Navigating this site

There are a number of ways to access content on this site. Don't forget that one of the best and most interesting ways to find your way around a website is to just click and explore.

On the homepage

Down the right-hand side of the homepage, you'll find a list of 'portals', or entry points for different user groups: Ratonga Māori, For learners, For providers, International and Business & industry. These portals give quick access to relevant information for each of those groups. Once you've left the homepage, you can still enter a portal - they are listed on the left-hand side of each page.

Down the left-hand side and along the top of the homepage, you'll find NZQA's major services grouped together - these appear as blue tabs. They appear on every page of the site, so you can get to these areas at any time.

Along the very top and very bottom of the homepage, you'll find links to the core areas of the site: About NZQA, Contacts, Links, Help, Feedback, Site map, Access keys, Search and Disclaimer. These links appear on every page in the same place so you'll always be able to get to them.

Site map

The site map contains links to all main content areas. Links go down four levels and are grouped by type of content. (Pages below the fourth level are not displayed because there are so many of them.)

Search

There are two ways to do a search of the site. To do a quick search, enter a word into the box at the top right-hand side of the page and hit the search button.

You can also use the search page, which you can get to via the search link at the bottom of every page. The search page enables you to do quick searches or search specific areas of the site, such as NCEA, Framework, Māori Framework, Registered providers, Courses & qualifications or circulars.

Sidebar navigation

The left-hand sidebar displays links according to services or portal groups. Following these links will take you to many different areas of the site. Use the back button on your web browser to retrace your steps.

Also on the left-hand sidebar, you'll find a menu called Related links. These will take you to related areas of the site, and useful external sites.

Breadcrumb trail

A 'breadcrumb' looks something like this:

Home > New Zealand qualifications > Search courses & qualifications

The links on the breadcrumb indicate areas of the site that lead to the page you are on, and help you get back to those areas quickly and easily. The page you are currently on does not appear as a link (because you're already there).

Access keys

Access keys are keyboard shortcuts designed to help users who have difficulty in using pointing devices, such a computer mouse. There is a link at the bottom of each page to the Access keys page, where you'll find more information.

Publications

The Publications section lists every publication on the site. You can choose whether you want publications displayed according to when they were published, or alphabetically.

The left-hand sidebar in Publications displays links to particular types of publications, such as circulars or newsletters.

News

The News section lists recent and past news, media releases and web updates, all displayed according to the date they were published.