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What is Physical Education in Primary Schools in Aotearoa/New Zealand?

Physical education has historically held an important place as an identified learning area within the wider New Zealand curriculum. While consistently present, the way that physical education has been conceptualised and implemented has evolved and changed over time. This paper considers the changes that have occurred in the teaching of physical education in primary schools (5 years - 12 years) since the introduction of the Health and Physical Education in New Zealand Curriculum (1999). The potential educative value of physical education in New Zealand has been strengthened by the conceptual and philosophical framework underpinning the Health and Physical Education learning area within the New Zealand Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2007). While acknowledging that this potential exists, it should be noted that there is concern about the quality of physical education as it actually occurs within New Zealand primary schools. This paper attempts to gain a greater understanding of the situation by exploring: the Health and Physical Education Curriculum; the conceptual confusion about what physical education is; the role of external providers in primary schools; the preparation of primary teachers to teach physical education; and by examining the research on primary school physical education in Aotearoa/New Zealand. This exploration has been informed by an analysis of a variety of texts, including curriculum documents that have informed physical education over the last fifteen years.