This Big Idea captures the essence of why we study Physical Education: that movement is fundamental to our lives, and contributes to our development, both as individuals and as members of our communities.

Learning in, through, and about movement makes a significant contribution to hauora. We learn in movement by developing physical skills and experiencing enjoyment. Through our participation in movement, we are able to develop social, emotional, intellectual, and cultural capabilities. And by learning about how and why people move, we come to understand what influences our own and others' movement, as well as what has an influence on movement settings and trends.

In Physical Education, ākonga will have the opportunity to explore what movement means to them through different models of, and approaches to, hauora. They will engage in exercise, games, play, sport, recreation, adventure, and expressive movement, across diverse physical and social environments.

Hauora offers a holistic understanding of wellbeing, and encompasses the physical, social, spiritual, mental, and emotional dimensions of health. The ways in which we move, and approach movement, can influence all aspects of hauora, and Aotearoa New Zealand’s diverse movement contexts also provide ākonga with rich opportunities through which to explore the relationship between movement and te taiao, including whenua, maunga, moana, awa, roto, and ngahere. Ākonga may even choose to reflect on their connections to place and space through, for example, mana atua and mana tangata.

This Big Idea focuses on the importance of taking part in movement and the joy movement can bring to people’s lives. It recognises that learning to move and taking part in movement allows us to find enjoyment and enrichment, and to create meaning for ourselves through movement. This not only contributes to an improvement in performance but has a positive impact on our hauora. Ākonga will explore their bodies as a taonga to be challenged, nurtured, and developed through movement.

Participating in movement is essential to understanding how movement develops. In Physical Education we work with others in movement contexts, reflect critically on movement, and develop personal and shared understandings of movement. Through these we can think about how physical activity contributes to our identities and skills, and deepen our understanding of how movement can enrich our lives.

At Curriculum Level 6, the focus is on skill development and learning to move, as well as understanding how engagement in movement can be a source of enjoyment. This will progress to looking at refining movements and reflecting on strategies through which to refine movements at Levels 7 and 8. Movement strategies in team sports might include moving into space to receive a pass (for example, from a teammate) or hitting the ball away from opponents in order to make it difficult for them to retrieve or return the ball. In parkour, a movement strategy could be reducing contact time with a surface to improve fluidity and efficiency, while in waka ama it might be devising group calling strategies to improve stroke timing. Different movement contexts may require similar activities or goals, so movement strategies developed in one applied setting may be adapted for use in other applied settings.

This Big Idea focuses on the capabilities and interpersonal skills which we gain through movement. It recognises that movement is a powerful vehicle for learning social, emotional, intellectual, and cultural capabilities. These capabilities include effective listening, whanaungatanga, assertiveness, manaakitanga, showing empathy, problem solving, negotiation and compromise, mediation, and giving and receiving feedback, all of which in turn support the wellbeing of the self, others, and society. Developing these capabilities also helps ākonga to work more effectively with others and to respond to new or challenging situations. For example, ākonga may draw on these capabilities to engage with barriers to participation in movement, and to tackle other issues related to wider social injustice in movement contexts.

At Curriculum Level 6, ākonga will build their own capabilities, and gain a sense of how and why these capabilities may impact others' participation in movement. In building unity, fostering strong relationships, and working collectively to promote kotahitanga, ākonga will gain new skills and grow their understanding of tikanga in movement contexts. They will refine and reflect on the ways in which they relate to others, and develop an understanding of the implications of these interactions. This will enable them to participate more effectively in movement contexts, offering opportunities to explore different roles within a group, to collaborate towards achieving shared goals, and to manage challenging situations. At Level 7, ākonga will use rangatiratanga to explore reciprocal relationships in the gaining and sharing of knowledge, to take on different leadership roles, and to better understand how one’s actions influence others. This culminates at Level 8 with ākonga adopting a future-focused approach when responding to challenges within Physical Education, and being increasingly responsive when implementing strategies across different contexts.

This Big Idea focuses on exploring understandings of how the body works, and of ways to maintain and enhance physical experiences. It also encourages us to look at the sociocultural factors which influence movement itself and movement contexts.

Understandings of the body and movement are contested and should be examined critically from multiple and diverse worldviews. Through this critical engagement, ākonga will grow their knowledge of tikanga in movement contexts and create meaning from movement. This knowledge is informed by their own movement experiences and understandings, and the concerns of their wider communities. Ākonga will engage with a range of biophysical, sociocultural, kinaesthetic, and embodied ways of knowing. They will do this through diverse cultural perspectives, including those drawn from te ao Māori.

At Curriculum Level 6, this means exploring how various factors affect movement. Ākonga will study biophysical principles such as functional anatomy, skill acquisition, exercise physiology, sports psychology, and biomechanics and learn about how these relate to the experience of movement and the performance of skilled movement. They will also look at sociocultural factors and begin to critique representations of sport and physical activity across media and cultural settings. An understanding of these different factors which influence movement will help ākonga when making choices that impact their own hauora.

This will progress, at Level 7, to exploring value systems in communities and tackling barriers to participation. Ākonga will also examine the interrelationship between sociocultural and biophysical factors, while at Level 8 they will focus on choosing appropriate modes of engagement through which to both respond to the diverse needs of others, and influence system-level change.