The urgent necessity for the skill of critical analysis can be found in the rise of misinformation. Yet until recently the policy mandate to implement critical literacy did not exist. Fortunately, Te Mātaiaho (the refreshed curriculum) in conjunction with the Literacy & Communication and Maths Strategy, presents a timely opportunity to explicitly integrate critical literacy across the curriculum. In this keynote, I reflect on 19 years of Aotearoa New Zealand-based research into critical literacy and critical multiliteracies. I provide definitions illustrated with video exemplars of critical literacy in practice to provide the foundation for the follow-up workshop.