Provider categories after external evaluation and review

How we determine provider categories, and the incentives and sanctions associated with each category

After an external evaluation and review (EER), we place non-university tertiary education organisations (TEOs) into one of four categories based on their EER statements of confidence.

The categories are 1 (highest) to 4 (lowest).

Each category has appropriate incentives or sanctions associated with it, showing trust in high performers and restricting the activities of poor performers to protect learners.

Categories apply to

  • Te Pūkenga and its subsidiaries
  • wānanga
  • private training establishments
  • government training establishments.

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About external evaluation and review

Te Hono o Te Kahurangi

Te Hono o Te Kahurangi is an approach to EER that allows tertiary providers to engage with NZQA using Māori approaches and values.

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Why we use provider categories

To encourage high quality and high performance

Improving educational quality and performance is a central outcome of the evaluative approach to quality assurance.

We encourage TEOs to make improvements by giving them quality assurance incentives based on the statements of confidence achieved in the last EER.

Better performers need less oversight

This approach builds an environment of trust and accountability that gives confidence to learners and the public.

If we're very confident about a TEO's educational quality, our quality assurance processes will be more flexible.

Poor performers need more oversight

If a TEO has not demonstrated enough educational quality, or if we have concerns about the TEO’s capability to monitor its own performance, we increase the level of oversight.

NZQA then limits the TEO’s activities until they improve.

If a TEO’s category does not improve enough after a new EER, we can take regulatory action to further restrict the TEO’s activities.

More information

Our quality assurance system

Statutory actions

How we determine provider categories

We have 2 EER processes, each with different approaches and terminology. These are the standard process and Te Hono o Te Kahurangi process.

Although they have different approaches, they both measure the same aspects of a TEO and produce a comparable result.

EER produces 2 NZQA statements of confidence for a TEO.

Te Hono o Te Kahurangi

Ngā Hua o te Whare Ako

Te Whakairinga Kōrero

Standard approach

Educational performance

Capability in self-assessment

The statements of confidence from the most recent EER determine the TEO’s category.

Combining the statements of confidence

The table shows how we combine statements of confidence and determine a TEO's provider category.

 

Ngā Hua o te Whare Ako 

Educational performance

Kahurangi

Highly Confident
Whakairo

Confident
Hukihuki

Not Yet Confident
Pounamu

Not confident
Te Whakairinga Kōrero

Self-assessment
Kahurangi

Highly Confident
1 2 3 4
Whakairo

Confident
1 2 3 4
Hukihuki

Not Yet Confident
3 3 3 4
Pounamu

Not confident
4 4 4 4
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For example, a wānanga receives 2 for Ngā Hua o te Whare Ako, and 1 for Te Whakairinga Kōrero. Its provider category after EER is 2.

More information

Section 11.1 of the Quality Assurance (including External Evaluation and Review (EER)) Rules 2022

Te Hono o Te Kahurangi

Incentives and sanctions

Incentives for category 1 providers

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Incentives for category 2 providers

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Sanctions for category 3 providers

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Sanctions for category 4 providers

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When a TEO's category changes

The TEO takes on the new category's incentives or sanctions.

If the outcome is category 3 or 4, we require the TEO to undertake an improvement plan to raise its performance, its capability in self-assessment or both.

We may impose other activities, according to the Quality Assurance Rules.

Quality Assurance (including External Evaluation and Review (EER)) Rules 2022

More information

If you have any questions or need further information, please contact your NZQA liaison. You'll find them listed as the sector relationship contact in the providers portal.

For more information about the process of determining categories, email the evaluation team.

Log in to the providers portal (external link)

Email the evaluation team

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