What replaced UKD in Te Mātaiaho? Knowledge and Practice, explained

From Term 1 2026, the Ministry of Education removed the explicit Understand, Know, Do (UKD) labels from refreshed Te Mātaiaho areas and replaced them with a Knowledge and Practice structure. The change is real, the rollout is staggered, and the practical implications depend on which learning area you teach. Here's the plain-English version for NZ teachers.

The change in one paragraph

UKD (Understand, Know, Do) is the framing that's been used to anchor lesson planning across the New Zealand Curriculum for years. The 2026 Te Mātaiaho refresh removed the explicit UKD labels from the refreshed learning areas and replaced them with a two-part Knowledge and Practice structure. Knowledge names what students need to know. Practice names what students do with that knowledge.

What's mandatory when

• From Term 1 2026: Knowledge and Practice mandatory for English Years 0 to 10 and Mathematics and Statistics Years 0 to 10. UKD vocabulary is no longer current in those areas.
• During 2026: the other learning areas (Science, Social Sciences, Health and PE, the Arts, Technology, Learning Languages) stay on the legacy NZC. UKD remains the active framework for those areas.
• From start of 2027: the other learning areas become mandatory under Te Mātaiaho. Full implementation by start of 2028.
• Years 11 to 13: NCEA achievement standards are the canonical framework. Te Mātaiaho phases in for Year 11 in 2028, Year 12 in 2029, Year 13 in 2030.

Knowledge and Practice in plain English

• Knowledge

  The specific content this lesson teaches. Concepts, vocabulary, facts, procedures. Named explicitly. For Year 4 reading: literal versus inferential questions, the four QAR types.

• Practice

  What the student actually does with that knowledge. Read, write, generate, analyse, decide. For Year 4 reading: read a passage, generate four questions (two literal, two inferential), swap with a partner, answer in writing.

What changed in lesson-plan citations

The recommended citation format for refreshed areas is:
"Aligns to The New Zealand Curriculum | Te Mātaiaho. [Learning area], Phase [n] (Years [a] to [b]), Year [n] teaching sequence. [Strand]: [focus]."

Example: "Aligns to The New Zealand Curriculum | Te Mātaiaho. English, Phase 2 (Years 4 to 6), Year 4 teaching sequence. Reading: questioning strategies for comprehension."

For not-yet-refreshed areas in 2026, continue to cite the legacy NZC level (Levels 1 to 5) and the relevant Achievement Objective. For NCEA, cite the standard number, version, internal/external, and credit value.

Common questions