It's all adding up: More maths gains for Kiwi kids
New Zealand primary and intermediate students gained four months in maths and one month in reading between 2024 and 2026, according to independent PAT data released by NZCER.
Education Minister Erica Stanford announced that independent Progressive Achievement Test (PAT) results show primary and intermediate students made the equivalent of four months' additional progress in mathematics between 2024 and 2026. The New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) released the data, which also indicate statistically significant improvements in reading comprehension and vocabulary, equivalent to about one month's progress in each area over the last year. Stanford described the gains as encouraging and a sign of progress in raising achievement and closing equity gaps.
Stanford attributed the improvements to a government-led programme of reforms aligned with six priority areas: a clearer curriculum, improved literacy and numeracy approaches, smarter assessment and reporting, enhanced teacher training, stronger learning support, and greater use of data. Key initiatives include a knowledge-rich maths curriculum, mandatory daily maths instruction, training for over 22,000 teachers in structured maths, provision of textbooks and resources, twice-yearly progress assessments, and funding for maths intervention teachers.
The reforms also include a maths acceleration programme where students made up to two years' progress in 12 weeks, and a Parent Portal offering free maths practice tools for families. In reading, the government mandated structured literacy, trained over 30,000 teachers, introduced phonics checks, and invested in hundreds of literacy intervention teachers. These efforts follow prolonged declines in reading results and aim to ensure all children, regardless of background, gain essential literacy and numeracy skills.
The latest OECD PISA results show a narrowing of the socio-economic achievement gap, with students in the lowest socio-economic quartile making gains equivalent to a full year in science, three terms in maths, and six months in reading between 2022 and 2025. Early student achievement data from late 2025, sampled across New Zealand, show a statistically significant 5% improvement in writing and 6% in mathematics for Year 6 students compared to 2024.