Level 8 home economics
Achievement objectives
Home economics predominately derives learning contexts from strands A, C, and D.
Achievement objectives from these strands can be woven together to set directions for teaching and learning programmes that lead to national qualifications.
Teachers will design programmes guided by The New Zealand Curriculum, that meet the unique learning needs, interests and strengths of their students and make sense of the many connections within and across these strands, and with learning in other areas.
Strand A – Personal growth and physical development
Students critically examine the factors which influence individual, whānau/family, and community well-being and learn to take appropriate actions to enhance and sustain well-being.
Strand C – Relationships with other people
Students critically analyse their understanding of meaningful relationships (in independent or caring situations with others) and apply this understanding to selecting, preparing, and serving appropriate food.
Strand D – Healthy communities and environments
Students critically evaluate the ethical decisions made about food choices, based on their knowledge of current issues in food and nutrition and their understanding of factors that influence preferences and behaviours at school, community, societal and global levels.
Teachers will design programmes that meet the learning needs of their students and make sense of the many connections within and across these strands.
Home economics programmes involve both academic inquiry and development of practical food and nutrition skills related to personal and community health and well-being.
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Indicators
Indicators are examples of the behaviours and capabilities that a teacher might expect to observe in a student who is achieving at the appropriate level. Teachers may wish to add further examples of their own.
The following indicators have links to level 8 achievement objectives for the appropriate strand (for example, A1, B1, C1, etc) and achievement standards (for example, AS1.1).
These indicators show what learning at level 8 could look like for students, and may include curriculum learning beyond what the achievement standards assess.
- Use qualitative and quantitative data to critically analyse a current nutrition-based issue of significance to New Zealand (A1, D1, D4; AS91466 3.1, AS91467 3.2, AS91468 3.3, AS91469 3.4, AS91470 3.5, AS91471 3.6).
- With reference to individuals and to New Zealand society, explain the interconnections between the determinants of health and well-being (A1, A3, A4, C2, D1, D2, D4; AS91466 3.1, AS91467 3.2, AS91468 3.3, AS91469 3.4).
- Compare health promotion strategies designed to address a nutritional issue in New Zealand (A1, C2, C3, D1, D2, D4; AS91467 3.2, AS91468 3.3, AS91469 3.4, AS91471 3.6).
- Evaluate food-related regulations and laws, such as labelling, advertising, or composition (A3, D1, D3; AS91467 3.2, AS91468 3.3, AS91471 3.6).
- Analyse community and global issues in relation to nutrition, health promotion, food supply, or the availability/lack of food (A1, D1, D2, D4; AS91467 3.2, AS91468 3.3, AS91469 3.4, AS91471 3.6).
- Apply your knowledge of and skills in food planning and preparation to promote the well-being of a specific group in the local community, for example, an ethnic, lower socio-economic, school sports, or other group. Describe and justify your decisions and planned actions (A1, A3, C1, C2, C3, D1, D2; AS91467 3.2, AS91470 3.5).
- Critically analyse ethical dilemmas affecting food and nutrition in relation to personal, cultural, and national food identity (A1, A3, A4; AS91468 3.3).
- Identify and explain how you would use a health-promoting strategy to enhance the well-being of the school and wider community (C1, D2, D3; AS91470 3.5).
- Critically analyse the influence of multinational food production on food choices in New Zealand in relation to globalisation, marketing, and media messages (A1, A4, C2, D4; AS91469 3.4, AS91471 3.6).
- Explore attitudes, values, and expectations around provision of food (food security) for families that live below the poverty line in New Zealand. Use information to identify myths and challenge assumptions (A1, A3, A4, C2, D1, D2, D3, D4; AS91468 3.3).
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Possible context elaborations
Context elaborations are possible contexts for learning. The contexts begin from a link to a relevant achievement objective, however, each could support the learning for several achievement objectives.
The listed context elaborations are examples only. Teachers can select and use entirely different contexts in response to local situations, community relevance, and students’ interests and needs.
- Use qualitative and quantitative data to critically analyse a current nutrition-based issue of significance to New Zealand (A1, D1, D4; AS91466 3.1, AS91467 3.2, AS91468 3.3, AS91469 3.4, AS91470 3.5, AS91471 3.6).
- Personal growth and development: Collect and analyse examples of advertising (from television, online, social networking sites, newspapers in print or online) that influence food choices and contribute to ethical food dilemmas. Examples include promotion of infant formula, which may undermine an expectation that mothers will breast feed, or promotion of high meat intakes.
- Heart disease: Use a credible data source to identify and analyse trends in the incidence of heart disease and weight for different ethnic groups in New Zealand. Identify nutritional factors that could contribute to these trends for each group.
- With reference to individuals and to New Zealand society, explain the interconnections between the determinants of health and well-being (A1, A3, A4, C2, D1, D2, D4; AS91466 3.1, AS91467 3.2, AS91468 3.3, AS91469 3.4).
- Personal identity: Why do people take up trends in food production and/or preparation? Explore one popular practice or technique in food production and/or preparation from a nutritional, economic, and environmental perspective. Examples include: ‘LSD’ (chosing food that is local, seasonal, and directly sourced); the slow-food approach to cooking; organics; vegan diets, or eating gluten-free foods.
- The reality of leaving the nest: Record a typical day’s food intake for a group of young adults living independently (for example, university students flatting together). Assess the nutritional adequacy of their diet. Explain the factors that influence the choices they are making and the impact their choices have on their well-being. Suggest changes to their diets that would help to improve their nutritional health.
