholders to speak with us. We heard from parent and whānau groups, external providers of RSE, agencies related to youth mental health, sexual health, and health more broadly, professional teacher associations, cultural and faith-based groups, non-government organisations (NGOs), and advocacy groups. We also worked with an Expert Advisory Group which included academics, educators, practitioners, and other RSE experts.
What we found about relationships and sexuality education
There is wide support from students, and parents and whānau for RSE being taught in schools
Most parents and whānau support RSE being taught in schools. Interestingly, parents and whānau who know more about what is being taught are happier with RSE.
Primary school parents and whānau are slightly less supportive than intermediate and secondary school parents and whānau, due to concerns about RSE content being appropriate for their children’s age.
Over nine in 10 (91 per cent) students support RSE being taught in schools. Girls are more likely to support it being taught, with 95 per cent of girls and 88 per cent of boys supporting it.
“For teenagers [it’s] a scary world of technology where everything is super easy to access, but there’s also a lot of information that collides with one another. I think the class was super beneficial, giving you not just healthy information, but also broader information.” – Year 13 Student
There are diverse views among parents and whānau on what and how RSE should be taught
While most parents and whānau agree that RSE should be taught, 34 per cent of parents and whānau think what or how it is taught should change. The proportion is higher for primary school parents and whānau than secondary because of concerns about RSE content being age appropriate. For example, more than half of primary school parents and whānau want human reproduction, gender identity, and gender stereotypes covered later.
The most common topics that parents and whānau want their children to learn more about are consent, romantic relationships, and health and contraception. The most common topics that parents and whānau want their children to learn earlier are friendships and bullying, personal safety including online safety, and managing feelings and emotions.
Parent and whānau views are split on teaching about gender identity, different sexual identities, and gender stereotypes. A ‘split’ view means that there are significant groups at both ends, wanting to learn more/less, and earlier/later.
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Parents and whānau who practice a faith want less RSE, in particular around gender identity, different sexual identities, and gender stereotypes, because of concerns that this content does not align with the views outlined in their faith, and that it is the role of their church or faith-based community to teach RSE to their child – especially some of the more sensitive topics.
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Parents and whānau of students from rainbow communities are more likely to want their children to learn about all RSE topics earlier, especially topics on diverse identities and bodies. They want coverage of these topics so that their children can be confident with their body and body image, feel empowered, and see themselves in their learning.
Parents and whānau of girls want their children to learn about changes to their body and consent earlier, compared to parents and whānau of boys.
Students’ gender, faith, and sexuality impacts how well RSE meets their needs
We found that boys are more likely to want to learn all topics later than girls, reflecting that boys may go through puberty later. The most common topics they want to learn about later are human reproduction, different sexual identities, and romantic relationships which include intimate relationships.
Comparatively, girls often want to learn more and earlier on key topics. Over a quarter of girls want to learn more about managing feelings and emotions, and gender stereotypes. Over three-quarters of girls want to learn earlier about friendships and bullying, and personal safety including online safety. Girls also have views about what boys should be taught, particularly around how to interact with girls and women. Older girls think boys should be taught more about intimate relationships and consent, so that they have realistic and healthy expectations of relationships.
Students who practice a faith are more likely to want to learn less about gender identity and different sexual identities than students who do not practice a faith. Secondary school students from rainbow communities want to learn about all RSE topics earlier than other students.
Recent school leavers report that there were significant gaps in their RSE learning
To understand how well RSE meets student needs across the years, ERO surveyed students who left school in the last four years (i.e., their last years were between 2020 and 2024) to find out how well their RSE learning in school met their needs. We found that many school leavers who didn’t learn about key RSE topics at school would have valued learning about them.
School leavers were able to reflect on how RSE could have prepared them better for life after school. A strong theme was that their teachers hadn’t been direct enough, due to being awkward around the topics.
Short story: RSE consultation results in police intervention
We heard from a large primary school how large-scale misinformation and social media campaigns led to community backlash about their school’s RSE programme. People from outside the school community who opposed RSE had been handing out fliers to parents and students during pick-up and drop-off times.
Board members told us how a board meeting was ‘crashed’ by dozens of people, many not directly related to the school and from an older generation. Misinformation had circulated that board would ‘certify’ their RSE programme. Even though the meeting was not intended as consultation, people were granted limited speaking rights. However, a board member described how the meeting then “descended into bigotry and hate speech . . . it was very unpleasant.” Soon police had to be called as board members and school leaders feared for their safety.
“A lot of it was literally unsafe – having to shut down a board meeting and walk out of our own school to de-escalate a situation that was going to turn into fisty-cuffs.”
Short story: Teachers collaborate to build confidence when teaching about sensitive topics
A male Provisionally Certificated Teacher (PCT) at a large, co-ed, urban secondary school shared how he felt uncomfortable teaching about menstruation to his female students. He told us that rather than avoid the topic, he decided to be proactive and talked with the Head of Faculty (HOF) for health. The HOF then organised for a female teacher come into the PCT’s class to co-teach and show him how he can approach the topic of menstruation.
The teacher told us that this was a valuable learning moment for him – and ensured that his students didn’t miss out on an important topic just because their teacher lacked confidence. He also learnt from the more experienced female teacher how to approach the topic in a way that is simple and factual.
