Data Sources & Methodology
All data used across Mazmatics Stats is publicly sourced from NZ government bodies and international research organisations. Every source is linked below so you can verify the numbers independently and understand how they were collected.
Find sources for a specific explorer
Find explorers that use a specific dataset
Showing sources for: NZ Primary Maths Explorer
NZQA Subject Attainment Statistics
- Publisher
- New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA)
- Years
- 2015–2024
- Source URL
- nzqa.govt.nz/statistics ↗
What we use
Subject attainment rates (Not Achieved / Achieved / Merit / Excellence) for NCEA Levels 1, 2, and 3, broken down by ethnicity, gender, school equity group (Q1–Q5), and region. Coverage: English-medium secondary schools, reported at national level and by 16 NZ regions.
Key caveats
- achieved_rate is the Achieved-grade-only band — NOT the overall pass rate. Pass rate = 1 − not_achieved_rate.
- Equity group data (Q1–Q5) is available from 2019 onwards only.
- Each breakdown is single-dimensional — ethnicity, gender, and region data cannot be cross-tabulated.
- Scholarship "Maori" appears without macron in source data.
NZQA Scholarship Statistics
- Publisher
- New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA)
- Years
- 2015–2024
- Source URL
- nzqa.govt.nz/statistics ↗
What we use
Outstanding / Scholarship / No Award rates for NZ Scholarship Calculus and Statistics, broken down by ethnicity, equity group, gender, and region.
Key caveats
- Small cohort sizes in some ethnicity/region breakdowns — treat with caution.
- Scholarship is awarded to the top ~3% of candidates nationally.
NZQA Endorsement Statistics
- Publisher
- New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA)
- Years
- 2015–2024
- Source URL
- nzqa.govt.nz/statistics ↗
What we use
Excellence and Merit endorsement rates for NCEA L1, L2, L3 and University Entrance qualifications, broken down by ethnicity, equity, gender, and region.
Key caveats
- Endorsement is a qualification-level award (not subject-level) — reflects the full year's achievement across all subjects.
- Equity group format changed in 2019: decile bands replaced with equity index groups (Fewer/Moderate/More resources).
NZQA Literacy & Numeracy Co-requisite Statistics
- Publisher
- New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA)
- Years
- 2009–2024
- Source URL
- nzqa.govt.nz/statistics ↗
What we use
Current-year and cumulative pass rates for NCEA literacy and numeracy co-requisite standards at Year 11, 12, and 13. Broken down by ethnicity, equity group, gender, and region.
Key caveats
- New co-requisite standards (CAAs) replaced old Unit Standards from 2020 — causes a sharp drop in current-year pass rates visible from 2020.
- Equity group format changed in 2019: decile bands replaced by equity index groups.
- Current-year rate = first-time passers. Cumulative rate = ever passed by that year level (includes re-sits).
TIMSS International Maths Study
- Publisher
- IEA (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement)
- Years
- 1995, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
- Source URL
- timss2023.org ↗
What we use
NZ Grade 4 (Year 5, age ~9) maths scale scores 1995–2023, by gender. 2023 international country comparison (~58 countries). Coverage: nationally representative sample of Year 5 students in English-medium schools, tested in February each year.
Key caveats
- International average is recalculated each cycle based on participating countries — not directly comparable across years.
- TIMSS scale is NOT the same as NMSSA MS scale. These are completely separate measurement systems.
- AUS/ENG comparison lines are approximate from published reports; exact values may vary slightly by rounding.
NMSSA Maths Achievement Reports
- Publisher
- University of Otago / NZCER on behalf of Ministry of Education
- Years
- 2013, 2018, 2022
- Source URLs
- Report 30 (2022) ↗Report 19 (2018) ↗
What we use
Mean Scale Score (MS units) for Year 4 and Year 8 students, by ethnicity, gender, and school decile band. Coverage: ~2,000 students per year level, English-medium state and integrated schools. Stratified sample by decile, region, and school size.
Key caveats
- MS scale is designed so the combined 2013 average ≈ 100 with SD ≈ 20. Year 4 and Year 8 are NOT on the same sub-scale — a score of 84 at Y4 is not comparable to 84 at Y8.
- 2013 values in our data are reconstructed on the 2018 MS scale via a linking exercise (NMSSA Report 19, Appendix 6). They differ from the original 2013 report figures.
- 95% confidence intervals for 2013 are approximated from 2018 standard errors (similar sample sizes). Treat 2013 CIs as indicative.
- NMSSA assessed at Year 4 and Year 8. The successor programme (Curriculum Insights) assesses at Year 3, Year 6, and Year 8.
Curriculum Insights Dashboard
- Publisher
- University of Otago / NZCER on behalf of Ministry of Education
- Years
- 2023, 2024
- Source URL
- curriculuminsights.otago.ac.nz ↗
What we use
Percentage of students meeting / approaching / behind provisional NZ Curriculum benchmarks, at Year 3, Year 6, and Year 8. Nationally representative sample, successor to NMSSA (launched 2023).
Key caveats
- Uses % meeting benchmarks — NOT the MS scale score used by NMSSA. These two datasets cannot be compared on the same chart.
- Year levels changed: NMSSA measured Year 4 + Year 8; Curriculum Insights measures Year 3 + Year 6 + Year 8.
- No statistically significant change was observed between 2023 and 2024 at any year level.
- Demographic breakdowns (ethnicity, gender) are available in interactive data windows only — not included in our database.