- Compare health promotion strategies designed to address a nutritional issue in New Zealand (A1, C2, C3, D1, D2, D4; AS91467 3.2, AS91468 3.3, AS91469 3.4, AS91471 3.6).
- Societal attitudes and values: The shape of a typical Kiwi has changed over the last century. We are now rated the third most obese country in the world. Identify and critically evaluate some strategies the government has introduced to address this trend.
- Evaluate food-related regulations and laws, such as labelling, advertising, or composition (A3, D1, D3; AS91467 3.2, AS91468 3.3, AS91471 3.6).
- Safety management: Analyse how food labelling can be a barrier for consumers. Explore one aspect of food labelling (such as health claims) in depth. Examine the issue from the different perspectives of, for example, consumers, the food industry, and health professionals.
- Analyse community and global issues in relation to nutrition, health promotion, food supply, or the availability/lack of food (A1, D1, D2, D4; AS91467 3.2, AS91468 3.3, AS91469 3.4, AS91471 3.6).
- People and the environment: Some experts say the current food supply on Earth is unsustainable. Develop the underpinning principles for an ideal food system that could be used as the blueprint for ‘the new world’. Compare your principles to those of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
- People and the environment: ‘GE can feed the world!’ Debate this statement.
- People and the environment: Consider the interrelationships between people, industry, technology, legislation, and environmental health policies in relation to the globalisation of food production.
- Apply your knowledge of and skills in food planning and preparation to promote the well-being of a specific group in the local community, for example, an ethnic, lower socio-economic, school sports, or other group. Describe and justify your decisions and planned actions (A1, A3, C1, C2, C3, D1, D2; AS91467 3.2, AS91470 3.5).
- Feeding a family of four: Plan a week’s menu for a described target family (for example, two adults, a toddler, and a teenaged boy) that meets one specific requirement. The requirement could be a financial limit, for example, food for the family must cost under $150 per week. Alternatively, the requirement may be a dietary preference or limit, for example, the whole family prefers to eat vegetarian or low-fat foods, one family member is gluten intolerant, or one family member must avoid dairy foods. Evaluate and adapt the week’s meals and recipes so that your final menu is nutritionally balanced and appealing to your described target family.
- Healthy food bake-off: Analyse the energy and fat content of a traditional meal from a particular culture, for example: butter chicken, spaghetti bolognese, pork bones and puha, or ‘ota ika’ (raw fish marinated in lemon and coconut cream). Adapt and prepare a low-energy/low-fat version of this meal. In a competition setting with your class, cook your recipe and then evaluate the dish, based on criteria the class has negotiated.
- Critically analyse ethical dilemmas affecting food and nutrition in relation to personal, cultural, and national food identity (A1, A3, A4; AS91468 3.3).
- Societal attitudes and values: Research the idea of food as medicine, focusing on a current dilemma, for example, adding folate (folic acid) to breads, iodine to salt, or fluorine to water or fortification of vitamin D, and present your findings using computer or web-based presentational tools.
- People and the environment: Who are the likely winners and losers in the promotion of fair trade food products?
- Identify and explain how you would use a health-promoting strategy to enhance the well-being of the school and wider community (C1, D2, D3; AS91470 3.5).
- Health promotion: In your own school, identify the prevalence of a nationally recognised nutritional issue, for example, students leaving school unable to cook nutritional meals for themselves. Develop and implement a plan of action to help improve the health of your school community.
- Critically analyse the influence of multinational food production on food choices in New Zealand in relation to globalisation, marketing, and media messages (A1, A4, C2, D4; AS91469 3.4, AS91471 3.6).
- People and the environment: Research a popular fast-food franchise to explore how they promote the message to eat their food or bigger servings of it, and identify what impact this has on the health status of vulnerable groups of New Zealanders. Use a digital presentation application to present your findings as a case study.
- Personal identity: Investigate a food or beverage company that uses cyber/digital/e-marketing. Describe the ways in which these types of marketing are designed to capture their target audience and how the advertising influences the target audience’s food choices and well-being. To help unpack this context, adapt the British ‘Chew on this’ activities for a New Zealand setting.
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Assessment for qualifications
Consider how student learning could be assessed using the home economics achievement standards. Consider alternative linkages between the achievement objective and achievement standards.
- Home economics 3.1 Investigate a nutritional issue affecting the well-being of New Zealand society; Internal, 5 credits.
- Home economics 3.2 Implement an action plan to address a nutritional issue affecting the well-being of New Zealand society; Internal, 5 credits.
- Home economics 3.3 Analyse a food related ethical dilemma for New Zealand society; Internal, 5 credits.
- Home economics 3.4 Investigate the influence of multinational food corporations on eating patterns in New Zealand; Internal, 5 credits.
- Home economics 3.5 Evaluate conflicting nutritional information relevant to well-being in New Zealand society; External, 4 credits.
- Home economics 3.6 Analyse the influences of food advertising on well-being; External, 4 credits.
At the time of publication, achievement standards were in development to align them with The New Zealand Curriculum. Please ensure that you are using the correct version of the standards by going to the
NZQA website.
The NZQA subject-specific resources pages are very helpful. From there, you can find all the achievement standards and links to assessment resources, both internal and external.
Learn more:
Aligned level 1 achievement standards were registered for use in 2011 and level 2 for use in 2012; level 3 will be registered for use in 2013.
Full information on the draft standards and the alignment process can be found on
TKI: Alignment of NCEA standards with The New Zealand Curriculum.
Last updated August 31, 2020
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