A key function of health education in New Zealand schools has always been to educate individuals to be responsible and accountable for their own health status. Educational, economic and political stances on what best constitutes effective health education, however, shift over time. The outcome of these shifts is that a multiplicity of disciplines and theoretical frameworks has informed pedagogical practices in this subject area, and continues to do so. Psychology, sociology, philosophy and biological sciences are all visible in school health education syllabuses. Currently a range of concepts and theories underpin the subject, ranging from critical theory and post-structuralism to cognitive behavioural theory and behaviour change models. Although various disciplines, concepts and theories have fashioned the delivery and content of past and present school health education, none have proved particularly effective in moving it away from pervasive and enduring discourses of individualism. Examined in this article are socio-political influences on curriculum directions and discourses over the last century, including the part played by external bodies in determining health education subject matter and health behaviour emphases.