Teaching the Holocaust: curriculum connections

Aligned with Aotearoa New Zealand Histories (ANZH), Social Sciences Refresh, and NCEA Levels 1–3 and from 2027,  New Zealand Curriculum (NZC).

Teaching the Holocaust is an essential yet emotionally charged undertaking. For junior secondary students, it is vital to approach the subject with caution, focusing on historical accuracy and the roles of key groups while linking these themes to students’ own experiences.

Pedagogical guidance:

  • Visual sensitivity: Avoid visually gruesome images or descriptions. Material such as explicit images of deceased victims is often counter-productive and not age-appropriate. Instead, use images of artefacts, sites, or documents (such as a photo of a crematorium or a primary source document) to generate constructive  discussion without causing undue trauma.

  • Purposeful planning: Reflect carefully on the specific purpose of your unit. We highly recommend a thorough reading of our Teaching Guide before beginning your planning.

1. Integration with Social Sciences conceptual strands

Social Sciences teachers can effectively incorporate the Holocaust into unit planning through these four core strands:

  • Identity, culture, and organisation: Examine Jewish community and culture, compare Judaism with other religions, and learn how negative cultural interaction – such as German antisemitism – affects groups. Discuss modern Jewish identity in New Zealand and the historical context of Israel.

  • Place and environment: Discuss the "Diaspora" and the lack of "place" for Jewish people, examine the historical and modern significance of Israel in world history, and explore issues of place for Jews in both Israel and New Zealand.

  • Continuity and change: Trace the narrative before, during, and after the Holocaust. Explore the lived experiences of different groups-bystanders, victims, perpetrators, and rescuers-and discuss how society can prevent similar events in the future.

  • The economic world: Examine how excluding groups from economic participation (such as barring Jews from specific professions) directly impacts their human rights.


2. Fitting the Holocaust into achievement objectives

The Holocaust provides a powerful context for achieving Level 5 Social Sciences objectives:

  • Systems of government: Compare the Nazi totalitarian system with New Zealand’s democratic parliamentary system. Ask: Which human rights do we protect here that were denied in Nazi Germany, and why?

  • Cultural interaction: Examine how negative interactions in Nazi Germany affected society and the Jewish people. Discuss the consequences of the Holocaust and whether modern genocides could have been prevented.

  • Movement of people: Learn about the journey of Jewish migrants to New Zealand and the acquisition of Jewish homes/businesses in occupied Europe. Examine the consequences of the Jewish Diaspora and the establishment of The State of Israel.

  • Economic decisions: Study the impact of the Nuremberg Laws and Kristallnacht on Jewish businesses and the long-term impact of barring Jews from certain professions.

  • Impact of ideas and actions: Study the narrative of the Holocaust (cause, events, consequences) and consider New Zealand’s role in the post-war world, particularly regarding Jewish refugees.

  • Defining human rights: Examine the rights stripped from people in occupied Europe and how they resisted. Evaluate if human rights are better protected today and how we can safeguard them.


3. Alignment with key competencies

This study fosters the development of the five NZC Key Competencies:

  • Managing self: Students undertake independent research using survivor testimony and the resources of the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand.

  • Relating to others: Through group work and debates on human rights, students seek to understand the perspectives and roles of those involved in this history.

  • Thinking: Students debate the causes and consequences of the Holocaust, its unprecedented place in history, and the lessons that can be applied to other genocides.

  • Using language, symbols, and texts: Students develop a glossary of key terms (e.g. antisemitism, Nazi, genocide), interpret primary source documents, and engage with survivor audio/video testimonies.

  • Participating and contributing: Students present their findings and participate in community activities like the Children's Holocaust Memorial or United Nations International Holocaust Remembrance Day.


4. Curriculum values

Teaching the Holocaust is a profound way to instill core NZC values:

  • Diversity: Acknowledging and respecting diverse cultures and languages through the study of Judaism and the Jewish people.

  • Equity and social justice: By studying the obvious injustices of the Holocaust, students gain a strong impression of the need for equity and the common good.

  • Respect for human rights: This history serves as a sounding board for students to evaluate their own communities and identify modern risks to human rights.