Our role

NZQA's role in the education sector is to ensure that New Zealand qualifications are regarded as credible and robust, nationally and internationally, in order to help learners succeed in their chosen endeavours and to contribute to New Zealand society.

NZQA is responsible for

• managing the New Zealand Qualifications Framework
• administering the secondary school assessment system
• independent quality assurance of non-university education providers
• qualifications recognition and standard-setting for some specified unit standards.

NZQA reports to the Minister of Education and the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment. Read our Briefing for the Incoming Ministers (PDF, 123KB), December 2011.

For more information see What we do.

Whakatauki

Te manu ka kai i te miro, nōnā te ngahere.

Te manu ka kai i te mātauranga, nōnā te ao.

The bird that partakes of the berry, his is the forest.

The bird that partakes of knowledge, his is the world.

NZQA's role in helping learners to succeed through education is expressed in this Whakatauki (Māori Proverb).

Strategic Direction

NZQA has three outcomes we are seeking to achieve over the next three years:

1. The pathways to employment and further education are clearer and promote recognition of learner achievement.
2. New Zealanders have increased confidence in the quality of the tertiary education sector (non-university).
3. Key education and immigration partner countries exhibit a greater recognition of New Zealand qualifications, and
these qualifications are more portable across educational jurisdictions.

The 2011/12 - 2013/14 Statement of Intent (PDF, 818KB) details the key initiatives we are undertaking to acheive these outcomes.

Te Rautaki Māori (Our Māori Strategy) contributes to Māori succeeding as Māori in education and is consistent with the aims of Ka Hikitia, the Ministry of Education's Māori Education Strategy 2012-2017. Download the full document (PDF, 829KB).

We continue to support the delivery of the Ministry of Education's Pasifika Education Plan through the delivery of our own Pasifika Strategy (PDF, 930KB).

These strategies are designed to advance education and training for Māori and Pasifika peoples.

Client Charter

Our values provide the bedrock on which our client charter is built. NZQA is committed to providing its clients with the highest possible levels of service and the client charter outlines our undertakings and service standards.

Annual Report

Our Annual Report provides an account of our performance over the past financial year. 

See our latest Annual Report (PDF, 1.6MB) for the 2009/10 financial year.

Legislation

NZQA operates under the following legislation:

The Education Act (1989). The relevant provisions of this Act are:

• Section 4E - Courses for foreign students
• PART 18 - Private Training Establishments
• PART 18A - International Students
• PART 20 - New Zealand Qualifications Authority
• PART 24 -Miscellaneous Provisions
• PART 30 - National student numbers

The Industry Training Act (1992). The relevant provisions of this Act are:

• s6 - Minister to be satisfied of organisation's abilities
• s10 - Industry training organisation's proposed plan must identify activities for which it is seeks funding
• s13 - Additional functions
• s18 - Training programmes

NZQA is a Crown Entity as defined by the Crown Entities Act 2004, and was created under Part 20 of the Education Act 1989.