NZAPT news
A message from the chair
Kia ora koutou,
Welcome to Term Four! I imagine many of you are neck deep in revision, finishing off internal standards, resubmissions, and even staffing Psychology at your school next year.
I do encourage you to take a big exhale once the seniors have left for study and exam leave. You deserve it! It has been a huge year! Also I encourage you to reach out to colleagues, other teachers or anyone who has helped you with Psychology this year-gratitude is always appreciated.
With that in mind, I would like to say thank you to the 2026 NZAPT committee who have made everything possible this year. They have been selfless with their own time and it is our ‘busy season’ as we lead up to our national conference in Wellington. I really encourage all Psychology teachers or would be teachers to come along-its a highlight of my year and I always come away reinvigorated and inspired for 2027. Though I am learning just to implement one of the takeaways from the conference!
As you are aware the Psychology curriculum has been published. At this stage I encourage you to not dive too far in. It is a big document! The current timeline for implementation is that it will have to start in 2029, and history has told us that timelines can change! So let's not start running before we can walk—for now, focus on wrapping up 2026, enjoying the finish line, coming to the conference and getting a well-deserved break!
Thank you all for your ongoing dedication, passion, and support of Psychology teaching across Aotearoa. Have a fantastic, restful end of the term!
E kore a muri e hokia
What done is done
Ngā mihi nui,
Duncan Bond
NZAPT - Phil Hill and Richard Tweedie Outstanding Student Awards
The NZAPT has created two awards to honour Mr Phil Hill and Mr Richard Tweedie. Phil and Richard have been passionate teachers and staunch advocates of the teaching of psychology for decades. They have been national leaders of Psychology and have pioneered its development across the country. Their contribution to curriculum and assessment design has been immense.
Both Richard and Phil were national leaders of this subject across New Zealand for many years and are life members of our association.
These two awards will be presented annually, at the conference, to a student who shows creative thinking and curiosity in their study of Psychology.
Please upload a description of the student and explain how you think they fit the criteria below
Phil Hill award
This prestigious award honors the legacy of Mr. Phil Hill who sadly passed away unexpectedly
on 20 April 2022. His teaching career spanned 50 years, 34 of which were at Avondale College,
and almost 30 of them as Deputy Principal. Phil taught Geography, Social Studies, History, Art,
Art History, Health and Careers and Psychology. He was an expert teacher and introduced
Psychology to Avondale College in the mid-90’s and then pioneered its development across
New Zealand. He had an unwavering commitment to the wellbeing and success of young
people, which was a key driver for him as an educational leader.The NZAPT created this award
to recognise students who demonstrate exceptional creative thinking and curiosity in their study
of psychology.
Richard Tweedie award
This prestigious award honors the legacy of Mr. Richard Tweedie, a dedicated psychology educator who taught at Hagley College and was a national leader in psychology education. The NZAPT created this award to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional creative thinking and curiosity in their study of psychology.
NZAPT Eric Wheater Teaching Excellence Award
The New Zealand Association of Psychology Teachers (NZAPT) is pleased to open nominations for the annual Eric Wheater Teaching Excellence Award, presented at the NZAPT Annual Conference.
Named in honor of 2025 recipient Eric Wheater whose distinguished career spans foundational NCEA curriculum development, university teacher-pathway design, and cross-qualification teaching excellence- this award recognises educators who embody dedication, innovation, and leadership in psychology education.
Award Criteria:
Classroom Excellence: Demonstrated personal excellence in the teaching of psychology at a specific school.
Professional Leadership: Outstanding contribution and support provided to psychology educators at other schools in the region or throughout New Zealand.
If you know a colleague whose classroom practice and support for others elevates psychology education, we encourage you to submit a nomination.
Last year’s conference featured a really popular Q&A session with the national moderator, so we’re keen to run it again this year! If you’ve got questions about assessment, moderation, or anything NCEA Psychology-related, we’d love to hear them. Please email nzapt@hotmail.com with any questions you’d like answered and we’ll do our best to get them addressed during the session. This is a great chance to tap into expertise and get practical, honest answers to your burning questions—so don’t be shy!
We invite you to recommend up to three books to feature on our book table at the conference and book reviews on our website. Please share books that have inspired or supported your teaching and learning programs, along with a short note about how they connect to the learning and why you recommend them. These books will be purchased and will be given as Spot Prizes throughout the conference.
Scholarship Psychology 2027 focus
The assessment specifications for external assessments for 2027 have now been released. As you plan for next year, have a look through these to check if anything has changed.
For Scholarship exam, in 2027, questions will be asked within a variety of relationship contexts, some of which may be unfamiliar. Candidates are expected to have knowledge of bonding and attraction. Questions will examine the candidates’ ability to:
• Critique research methods.
• Develop solutions to a given issue using psychological approaches.
• Critique debates that are prevalent within bonding and attraction.
NZAPT 2026 Conference
We're so excited that the 2026 NZAPT Psychology Conference is just under a month away! With 70 delegates registered, it’s shaping up to be a fantastic event. By now, you should have received an email with a couple of important things to tick off. Please fill in the Google Forms for your dietary needs and sharing your top book recommendations for the book table. Just a quick reminder: registration ends on 27th October. (Labour weekend). If you still need to register, please click on the link below. Thanks in advance for helping us get everything organised, we can’t wait to see you in person and kick off a couple of action-packed days together!
Regional Hubs
We want to extend a massive thank you to our incredible team of Regional Hui Coordinators!
