Written by Dr Craig Hansen, New Zealand’s leading AI educator, digital specialist, and founder of the Summit Institute.
More than 1,000 schools across New Zealand trust Craig and the Summit Institute—a New Zealand private training provider—to navigate safe and responsible AI in schools, professional development, and strategic roadmaps. As we enter the next phase of this global shift, we must address the ultimate paradigm: “AI is the biggest equity move we can make in our generation.”
In this video, we walk through a live, step-by-step workflow using Google Gemini to build a custom “Gem” designed for the Refreshed New Zealand Curriculum (2025/2026).
Discover how to use Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) to securely upload core curriculum documents directly into Gemini’s knowledge area. We demonstrate how to generate a fully localized, authentic, and integrated unit of study—using a Year 4 Phase 2 Matariki unit as our live example.
What You’ll Learn:
Curriculum Integration: How to weave together multiple subject areas like Science, English, Social Sciences, and Technology without forcing artificial connections.
Building a Custom Gem: Step-by-step instructions on setting up prompts, uploading up to 10 knowledge files (PDFs), and refining instructions.
Here is the GEM I made https://gemini.google.com/gem/1xNZYR6H1_clOhLbFBnc_I1aOAZy7ysj9?usp=sharing
Evidence of Learning: Tweak your Gem’s instructions to automatically generate student-facing “I can” statements and success criteria.
Preloading Vocabulary: How to prompt Gemini to extract a robust target spelling or vocabulary list directly from the curriculum text.
Sharing & Troubleshooting: Best practices for sharing your custom Gems with teaching teams and ensuring they are logged into the right Google accounts to access them.
The Human in the Loop: Remember, the AI works for you! Learn how to critically evaluate, edit, and quality-assure the AI’s output to pitch it perfectly for your students’ specific learning levels.
🚀 Take Your Professional Learning Further!
Ready to deeply master curriculum integration, effective assessment strategies, and safe AI implementation in your school?
👉 Visit us at Summit Institute for expert-led courses, PLD opportunities, and educational resources.
📌 Timestamps
0:00 – Intro: The Need for Strand Integration
1:00 – Live Demo: Prompting Gemini on Matariki
3:10 – Exporting Content to Google Docs safely
4:30 – Designing Instructions for a Custom Gem
7:00 – Creating the Gem & Uploading Curriculum Documents
9:00 – Running the Test & Verifying Sources (RAG)
11:45 – Updating the Gem for “I Can” Success Criteria
14:00 – Preloading Curriculum Vocabulary Lists
16:45 – Sharing your Gem with Colleagues & Troubleshooting Access
If you found value in this walkthrough, please give it a 👍 Thumbs Up, Subscribe for more AI in education content, and share this with your teaching staff!
#NZCurriculum #RefreshedNZC #GoogleGemini #AIEducation #PrimaryTeachingNZ #Matariki #LessonPlanning #EdTechNZ #SummitInstitute
To avoid systemic irrelevance, the first action for school boards and intermediate, secondary, and tertiary principals is to remove blanket bans. Banning a tool that is now ubiquitous only hides student usage while depriving them of prompt literacy and critical thinking. Craig argues that we must position AI as an assistant, not a replacement. Re-framing these environments allows Kiwi teachers and school leaders to navigate assessment workloads, lesson planning, and bicultural alignment efficiently, without compromising academic rigor.
💬 What New Zealand Educators Are Saying:
“AI has significantly improved my workflow by helping me plan lessons quickly, provide targeted feedback using e-asTTle rubrics, and create culturally responsive content. It saves time, allowing me to focus on active student interaction.”
— Primary School Digital Tech Lead, Auckland
Responsible AI Governance & Implementation
Developing a robust school AI policy that is safe, responsible, and culturally responsive is the cornerstone of strategy. Leaders in Aotearoa New Zealand must align school policy to support digital fluency, ensure data privacy, and protect critical assessment integrity under the NCEA. By integrating localized legislation directly into our curriculum and Te Mātaiaho framework maps, schools can build an environment that fosters innovative, self-directed learning.
For deep, step-by-step guidance, explore our complete list of educational strategies and workshops on our official YouTube Channel Masterclass.
