New resources for schools on consent, gender diversity & inclusion

Associate Education Minister Jan Tinetti has today launched a number of new resources to support wellbeing, and the teaching and learning of relationships and sexuality education (RSE) in schools and kura.

“I want all our schools to be safe places for all our students whatever their gender, race, nationality, beliefs, or sexual orientation. 

“Students who are happy and confident learn better. These new wellbeing resources will help our children and young people build quality relationships throughout their lives, with each other, and with others in their schools and communities. They are all designed to foster a sense of confidence and trust, and an appreciation of difference and diversity in our schools and our communities,” Jan Tinetti says.

“These resources include information about consent, digital safety, and healthy relationships. They are clear, easy to use, bicultural and inclusive. There are resources to provide teachers with practical skills and evidence-based information to talk about pornography. The suite also includes resources specifically designed for Māori-medium settings and for English-medium settings,” Jan Tinetti says.

“These resources have been developed in collaboration with teachers, young people, universities, government departments, and non-government agencies. The new module – Ka huri i te kōrero | Changing the conversation – was, for example, developed by the Ministry of Education and the Classification Office. It supports teachers to talk about pornography when delivering relationships and sexuality education. It can also be used by other educators outside of schools.”

“These new resources reflect feedback that schools need to take more action against bullying, violence, and child abuse, to be more inclusive, and to help students recognise the importance of diversity and respect in relationships. The new resources, along with the curriculum guide released in 2020, are our response to these calls,” Jan Tinetti says.

The new relationships and sexuality resources for schools and kura are available here: https://hpe.tki.org.nz/planning-and-teaching-resources/resource-collections/relationships-and-sexuality-education-guidelines-resource-collection/