Make It Write | New Zealand’s New Writing Action Plan

Writing is one of the most important skills children develop at school, yet the data shows too many students are falling behind as they move through primary and intermediate years. In response, the Government has launched “Make It Write”, a new national action plan designed to lift writing achievement.  We’ll break down exactly what “Make It Write” involves, the key focus areas and how it will be rolled out in schools. We’ll also explore how extra support, like small group tutoring, can complement the plan and help children who need more targeted guidance.

The New Zealand Government’s ‘Make It Write’ initiative (launched August 2025) is a targeted writing action plan to boost students writing achievement. It responds to new national data showing alarmingly low writing levels as students progress through school. Only 41% of Year 3 students meet the expected writing benchmarks, falling to 33% by Year 6 and just 24% by Year 8. In fact, 61% of Year 8s were more than a year behind.

The plan’s goals are to reverse the decline in writing performance and help the Government reach its target of 80% of Year 8 students at or above curriculum expectations by 2030. Essentially ‘Make It Write’ focuses on strengthening classroom practice and teacher support, while also directly helping underachieving students.

Focus Areas and Implementation

The “Make It Write” plan is organised around four key areas, curriculum delivery, enhanced student support, focused teacher professional development, and monitoring and assessment. Key initiatives include:

• Structured Literacy Teacher Training. Every intermediate and secondary school will fund and train a structured-literacy intervention teacher, specialising in one-on-one or small-group literacy instruction for older students. Teachers will learn evidence-based techniques so they can work with small groups of students who need targeted support using structured approaches.
• Writing Acceleration Tool. From Term 1, 2026 a new digital writing tool will be rolled out for Years 6–8. This tool gives targeted instruction and practice for students who are behind in writing and did not have early structured literacy learning from Year 1. Teachers can use it to monitor each student’s progress in real time and adjust teaching to meet their needs.
• Handwriting Resources. An updated Handwriting Teacher Guidance (for Years 0–8) has been released. This guides schools to explicitly teach handwriting skills, reinforcing correct letter formation, spelling and memory, because handwriting practice involves more cognitive engagement than typing and is crucial for developing fluency.
• Curriculum Time and Explicit Teaching. The refreshed English curriculum already mandates dedicated time for literacy. School boards must schedule 10 hours per week focused on reading and writing (years 0–8), and at least 1 hour each day for writing. “Make It Write” builds on these policies with practical supports for teachers.

All of these initiatives target groups at greatest need, mid late primary and intermediate students below expectations, and the teachers who support them. The plan explicitly aims to give every learner the opportunity to become a confident, capable writer by providing resources and training that complement classroom teaching.

Addressing Literacy Challenges

The action plan is a response to clear national trends. New Zealand’s Curriculum Insights study (2024) confirms that writing skills are weak at every level and do not improve as expected with age. For example, only 24–41% of students meet the new curriculum benchmarks at Years 3, 6 and 8. In practice this means many children struggle with basic spelling, punctuation and text structure, the building blocks of effective writing.

The data also reveals waning confidence, students’ self-reported enjoyment and confidence in writing are high in early years but drop off in later primary grades. These findings show why the Government sees writing as “mission critical” alongside reading and maths. In short, ‘Make It Write’ is tackling a problem both specialists and parents know all too well, too many children leave school unsure of basic writing skills.

Extra Support & Tutoring

Tutoring can reinforce writing skills and confidence in line with the ‘Make It Write’ plan. Tutors provide structured instruction and feedback to complement school learning. For concerned parents, the Government’s initiative suggests one thing clearly, writing skills need consistent, personalised support. Kip McGrath centres specialise in individualised lessons with evidence-based teaching methods. Our approach is customised specifically for the child, taught systematically and the student works through each topic area until they have caught up.

Kip McGrath offers a supportive, engaging extension to what schools are doing. By reinforcing the basics (phonics, grammar, text structure) and celebrating progress, tutoring can make writing less intimidating. This personalised attention ensures that as the national plan rolls out in classrooms, students who need extra help aren’t left behind.

If you’re concerned your child may be falling behind in writing, now is the perfect time to act. Book a free assessment with Kip McGrath today and find out how we can support your child’s learning and confidence.