Teachers from more than 1,900 New Zealand schools—over 75% of all schools in the country—are now using Kuraplan, an AI-powered lesson planning tool, as they navigate the most significant curriculum reforms in a generation.
In just 12 months, over 14,000 teachers have created more than 124,000 lesson plans on the platform, saving an estimated 62,000 hours of planning time. That's seven years of work returned to the teaching profession.
The platform has spread almost entirely through word of mouth, with teachers sharing it in staffrooms, Facebook groups, and professional networks.
A Profession Navigating Major Change
The rapid adoption comes as New Zealand teachers navigate one of the most significant periods of curriculum reform in a generation.
In the past two years, new English and maths curricula have been introduced for primary schools, along with structured literacy requirements. The maths curriculum was updated again in late 2025, and a complete overhaul of NCEA is underway. More curriculum changes are rolling out through 2027 and 2028 across science, social studies, the arts, and other learning areas.
The scale of change has been challenging to absorb. A November 2025 survey by NZEI Te Riu Roa found that 97% of primary principals consider the implementation timeline unrealistic. 99% said the frequency of changes has left insufficient time to consolidate previous reforms. And 73% said they're likely to quit within five years due to the cumulative impact on their workload and wellbeing.
"Our primary challenge is that we weren't provided with the time, training, or resources to absorb the speed and complexity of the imposed changes," said Martyn Weatherill, Principal Representative for NZEI Te Riu Roa.
Why Teachers Are Turning to AI
For many teachers, the challenge isn't just understanding the new curriculum. It's translating it into usable lesson plans, week after week, while juggling teaching, assessment, and everything else.
It's why so many are turning to AI tools like Kuraplan.
The platform allows teachers to generate complete, curriculum-aligned lesson plans in minutes. Teachers enter the subject, year level, topic, and any specific requirements, and Kuraplan produces a structured lesson plan with learning objectives tied to the New Zealand Curriculum, suggested activities, differentiation strategies, and assessment ideas.
From there, teachers can generate accompanying worksheets, slide presentations, and AI-generated images to support the lesson, all with a few clicks.
"I asked for 15 lessons in a unit plan using what I copied and pasted from the new maths curriculum for Year 2 and 3," said Jennifer Thomson, a Whanganui primary teacher. "Let's just say I have my maths sorted for the first few weeks of term. It was fast and easy."
The platform also includes an AI chat assistant that teachers can use to brainstorm ideas, adapt lessons for specific learning needs, or get quick answers to curriculum questions.
From Lesson Plan to Classroom-Ready Slides in One Click
One of Kuraplan's newest features is instant slideshow generation. Teachers can convert any lesson plan into a classroom-ready presentation with a single click. No reformatting, no copy-pasting into PowerPoint, no starting from scratch.
It's a capability that addresses a quieter problem in New Zealand classrooms: teachers stuck recycling outdated resources because they simply don't have time to create new ones.
"When you're drowning in planning, you end up reusing the same slideshow you made five years ago, even if the curriculum has changed," said Emory Fierlinger, founder of Kuraplan. "AI has the power to change that. It lets teachers create fresh, engaging resources that actually match what they're supposed to be teaching now. Not what they were teaching in 2019."
Since launching the feature, teachers have generated over 2,600 presentations on the platform.
Built for New Zealand, Not Borrowed from Overseas
Fierlinger built Kuraplan after seeing how much time teachers spend outside the classroom on planning and preparation.
"Teachers got into this job to teach, not to spend their Sundays writing lesson plans," he said. "I knew AI had the power to help, but generic tools like ChatGPT aren't trained on the New Zealand curriculum. They don't know the difference between the 2023 and 2025 maths curriculum. They can't tell you what achievement objectives apply to Year 4 science.
"So we trained a custom AI model specifically on the NZ curriculum, including the refreshed content, so teachers can trust what they're getting."
That local focus has resonated. Unlike overseas AI tools, Kuraplan understands the structure of the New Zealand Curriculum, Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, NCEA standards, and the specific language and frameworks Kiwi teachers use.
Teachers have created over 10,000 Te Reo Maori lesson plans on the platform—a reflection of demand for tools that actually support New Zealand's bicultural education system.
"It aligns with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh, but most importantly Te Marautanga o Aotearoa," said Angela Armstrong-Lush, a teacher.
Hiraina Tamihana, who has used the platform for over a year, added: "I am grateful to the team that ensure it keeps developing, adapting and changing with our NZ curriculum. Try it. You will be glad that you did."
The Sunday Night Problem
Data from the platform paints a stark picture of teacher workload in New Zealand.
30% of all lesson plans on Kuraplan are created outside work hours, on evenings, weekends, and late into the night. Sunday is the single busiest day for lesson planning, with usage peaking between 3pm and 8pm as teachers prepare for the week ahead.
Weekend planning accounts for 28% of all activity on the platform. Nearly a third of plans are created between 6pm and 6am.
"Being in a team on my own has had its challenges when trying to come up with fresh and inspiring new lessons, but this has been a game changer," said Olivia Gibbs, a teacher at Henderson Valley School in Auckland.
Robyn Scott, a teacher at Vardon School in Hamilton, said the tool is particularly valuable for those still learning the system: "Kuraplan produces exactly what you ask for and within minutes you have a workable plan that aligns with the New Zealand curriculum. Perfect for new teachers who are still coming to grips with achievement objectives and learning objectives."
What Teachers Are Creating
In the past 12 months, New Zealand teachers have used Kuraplan to generate:
- 124,770 lesson plans
- 41,172 worksheets
- 21,597 unit plans
- 42,290 AI-generated educational images
The most popular subjects are English (34,800+ plans), Maths (23,800+), Science (11,600+), Social Sciences (10,800+), and Te Reo Maori (10,400+).
A Tool That Keeps Up
As curriculum changes continue to roll out, Fierlinger says Kuraplan will keep pace.
"The curriculum isn't static anymore. It's a moving target," he said. "We update Kuraplan as the Ministry releases new content, so teachers always have access to the latest requirements. They shouldn't have to become curriculum experts on top of everything else they do."
Brenda Nathan, a teacher at Kaitaia Intermediate, summed up the sentiment of many: "OMG, as the old saying goes, 'Where have you been all my teaching life?' Nga mihi to the whanau of Kuraplan who have certainly supported my continuing to teach and made the workload a lot lighter and easier."
About Kuraplan
Kuraplan is an AI lesson planning assistant built specifically for New Zealand teachers. The platform generates curriculum-aligned lesson plans, worksheets, unit plans, presentations, and educational images, all trained on the New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa. Founded in 2024 and based in Wellington, Kuraplan is used by teachers in over 1,900 schools across the country.
Learn more:
- Website: www.kuraplan.com
- Teacher reviews
- Kuraplan for Schools (30-day free trial available)
- Pricing
Media Contact:
Emory Fierlinger Founder, Kuraplan emory@kuraplan.com
Press Kit:
Download logos, product screenshots, and media assets: kuraplan.com/nz/press-kit