Key dates and information
Please refer to the online version of the Key Dates to ensure you have access to the most up to date information.
Key dates for secondary assessment
1 May
Final date to submit applications to establish a new Exam Centre.
4 May
Exam Centre Manager nominations open online.
Acceptance of Exam Centre Memorandum of Understanding between NZQA and school opens.
15 May
Submission instructions published on NZQA website for Kete Manarua, NCEA, and NZ Scholarship portfolios.
18-29 May
Literacy and Numeracy/Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau (Assessment Event #1).
19 May
Exam Centre Manager nominations close.
On this page
Term 2 webinars
Digital assessment platform basics (for Assessment Master Admin)
- Common Assessment Activities/Tūmahi Aromatawai Pātahi
- Demonstrate key functions and any updated features
Tuesday 5 May - 3:30 pm - 4:15 pm (external link)
Thursday 7 May - 3:30 pm - 4:15 pm (external link)
Submitting external moderation (for PN/HODs)
- Monitoring moderation
- Submitting external moderation
- Following up on moderation feedback
Tuesday 9 June - 3:30 pm - 4:15 pm (external link)
Thursday 11 June - 3:30 pm - 4:15 pm (external link)
Special Assessment Conditions (SAC) (for SENCO and PN)
- SAC and exams
- Making entries, attaching conditions, preparations for school and external exams
Tuesday 23 June - 11 am - 11:45 am (external link)
Thursday 25 June - 3:30 pm - 4:15 pm (external link)
All presentations and supporting materials are available in:
You will need to be logged into a Google account to access the Drive. The first session in each series is recorded and is available in the Drive.
There is no need to sign up, just log in to the session that suits you. If there is more than one session for the content, the seminar is repeated. There is no need to attend more than one. You are welcome to share invitations with others on your staff.
PN priorities at the start of each term will cover the key dates and processes for each term.
Kura PN priorities will be delivered in Te Reo Māori.
Early release of submission instructions and opening of submission tools
Submission instructions for Kete Manarua, NCEA, and NZ Scholarship will be released on 15 May, to support learners and schools to submit learner work using digital submission tools when it is ready.
The instructions cover the following subjects:
- NCEA and Scholarship Dance
- NCEA and Scholarship Design and Visual Communication
- Scholarship Drama
- Scholarship Languages (Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Samoan, Spanish, Te Reo Māori, Te Reo Rangatira)
- Scholarship Music
- NCEA and Scholarship Visual Arts
- NCEA and Scholarship Te Reo Māori
- NCEA and Scholarship Te Ao Haka
- NCEA Wāhanga Ako (Tikanga ā-Iwi, Pāngarau, Hangarau, Pūtaiao, Hauora, Ngā Mahi a Te Rēhia, Toi Ataata, Toi Puoro)
The submission instructions will be available on the relevant subject pages.
Applying to become an exam centre
If your school/kura wishes to become an exam centre, you will need to complete an application form by 1 May 2026.
The application form is typically completed by the Principal's Nominee (PN). It applies to NZQA for their school/kura to become an exam centre so that students can take the NCEA and New Zealand Scholarship exams at their own school/kura, managed by an Exam Centre Manager.
There are certain criteria that the school/kura need to meet to become an exam centre. The criteria and application form can be found in:
If you have been approved to become an exam centre, you do not need to apply again.
If you have questions, please email the Assessment Delivery team on examcentremanagement@nzqa.govt.nz.
Exam Centre Manager (ECM) nominations for 2026
The Exam Centre Manager (ECM) nomination link opens on 4 May 2026 and closes on 19 May 2026. Schools recruit and nominate a candidate who will then be contracted and trained by NZQA.
Resources, including recruitment guidance and a link to the job description, are available in:
ECM recruitment guide (external link)
What has changed?
From 2026 we are implementing a new salary model for ECMs, which will provide transparency and predictability for existing and prospective ECMs. The salary model is calculated based on exam sessions, student session instances, and Special Assessment Condition instances (three-year weighted average). Mileage is by exception only, and expenses must be pre-approved and claimed.
Salary model for ECMs (external link)
The role scope remains unchanged. Please email any specific questions to examcentremanagement@nzqa.govt.nz.
Memorandum of Agreement between NZQA and schools
This Memorandum sets out how your school and NZQA work together to ensure timely and accurate management of candidate data, collection and submission of international fee-paying candidate fees, and the smooth conduct of examinations for the benefit of the candidates.
Please ensure to read and digitally sign this Memorandum for 2026 by 12 June 2026. It can be found through your Provider Login under High Security > School’s Administration > Memorandum of Agreement.
End of Year exam entries
When entering learners for an end of year exam session, all standards within that session must use the same assessment method.
- Learners must be entered with either all digital or all paper standards in a session.
- Mixed assessment methods are not permitted — a learner cannot sit some standards digitally and others on paper within the same exam session.
This ensures consistency of assessment conditions for each learner.
No External Entries for 2026?
Schools that do not intend to make any external entries for end of year examinations in 2026 are asked to notify us by emailing examcentremanagement@nzqa.govt.nz by Friday, 15 May 2026.
Updates to 2026 assessment specifications
Some of the assessment specifications for 2026 assessments have been updated.
You can find these changes outlined in:
Visual Arts portfolio cardboard
We have been informed that the specialised cardboard commonly utilised for Visual Arts portfolios (820 x 610 mm) manufactured in New Zealand will cease production in June.
Gordon Harris Art Supplies, National Art Supplies, and Office Max currently have stock of this product. Schools are advised to work with these suppliers to meet their Visual Arts external assessment portfolio requirements.
