Reframing, refocusing, and revitalising: The inclusion of identity in the New Zealand curriculum

The social phenomenon that is “identity” appears to have gained prominence in the landscape of New Zealand educational curriculum during the three decades of curriculum development, review, and change that began in the 1980s. While the term identity is a recent addition in national curricula, the concept of identity has been a constant inclusion in the goals, rationale, and purposes of state education. However, the nature and use of this concept has shifted. This article sets the term apart from the concept and argues that the explicit use of the term in 21st century curricula, if unchallenged, can have deleterious effects for New Zealand learners.