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's list of legislation.

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

The relevant provisions of the legislation are as follows:

Relevants Parts of the Education Act (1989):		Relevant Sections of the Industry Training Act 1992:
a35B - Courses for foreign students		s6. - Minister to be satisfied of organisation's abilities
PART 18 - Private Training Establishments		s10. - Industry training organisation's proposed plan must identify activities for which it seeks funding
PART 18A - International Students		s13. - Additional functions
PART 20 - New Zealand Qualifications Authority		s18 - Training programmes
PART 24 - Miscellaneous Provisions
PART 30 - National student numbers

Functions

NZQA's functions include:

1	developing, registering and supporting New Zealand qualifications and the New Zealand National Qualifications Framework.	this includes: managing the New Zealand register of Quality Assured Qualifications approving courses and accrediting education providers to deliver them developing national qualifications processing results
2	managing the external assessment of senior secondary school students and maintaining records of Achievement.	this includes: administering the National Certificates of educational Achievement and other school, trade and vocational assessments issuing National Certificates, National diplomas and records of Achievement maintaining a qualifications database.
3	ensuring the quality assurance of training providers and their programmes, courses, moderation of assessment activities and processes.	this includes: providing an overarching quality assurance role in the tertiary education sector registering private training establishments quality assuring national qualifications quality assuring qualifications offered by private training establishments and wānanga, and monitoring our delegation of the quality assurance of institutes of technology and polytechnics quality assuring assessment procedures and processes at secondary schools.
4	working with other governments to recognise and assess overseas educational and vocational qualifications in New Zealand and to achieve recognition of this country's qualifications overseas.	this includes: he monitoring of overseas qualifications for immigration and employment purposes.

Māori education

We are playing our part to support increased Māori participation and successful achievement in education. Te Rautaki Māori, our Māori Strategy, is our guide. Our role in this area includes working with Māori stakeholders, ensuring our processes incorporate recognition of Māori world views and methodologies and developing and maintaining national standards and qualifications based on Māori knowledge and skills.

Pasifika education

In 2009 we introduced our first Pasifika Strategy. The Strategy provides a direction and plan for NZQA's role in supporting Pasifika education.

Cross-agency programmes

Where appropriate, NZQA contributes to specific cross-agency programmes. In the immediate term, these include involvement in the:

Education Sector Leadership Group, to provide strategic direction within a shared outcome framework and monitor performance and risk across the sector
Sector Information and Communication Technologies Standing Committee, to oversee the development of ICT across the education sector
Tertiary reforms Steering Group, to oversee the direction and progress of the tertiary reforms.

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

Page updated: 18 August 2009