This narrative is an account of one English HOD?s experience of reforms in secondary education in New Zealand over the last fifteen years. In particular, the narrative focuses on changes in assessment and qualifications. Special attention is given to the recent implementation of the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA), which has now become the major qualification in the senior secondary school. This narrative argues that the implementation of the NCEA is changing the culture of English teaching, and cites a number of concerns: inflexible pedagogies, a lack of debate over issues central to what it means to be an English teacher, a climate of compliance and technicist approaches to lesson planning.