Majority of New Zealanders want Treaty of Waitangi lessons to be made compulsory in schools - 1 NEWS poll

A 1 NEWS Colmar Brunton poll reveals a significant majority of Kiwis believe the Treaty of Waitangi should be a compulsory part of the school curriculum.

The poll asked: "Do you think it should become compulsory for New Zealand school children to learn about the Treaty of Waitangi at school?"

Of those polled, 71 per cent said yes, 26 per cent said no, and the rest didn't know.

Teacher unions - the PPTA and NZEI - say the treaty should be compulsory in schools.

The principal of Naenae College Nic Richards agrees.

"If we are not educating in our schooling system about our own history, where on earth are we going to learn it?" Mr Richards told 1 NEWS.

Currently the principles of the Treaty underpin New Zealand's school curriculum, but how the story of the Treaty and its details make it into the classroom is up to the individual schools.

In a statement Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says it's her expectation that New Zealand history is already taught in "most schools" but says it's something she's now looking into.