By Deborah Hart, Chair, Holocaust Centre of New Zealand…

For many years, the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand has worked towards a simple but ambitious goal: that every young New Zealander should have the opportunity to learn about the Holocaust.

From January 2027, that will become a reality.

The Holocaust will be a part of the Social Sciences curriculum for Year 10 students in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is a landmark moment for Holocaust education and remembrance, and one that has been years in the making.

It did not happen by accident.

Teachers, survivors and their families, members of the Jewish community, educators and supporters have advocated for the importance of Holocaust education. When the opportunity came to have a say on the new curriculum, more than 500 people made submissions supporting the inclusion of the Holocaust.

Those voices were heard.

For the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand, this is an extraordinary achievement. But it also brings an enormous responsibility.

Getting the Holocaust into the curriculum was the first challenge. Now we have to help make sure it is taught well.

That work is already underway.

We are working closely with the Ministry of Education on how this history should be taught in classrooms throughout the country. We are developing curriculum-aligned resources and expanding professional
learning for teachers, including a national seminar this November. We are also working to make our New Zealand documentary, We Were Just Children, together with educational resources, available to schools, with pedagogically compliant materials.

Most importantly, we are talking with teachers and schools about what they need and working with an increasing number of schools.

Teaching the Holocaust well is not simply about dates, events and numbers. It is about Jewish stories. It is about helping students understand how prejudice can become discrimination, how discrimination
can escalate, and what can happen when hatred is normalised and people remain silent.
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The Holocaust provides young people with an opportunity to think about courage, human rights, democracy and the responsibility each of us has to stand up for others. It helps them understand antisemitism, both historically and today, and to recognise the dangers of antisemitism, hatred and dehumanisation.

At a time when antisemitism is increasing around the world, those lessons have particular urgency.

The scale of the opportunity is unprecedented. We are already seeing tremendous engagement from schools, teachers and students, and demand for our teacher programmes is growing. That is fantastic, but it is putting a strain on our resources.

Reaching classrooms across New Zealand will require a major investment. We need to develop outstanding resources, train and support teachers, distribute films and educational materials, and make sure schools have access to the expertise they need.

This milestone belongs to everyone who helped make it possible. To those who have supported the Holocaust Centre and advocated for Holocaust education over many years, thank you. Together, we made history.

Now we have to make sure that history is taught, understood and remembered.

If you would like to help us do that, please support the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand by donating today: Click HERE.

To discuss your donation, email chair@holocaustcentre.org.nz