The Role of NZQA

Legislation

The legislation relevant to the New Zealand Qualifications Authority is contained within the Education Act (1989) and the Industry Training Act (1992), and subsequent amendments.

Full versions of the Education Act and the Industry Training Act, and subsequent amendments, can be found at can be found at the Parliamentary Counsel Office. The Education Act was last amended by the Education (Tertiary Reform) Amendment Act 2002. The Industry Training Act was last amended by the Industry Training Amendment Act (2003).

Official copies of legislation can be purchased from Bennetts Government Bookshops. Copies are also available in many public libraries.

The relevant sections of the legislation are as follows:

Relevants Parts of the Education Act (1989):		Relevant Sections of the Industry Training Act 1992:
PART 3 - Enrolment and Attendance of Students		s6. - Board to be satisfied of organisation's abilities
PART 13 - General Provisions relating to Tertiary Education		s10. - Board may agree with industry training organisation to fund setting of standards and administration of training
PART 14 - Establishment and Disestablishment of Tertiary Institutions		s13. - Additional functions of agency
PART 15 - Administration of Tertiary Institutions
PART 18 - Private Training Establishments
PART 18A - International Students
PART 20 - New Zealand Qualifications Authority
PART 24 - Miscellaneous Provisions
SCHEDULE 15

The Functions

Broadly speaking, NZQA's functions can be categorised into one of two areas:

Qualifications		Quality Assurance
This category includes functions to do with developing, registering, and supporting the National Qualifications Framework and New Zealand Qualifications, as well as the (external) assessment of learners, and the maintenance of their records of achievement. These include the evaluative functions relating to overseas qualifications.		This category includes the functions dealing with the quality assurance of training providers and their courses, moderation of assessment activities and processes.

Thus		Thus
develop national qualifications administer the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) register private training establishments manage the Register of Quality Assured Qualifications administer the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) and other school, trade and vocational assessment process NQF results issue National Certificates, National Diplomas and Records of Learning evaluate overseas qualifications for immigration and employment purposes		provide an overarching quality assurance role in the tertiary sector quality assure national qualifications quality assure qualifications offered by private training providers, and wānanga quality assure assessment procedures and processes at secondary schools

In addition, of course the organisation also has a number of administrative functions which can be categorised as 'coporate' (finance, HR, communications) and 'strategic' (planning, policy development, servicing Ministerial requests, etc)

Page updated: 28 August 2007