The federation said the resource, Climate Change: Prepare today, live well tomorrow, has significant information, which would provide important context about New Zealand’s emissions, missing and makes food choice recommendations not supported from a health perspective.
The resource has overly simplistic and inaccurate messaging, referring students and teachers to websites not intended for school children or appropriate in the context of the NZ emissions profile.
It wants the resource amended to provide more context around NZ’s emissions profile and remove suggestions for food choices.
The petition was created by the federation’s climate change spokesman Andrew Hoggard and former Southland meat and wool spokeswoman and farmer Bernadette Hunt.
On Tuesday it had just over 1500 signatures.
Hunt said it is not just farmers who have signed it and Education Ministry has to realise there are a wide range of people, including teachers, opposed to the resource.
“There are teachers saying that they are disappointed with the lack of balance in the resource.”
The petition has nothing to do with denying climate change, Hunt said.
Rather, it is because people are not comfortable with it.
“There are some fundamental flaws in the resource that make it unfit for purpose as a teaching resource in its current form. It doesn’t matter if you believe in climate change or not, it doesn’t matter if you think farming’s to blame, it’s still not a good resource the way it is now.”
Hunt supports climate change being taught in schools but the resource is not ready for use the way it is framed.
“We’re not saying this should never be used.
“We are saying this should be withdrawn until it is reviewed and corrected. We’re certainly not denying climate change, we’re not saying it should not be taught in schools.
“We’re simply saying that resource in its current form is unsuitable.”
It would be irresponsible of the ministry not to consider the petition considering teachers are unhappy it has been published.
“I’m an ex-teacher and that website is an important reference point for teachers to go to pick up credible, well-developed resources on topics they may not feel so confident about developing resources for themselves.
“If the credibility of that website is undermined then the ministry has got a big problem.”
