CTMES Blog Post

Kia ora koutou,

I trust you and your teams are doing well as we steam towards the end of the semester and year!! It continues to be a busy time in education and we wanted to highlight a few key changes that your teams should be aware of. I realise there is a lot of detail and information in this post – please note this is NOT intended to be a fully comprehensive list of all key changes (please do your own reading!) but hopefully is a useful prompt.

Firstly, NZQA have recently updated five Rule sets in 2025. These are:

•                      Micro-credential Approval and Accreditation Rules

•                      Private Training Establishment Registration Rules

•                      Programme Approval, Recognition & Accreditation Rules

•                      Qualification and Micro-credential Listing & Operational rules

•                      Student Fee Protection Rules

These updates cover several key areas:

Financial reporting and registration

• PTEs are no longer required to submit a separate Annual Financial Return to NZQA; instead, they provide the standard annual financial statements required by other legislation.

• The requirement to follow Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) is replaced by an obligation to maintain adequate internal financial controls to produce compliant financial statements.

• Category 1 PTEs continue to provide an annual return every two years.

• The Annual Registration Fee Return form must still be submitted to NZQA by June 30 annually.

• PTEs must inform NZQA of changes to ownership, governing members, and conflicts of interest. 

Programme and micro-credential approvals

• Programme approval rules now link criteria more clearly with qualification listing details.

• Programme regulations must explicitly include completion requirements.

• PTEs must report the award of qualifications or micro-credentials to learners to either NZQA or TEC within three months of the award date.

• New rules specify that micro-credentials cannot exceed 40 credits if they are similar to or have outcomes better suited to an NZQCF qualification.

• A 6-month transition period allows qualifications, micro-credentials, or programmes already in development to be approved under the old rules until the end of 2025. 

English language proficiency

• Rules clarify that PTEs can require higher levels of English language proficiency evidence than the minimum standard. 

Student fee protection

• PTEs must provide their Student Services Fees report to the TEC within 14 days of giving it to students. 

Te Hono o Te Kahurangi quality assurance

• A self-reflective summary is now a specific requirement for programme applications from PTEs using the Te Hono o Te Kahurangi framework. 

Integrated Quality Assurance Framework (iQAF)

Secondly, NZQA are continuing final consultation around the Integrated Quality Assurance Framework (iQAF). The iQAF aims to be more risk-informed, reduce the compliance burden for high-performing providers, and better integrate with other education sector reforms. It was developed in response to stakeholder feedback about the increasing compliance burden under the old system and significant changes in the tertiary education environment since 2009. Its core purpose is to provide confidence that learners are achieving relevant, robust, and credible qualifications that meet the needs of employers, communities, and iwi/hapū/whānau. 

Key changes and framework components

• Phasing out EER and Assuring Consistency: The old External Evaluation and Review (EER) and Assuring Consistency functions will be discontinued from January 1, 2026.

• No EER category ratings: EER ratings (Categories 1–4) will not be replaced with a new rating system. Instead, NZQA will publish information about any statutory actions taken against a provider for non-compliance.

• Mandatory annual self-review: All Tertiary Education Organisations (TEOs) will be required to submit an annual self-review summary report and participate in an annual discussion with NZQA.

• Risk-based monitoring: Monitoring activities will be informed by risk assessments, increasing frequency or intensity where a higher risk is identified.

• Thematic reviews: NZQA will conduct periodic thematic reviews across the system to identify trends and inform best practices. 

These are some significant updates and changes to be aware of. CTMES is considering offering workshops around a range of these topics, eg: the iQAF, the annual self-review report and process, implications for PTE QMS frameworks ….

Very soon we will be sending out a survey to update CMTES members’ details.

If you have any questions please get in touch with Sue Davidson or Rob Ayres.

Ngā mihi

Rob