We understand that suppliers are investigating an alternative equivalent which may involve a size change to standard A1 (814 x 594 mm).
NZQA will accept both 820 x 610 mm and A1 sizes for Visual Arts external assessment.
Scholarship Economics
Economics Scholarship will only have a printed paper option available in 2026.
Sample assessment materials for DVC 91627
A sample assessment schedule and supporting sample exemplars were published on 21 April for Design & Visual Communication achievement standard 91627, ‘Initiate design ideas through exploration’.
Literacy and Numeracy guide available
The Literacy and Numeracy administrative and submission instructions are now available on the Co-requisite hub via your Provider Login, or from:
Literacy and Numeracy assessment information
Date nomination
A reminder that there is no need to nominate a date for when your school is going to do the LitNum assessments, as detailed in:
Te Reo Matatini me Te Pāngarau – He Kupu Āwhina
Guide to preparing for TAPā external assessments, including Te Reo Matatini me Te Pāngarau
Information on how to submit Kete Manarua for Te Reo Matatini (AS32415) me Te Pāngarau
For general information about both TAPā and Kete Manarua modes of assessment, visit:
Late entries for Co-requisite Assessments Assessment Event 1
The due date for entries for Assessment Event 1 was 1 April 2026. However, late entries can be made up to one day before the assessment event. If entries are not processed in time, use the printed PDF for the learner(s) with late entries.
Ensure that your school has made entries in time for staff to access Assessment Master and for students to create a MyNZQA learner account.
Using the ‘Blank screen’ button in upcoming co-requisite assessments
The Digital Assessment Platform has a ‘Blank Screen’ function accessed through the button at the bottom of the digital assessment. The ‘Blank screen’ button can be used by students to temporarily hide assessment content if they need to leave their desk, such as to take a bathroom break.
Students using the ‘Blank screen’ button during the upcoming Co-requisite assessment may find that the ‘Return to Exam’ button does not take them back to the assessment. If this occurs, students will need to wait for approximately one minute and then refresh the browser. This ensures they will be taken back to the section they were previously working on.
Checking learner logins
Please check that students attempting the Co-requisite Assessments (CAAs) for the first time have a registered NZQA account, and that all students are able to log in successfully before assessment day.
How to create a new learner account
You can use the Learner Login report in the Key Indicators to identify those students who don’t have a registered account.
Students should use the NZQA website to create or activate an account, or to reset a forgotten password using the Forgot Password link. For support with logins, particularly for urgent requests required within 24 hours, students should use the chatbot Āwhina or call the NZQA Contact Centre on 0800 297 496.
Alternatively, you can send a list of students who require help with resetting their accounts to your School Relationship Manager, using this spreadsheet. When returning the spreadsheet, please rename it with your school provider code and number. You must have the permission of each student that you include in the list. Your School Relationship Manager will let you know when the accounts have been reset.
Download the spreadsheet to request reset of learner accounts [XLSX, 22 KB]
Te Marautanga o Aotearoa University Entrance subjects
Only students studying in a kaupapa Māori context can use the unique Te Marautanga o Aotearoa subjects on the list of approved subjects for University Entrance (UE). All Wharekura students are automatically eligible for the unique subjects.
Mainstream schools with students studying in a kaupapa Māori context (such as through an immersion unit) must check they meet the criteria and notify NZQA of the students undertaking the Te Marautanga o Aotearoa subjects using the attestation form found on:
Audio-Recording Te Hiranga Te Reo Māori trial expression of interest
We are excited to invite schools and kura to join a trial of NZQA’s audio-recording tool within the Assessment Master examination platform. This embedded audio tool allows ākonga to record their kōrero response for Te Reo Māori and Te Reo Rangatira Scholarship examinations directly within the platform.
The trial is to determine if we use this tool for the end-of year Te Reo Māori and Te Reo Rangatira Scholarship examinations.
Expression of interest in audio recording for Te Hiranga Te Reo Māori [PDF, 96 KB]
Internal results for ākonga transferring to Te Kura
This is included at the request of Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu.
If an ākonga transfers from your school to Te Kura full-time during the current year, Te Kura becomes the NZQA reporting school for that learner.
Although NZQA has introduced a new Application Programming Interface (API), internal assessment results for ākonga transferring to Te Kura will not automatically synchronise with NZQA when they become the reporting school. This is due to Te Kura’s bespoke in‑house systems.
As a result, the Te Kura Candidate Entries Team will continue the existing process of emailing your Principal’s Nominee to confirm all current‑year results have been accurately captured.
Report on results of 2026 annual school and kura pulse check survey
The second annual School and Kura Pulse Check survey was open for Principal’s Nominees (PNs) to complete between 9 February and 13 March 2025.
We received 261 responses to the survey. Thank you to all those PNs/schools who completed the survey for us.
Download a report on the results of the School and Kura Pule Check survey [PDF, 161 KB]
Checklist
The following checklist provides a quick reference of the actions associated with information in this email link.
Action items for Principal’s Nominee by calendar month
Co-requisite Assessment Event #1
Check assessment opportunity and entries.
Confirm plans including assessment rooms, tech and infrastructure support, key staff, supervisors.
Check learners have created an account for MyNZQA:
How to create a new learner account
Ensure students have logged on and are ready for the first assessment opportunity.
Memorandum of Agreement with NZQA
Complete Memorandum of Agreement for Rebate through your Provider Login:
High Security > School’s Administration > Memorandum of Agreement
External exams
Ensure application for an Examination Centre Manager is completed through your High Security area, Examination Centre Manager Recruitment link.