These legends volunteer their own time and energy to organise and facilitate our bi-termly regional catch-ups, ensuring that psychology teachers across the country have a space to connect and collaborate locally. Our community is so much stronger because of the work you do behind the scenes-we truly appreciate you!
Want to get involved? If you aren't already part of your local network and would like to join the group for the next catch-up, please reach out to your regional coordinator via email. They’ll make sure you’re added to the loop for all future meeting dates and locations.
1.Northland (Kelly Moselen)
kelly.moselen@wghs.school.nz
2. Auckland Region (Grace Williams)
gwilliams@westlakegirls.school.nz
3. Waikato (Kim Van Der Toorn)
kvandertoorn@hbhs.school.nz
4. Bay of plenty (Sally Jackson)
sallyj@mmc.school.nz
8.Manawatu-Wanganui (Grant Collie)
grant.collie@kotuiako.school.nz
9.Wellington (Stacey Morgan)
mgn@aotea.school.nz
10.Nelson (Adam Crichton)
adam.Crichton@nayland.school.nz
11.Marlborough (Eliot Attridge)
eliot.attridge@mbc.school.nz
14.Canterbury region (Duncan Bond)
bnd@avonside.school.nz
16. Southland - Otago (Jenna Halder)
jennah@csc.school.nz
Mentoring Snapshot
The final mentoring session for 2026 will be Tuesday 27th October. NZAPT mentors Adam Crichton and Michelle Hulland have had the privilege of working with a fantastic group of psychology teachers from across Aotearoa. With up to 30 mentees participating throughout the year, the twice-termly mentoring sessions have become a valuable opportunity for connection, collaboration, and professional learning.
The mentoring programme has provided a supportive environment where teachers have shared moderation practices, classroom activities, assessment resources, and teaching strategies. Just as importantly, the sessions have created a safe space for participants to ask questions, seek guidance, and discuss the challenges and successes that come with teaching psychology.
A particular highlight has been the collaborative spirit shown by everyone involved. Teachers from a wide range of schools and levels of experience have contributed ideas and resources, helping to strengthen professional networks and build confidence across the psychology teaching community. The willingness of participants to share openly has made each session both productive and enjoyable.
Adam and Shelley have thoroughly enjoyed facilitating these sessions and are grateful for the enthusiasm and commitment shown by mentees throughout the year. They are especially looking forward to seeing many of these familiar faces at the NZAPT Conference in November, where the conversations, networking, and sharing of best practice can continue in person. There will also be a workshop run by Adam and Michelle which will focus on supporting new psychology teachers.
As the psychology teaching community continues to grow, the mentoring programme remains an important way of supporting teachers, fostering professional connections, and strengthening psychology education across New Zealand.
Moderation and Task critique
A huge thank you to everyone who utilised our Task Critique and Moderation Service this year! We are thrilled to share that NZAPT now has 96 registered kura and over 200 kaiako in our network, with more than 100 moderation and task critiques completed throughout 2026.
We hope this service provided valuable support and clarity for your teaching practice. Please note that the Task Critique and Moderation Service is now closed for the remainder of the year and will reopen in Term 1.
Regional spotlight
The Ōtautahi/Canterbury Hub gathered at the end of Term three for an engaging and highly collaborative hui, warmly hosted by the team at St Margaret's College. In between learning history of St Margaret's cheese ball, the Canterbury teachers explored creative teaching activities and assessments designed to boost student engagement and discussed ways to scaffold learners into Psychology.
A focus of the discussion was the development of a Year 11 Psychology course aimed at building strong foundational skills to prepare students for senior-level study. The group also examined innovative assessment design, including a courtroom set up where students assume the persona of a psychologist to verbally define and defend their psychological approach. To wrap up the hands-on learning, participants experimented with inversion goggles, gaining a firsthand look at neuroplasticity in action.
Podcast resource
Matt Hegan is a psychologist based in Mount Maunganui, searching for wisdom on how to live a better life and how to help others do so too. He's interviewing retired (or those-who-can't-seem-to-let-go) therapists on their learnings from their careers. The podcast is available in audio only or video. https://www.youtube.com/@InkedPsycho or Inked Psycho podcast wherever you listen to podcasts. For those who are REALLY interested, there's also a free Substack email newsletter, with reflections from the interviews here: https://inkedpsycho.substack.com
AGM 2026
The primary purposes of the NZAPT is to encourage and promote excellence in the teaching and study of secondary school psychology. Our AGM this year will confirm membership costs for 2027, set the dates and venue for conference, elect our committee and office holders for 2027 and present the annual report.
Grant Collie is stepping down as a committee member. We would like to thank him for his service. A highlight has been his work over the years with Massey University in organising the Massey Hybrid. We wish him luck with his PhD. Nominations for the following positions have been received.
Chair: Duncan Bond
Treasurers: Bailley West and Melissa Flower
Events and Communications Manager: Sally Jackson
Committee: Adam Crichton, Shelly Hulland, Eliot Attridge, Stacey Morgan, Gaye Bloomfield and Eden Hersey
Our constitution was amended in 2024 to include the following statement: The term of office for all Officers elected to the Committee shall be 2 year(s), expiring at the end of the Annual General Meeting in the year corresponding with the last year of each Officer’s term of office.
● No Officer shall serve for more than 2 consecutive terms.
● No Chairperson shall serve for more than 2 consecutive years as Chairperson.
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