About – Mo matau
Welcome to our DRAFT SITE for Tō Tātou Whakapono Our Faith, the new Religious Education curriculum for Catholic schools in Aotearoa. Please, be aware that this is a work in progress as we are only at the beginning stages of generating resources for schools. Many places will be empty on the site as we populate and refine content between now and 2026. Please, don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any suggestions or other comment. Our small but hard-working NCRS team are grateful for your enthusiasm and patience as we continue this important journey.
This Tō Tātou Whakapono Our Faith website is maintained by Te Kupenga – National Centre of Religious Studies (NCRS).
NCRS is responsible for Religious Education curricula and resources at primary and secondary school levels, and provides an early childhood curriculum.
We also produce the faith formation programme for adults, Ngā Parirau-Wings, and teacher formation programmes including “Having Life to the Full” (a Catholic course in Human Sexuality founded on Jn 10:10).
Our Team
Led by Colin MacLeod, our team is blessed by the wisdom and experience of full-time or part-time curriculum and resource developers: Laurel Lanner, Jane Maisey, Kate McHeyzer, Lyn Smith, Sam Steele. and Stephen Woodnutt.
What We Do
- Catholic Religious Education curricula and resources for Aotearoa
- Work at national and diocesan level
- Human sexuality education support
- Adult faith formation programmes
- Pray, share, celebrate and live our faith
Websites We Manage
- faithjourney.co.nz
Faith Journey is a collection of engaging resources designed to support whānau in developing knowledge and making connections with God, and each other, in a home setting. - faithalive.org.nz
Faith Alive is the home of the key resource developed to support the teaching of the Primary School Religious Education curriculum in Catholic Schools in Aotearoa – New Zealand. - faithcentral.org.nz
FaithCentral is a Religious Education resource website for students and teachers of Catholic Secondary Schools and Colleges in Aotearoa – New Zealand. - totatouwhakapono.nz
To Tatou Whakapono - Our Faith is the new home of the Religious Education curriculum for Catholic Schools in Aotearoa – New Zealand.
Additional Resources
- DRS Handbooks – For Primary and Secondary
- NZpray2day – A kiwi prayer App available for Android and Apple devices
- BoT Prayer Companion – A Prayer Resource for Boards of Trustees
- Encountering the Divine – Aotearoa NZ stories of experiencing God
- Aotearoa Catholic – Our YouTube Channel
- FaithCentral – provides “open” school and parish thematic resources
- Gender Complexity in Catholic Schools
- He Anga Whakamārama – Te Mātauranga Hōkakatanga: He puka ārahi mā ngā hapori Katorika o Aotearoa Framing Document – Human Sexuality Education: A guide for Catholic communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. (A Sexuality Resource Grid Package is also available to support planning.)
- Teacher Certification Handbook (and forms in MSWord)
- Catholic Education Professional Standards (NZCEO)
- Catholic Early Childhood Religious Education – Curriculum Statement
- Parish group-discussion materials available through the Catholic Enquiry Centre