It's taken three years to develop but the Government has fulfilled its promise, launching a new history curriculum that teaches New Zealand history.
It will set out to include the arrival of Māori, early colonial history and the New Zealand wars - all stuff Kiwis kids weren't being taught in mainstream schools.
The curriculum was launched at multi-cultural Sylvia Park School in Auckland on Thursday. The event showcased waiata, kōrero and the shared histories that students have been studying, bringing the Prime Minister to tears.
"Hearing the children speaking with such confidence and pride about what they'd learned and the stories and the history they'd learned and it was just incredible to see the passion that they had for it, so yeah, it did move me," Jacinda Ardern said.
The curriculum will be made compulsory in every school and kura up until year 10 from next year.
Hēmi Dale is one of four Māori historians that was part of the Ministry of Education curriculum 'Te Takanga o Te Wā'.
"History is no longer the exclusive domain of the victor, it gives the opportunity to look at history from a range of perspectives," Dale said.
"Our aspiration is to become a more equitable, bi-cultural nation to realise that intent of The Treaty of Waitangi and its antecedent He Whakaputanga. And knowing about our history is going to enable our children to get us closer to those aspirations."
In the past, Kiwi kids were more likely to be taught the history of other countries.
The new history curriculum will cover topics of national importance such as Te Tiriti, colonialism in NZ and the Pacific, right down to local māori history, such as the battles at Ruapekapeka and Ōrākau, to Māori navigator Kupe.
History that Kura Kaupapa Māori has been teaching now for 30 years.
"They have to know about the landmarks, the history, the deeds and the misdeeds of their ancestors because that is what gives them context, that is what gives them relevancy," Co-Chair of Te Rūnanganui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori, Rawiri Wright said.
"Kua roa nei mātou e tatari ana mō tēnei, kāore he mea hōu, kāore he mea rerekē ki ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori.
"This has been long overdue, it's not new to the curriculum taught already fundamental basis of Māori-language immersion schools
"Engari mō ngā tamariki kei ngā kura aunoa ko te tumanako ia he nui ngā akoranga, he nui ngā painga, ka rerekē anō te tirohanga ki te hītori tūturu o te whenua nei.
"But for children at mainstream schools the hope for them is that there are heaps of learnings and benefits as it will bring different perspectives to the true history of our lands."
Sylvia Park School Principal Barbara Ala'alatoa is welcoming the new curriculum.
"There's tragedy and there's struggle and there's people being unfair but they're all lessons for us to become better and being good human beings."
Ala'alatoa said it's the lessons from our own history that this Principal says kids gravitate towards.
"They can talk about Kupe and the double-hull waka arriving in Aotearoa. And they talk about being like Kupe, somebody who is adventurous enough to go there, take risks, take chances and to me that's the important thing. They're not going to go to Marvel comics for a superhero because we've got our own superheroes," says Ala'alatoa.
A way to grow as a nation and tell all the stories of Aotearoa New Zealand.
More information is available at:
Te Takanga o Te Wā and Aotearoa New Zealand's histories
This article is part of Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