‘It’s really important how you set up the lesson . . . instead of going in “I’m the expert” even though I have no uterus . . . acknowledging the facts and moving forward, instead of avoiding it completely.’ — Male teacher
The female teacher was able to provide personal expertise and experience about a topic that was gender specific. The result was a positive learning experience for the students and the male PCT, who by observing his colleague, felt more confident to teach the topic in the future.
Schools face significant challenges in consulting on what to teach in RSE, particularly rural schools and schools with a high Māori roll
Schools are required to consult their community on the delivery of their health curriculum (which includes RSE) at least once every two years. Schools told us they found consulting can be difficult and divisive – almost half of school leaders find consulting challenging or very challenging. In the worst cases, consultation processes result in abuse and aggression, and newer principals find it particularly challenging.
Rural schools can find it especially challenging to maintain relationships with parents and whānau during consultation, because it often involves the wider community. Additionally, around half of schools with a high Māori roll find it challenging to consult with their community, because these schools often need to consider more carefully how to build trust with whānau Māori and which methods of engagement are suitable and will work best for their community
Challenges with consultation can result in schools scaling back valuable RSE teaching for their students.
‘[School leaders] are saying, even if it’s only 3 per cent of our parent population [that object to some RSE content], they’ll cut it out – just so there’s no pushback.’ – Deputy principal at an intermediate school
Teaching RSE can be stressful, particularly for primary teachers
Almost one third of teachers find teaching RSE stressful. Teachers in primary school find it more stressful than teachers in secondary school because they usually aren’t subject specialists and because they are often dealing with parent and whānau concerns about what is age-appropriate to teach. This can put a lot of pressure on teachers.
‘Parents become abusive to teachers, and even start very difficult conversations outside of school – in the street or supermarket. They are very picky about every word that is used. As teachers, if we mis-speak once, just a wrong word or even looking the wrong way then we can be under fire from the parent community.’ – Primary teacher
What this means for RSE in schools
RSE is important to children and young people’s physical and mental health, and their safety. RSE helps students learn about healthy relationships (within families, friendships, and romantic relationships), prevents bullying, and promotes positive inclusion – both in the classroom and more widely in society. RSE also helps students to navigate a changing world – where online safety, misinformation, and harmful attitudes are increasingly prevalent.
While we found and saw widespread support from students and parents for RSE being taught in schools, there is too much inconsistency in the RSE teaching and learning that students experience throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. What students are taught, if they are taught it, and when they are taught it, depends heavily much on where they go to school. To address this, ERO is recommending a range of changes.
What is ERO recommending?
Based on our findings, ERO has identified a range of recommendations to improve RSE and support the impact that it needs to have.
Extend teaching and learning of RSE into senior secondary school
RSE is a key area of learning for children and young people, particularly at a time of increased risks through social media and harmful online content – and RSE is too important to leave to chance. While RSE is compulsory from Years 1 to 10, the Government should consider how to extend RSE teaching and learning into Years 11 to 13 (including whether it should be compulsory).
Increase consistency of what is taught
The findings show that RSE is not being consistently taught across schools. There is variability in what students are taught and when they are taught it depending on where they go to school.
ERO found that not all teachers are well prepared to teach RSE, particularly in primary schools where RSE is often taught by the classroom teacher. It is important all teachers have the skills and support they need. The Ministry of Education should clarify the knowledge, skills, and understanding students are expected to develop, provide evidence-based resources and supports, and professional development during their initial teacher education, as well as ongoing professional development.
Look at the consultation requirement on boards
ERO has found that the requirement for school boards to consult at least once every two years is creating significant challenges for schools. Schools are caught between opposing perspectives from parents and whānau, as well as external influence from individuals and groups not directly connected to the school. School staff can be subject to ongoing abuse and intimidation. Some schools respond by scaling back RSE teaching, which results in students missing out on learning opportunities.
The Government should consider replacing the requirement on school boards to consult the school community on RSE (as part of the Health and Physical Education curriculum) with a requirement to inform parents and whānau about what they plan to teach and how they plan to teach it, before they teach it. Schools should also ensure that parents and whānau know that they can withdraw their children from any element of RSE that they are uncomfortable with.
Want to know more?
For lots more findings, details, stories, and quotes, check out our full report: Let’s talk about it: Review of relationships and sexuality education
Would your school board benefit from our short, practical guide? Check out Insights for school boards: Review of relationships and sexuality education
You can also find Te Ihuwaka – ERO’s Education Evaluation Centre – on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram, where we share our latest insights on our research and good practice.
Special thanks to NZPF members
It’s the insights, experiences, and time shared by principals and their schools that make it possible for ERO to shine a light on the realities, opportunities, successes, and challenges within education in Aotearoa New Zealand.
We give enormous thanks to the hundreds of NZPF members who filled in our surveys; forwarded and promoted surveys with your teaching teams, students, and professional networks; welcomed ERO’s fieldwork teams into your classrooms; connected our researchers with key experts; or participated in sense-making and advisory groups. Your generous contributions make a huge difference to our research and the real-life impact it can have.