Pink Shirt Day is about working together to stop bullying by celebrating diversity and promoting kindness and inclusiveness.
Create a community where all people feel safe, valued and respected, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, religion or cultural background.
This page provides information, resources, and ideas on how you can work with your school community to build a more inclusive school culture, and raise awareness about bullying and bullying prevention.
Curriculum connections
Pink Shirt Day provides an opportunity for schools to reflect on the inclusion principle and explore the values of diversity, respect, integrity, community, and participation. Students who participate in activities on Pink Shirt Day can make use of key competencies, especially relating to others, and participating and contributing. They can also achieve learning outcomes in a range of learning areas, especially health and physical education.
How can you get involved?
Some ideas for classroom or school-wide activities:
Pink Shirt Day in schools and kura
Bring Pink Shirt Day to life, and keep the kaupapa going year-wide - Pink Shirt Day - Schools and kura.
Bully-Free NZ resources
Run some of the classroom activities from the Bullying-Free NZ website or use the Primary and Secondary School Action packs available from Bullying-Free NZ Week to get students talking about bullying and what they can do to prevent it.
Read Oat the Goat
Go on a journey with Oat the Goat, an award-winning digital pick-a-path storybook for 4 to 7-year-olds that teaches the power of kindness.
Review your whole school approach to bullying prevention
Review and plan your whole-school approach to bullying prevention using the roadmap, a tool that guides schools through steps to tackle bullying and incorporate the nine elements of the Bullying-Free NZ School Framework.
Instructional series
The Instructional Series on Tāhūrangi has a range of texts about bullying that you can incorporate into your reading and writing programme. Here are our top picks:
Frog School, Junior Journal 41, Level 2, 2010
At Frog School, Freddie Frog is feeling hopeless compared to his classmates, who freely boast about their abilities. But when Snake comes along, Freddie has a chance to show his special talent. This humorous play explores bullying in a subtle and non-threatening way.
Just Kidding, School Journal Story Library, 2012
This story gently and implicitly explores the theme of bullying and provides opportunities for students to consider strategies for dealing with similar situations.
How to be Normal, School Journal Level 4, November 2018
This story invites readers to empathise with a complex character called Charley who is working hard at being "normal". It has themes related to social anxiety, isolation, and loneliness.
Badge of Honour, School Journal Level 4, May 2015
Isaac is thrilled to be made school captain; his friend Tomasi isn’t so sure.
Words, School Journal Level 3, May 2019
This poem has themes of bullying, power, relationships, and resilience.
Bully-Free NZ Week 2022 action packs
Primary and Secondary School Action packs provide:
- bullying prevention-themed ideas and classroom activities
- posters to help students understand what bullying is, and what they can do about it.
Bullying-Free NZ framework
Find out more about the nine elements of an effective whole-school approach to preventing and responding to bullying.
Bullying prevention and response: A guide for schools (PDF)
This Ministry of Education publication provides practical information for schools to support effective prevention and management of bullying behaviour.
Tackling bullying - a guide for parents and whānau
Information for parents and whānau on supporting their child, and working with schools on reporting and resolving bullying behaviour.
Tackling bullying - a guide for Boards of Trustees
Read more about how Boards can build on existing good practice and help identify actions for your school.
Student voice: a guide
This guide sets out the importance of student voice in finding solutions to bullying and aims to promote good practice in student participation.
Supporting positive peer relationships
This Inclusive Education guide is designed to support students to build relationships and work successfully with others. Adapt the strategies that are most useful or relevant for your learners.
Wellbeing@School
The Wellbeing@School website is designed to support schools to engage with the whole school community in a process of self-review. The W@S self-review tools explore how different layers of school life contribute to creating a safe and caring climate that deters bullying.
Kia Kaha
Kia Kaha is a comprehensive anti-bullying programme in which children and young people learn and apply a range of safe practices that they can use when interacting with others.
Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L)
The Positive Behaviour for Learning School-Wide framework, otherwise known as PB4L School-Wide, is helping New Zealand schools build a culture where positive behaviour and learning is a way of life. The framework can be tailored to your school’s own environment and cultural needs.
You might like …
Education Matters to Me: Emotional Wellbeing
In this report, children and young people talk about the range of significant relationships that exist in their worlds and how these relationships either enable them to achieve or prevent them from achieving. Although not specifically asked about, bullying was commonly raised as something children and young people would change about school.
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