Gordon, LisaLourie, Megan2026-05-212026-05-212026-04-28New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies, ISSN: 0028-8276 (Print); 2199-4714 (Online), Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 1-15. doi: 10.1007/s40841-026-00448-z0028-82762199-4714http://hdl.handle.net/10292/21170New Zealand teachers have faced a period of significant curriculum reform over the past four years. With the government’s recent announcement of plans to reform the national qualification, and the proposal to introduce new subjects into the curriculum, we know more change is coming. This may result in role overload for teachers. Role overload occurs when the demands of a role surpass the time and resources available to an individual. Over recent decades, as teachers’ roles have evolved and expanded, evidence suggests there has been an increase in stress and burnout rates. This article reports on a small-scale study which explored the experiences of a group of early-adopter teachers attempting to enact Te Mātaiaho: The Refreshed New Zealand Curriculum (Ministry of Education in Te Mātaiaho: the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum: draft for testing, New Zealand Government, 2022), which was the first of several curriculum rewrites. The findings of the study shed light on the significant demands that complex curriculum reform places on teachers highlighting the emotional and professional toll this can take. The research identified two urgent needs: a greater awareness of what is required of teachers when curriculum change occurs, and a re-evaluation of the way New Zealand policymakers approach educational reform. These findings are very relevant as New Zealand teachers continue to grapple with constant change and the effects of this on their wellbeing.Open Access. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/3901 Curriculum and Pedagogy3902 Education Policy, Sociology and Philosophy3903 Education Systems39 Education13 EducationEducationCurriculum reformCurriculum refreshTe MātaiahoTeachers’ experiencesJournal ArticleOpenAccess10.1007/s40841-026-00448-z