Key dates and information
Please refer to the online key dates for the most up to date information:
Key dates for secondary assessment
2 February
Special Assessment Conditions (SAC) – Rollover/Change process opened
2026 Assessment (including Exams) Rules for Schools with Consent to Assess published on NZQA website
9 February
2025 Assessment Reports and Schedules available
10 February
2025 NZ Scholarship Results Release date
2025 NZ Scholarship Reviews and Reconsiderations open
17 February
Leading National Assessment (LNA) seminars 17 February–6 March
18 February
Deadline for 2025 NCEA external assessment Reviews and Reconsiderations
27 February
Provider access closes to ‘Late Internally Assessed Results’ for 2025
6 March
Deadline for 2025 NZ Scholarship Reviews and Reconsiderations
23 March
Schools’ access opens for sending entry and result data to NZQA
On this page
Return of 2025 exam material
NCEA Level 3 and NZ Scholarship Visual Arts portfolios
These have been progressively returned to students’ home addresses during November/December.
If students have not received their art portfolio, they can follow up with our Logistics team by providing their NSN, name, and art medium (e.g. Painting/Design/Photography) to logistics@nzqa.govt.nz.
Please also note that any portfolios returned to NZQA (e.g. due to incorrect address or inability to deliver, and where we have been unable to contact the student) will be returned to schools from early February.
Digital submissions (Moving Image only) are not returned.
NCEA Level 3 and NZ Scholarship Design & Visual Communications folders
Folders will be returned to schools at the end of January/early February.
Level 3 and NZ Scholarship Visual Arts
The submission date for the Level 3 and NZ Scholarship Visual Arts external submission has been changed for 2026. It is now 28 October 2026. This change was signalled in the 2026 specifications published on the NZQA website on the Visual Arts subject page.
We acknowledge that this adjustment may affect your planning and apologise for any inconvenience.
This change for Level 3 and NZ Scholarship supports the need to provide additional marking time due to increased entry numbers across all five Visual Arts fields.
The extended marking window also helps ensure that we can continue with valid, reliable, and robust assessment judgements for both digital and physical submissions. It also allows any submission related issues to be resolved while schools remain open and can respond promptly.
We also want to better support the teachers who serve as markers, as we are aware of the growing pressure on them and the significant commitment required during the marking period.
We understand that changes to timelines can create challenges, particularly during a busy period of the year. Thank you for your ongoing support and commitment to ensuring a smooth submission process for students.
NZ Scholarship Examinations (digital option)
In the 2026 examinations of the below NZ Scholarship subjects, candidates will have the option to take the examination digitally or on paper:
- Biology 93101
- Economics 93402
- Earth and Space Science 93104
The updated Assessment Specifications, to be published in March, will reflect this.
In addition, the NZ Scholarship subjects below will continue to be offered as paper based or digital examinations:
- Agricultural and Horticultural Science 93105
- Art History 93301
- English 93001
- History 93403
- Media Studies 93303
- Psychology 93405
- Religious Studies 93603
Digital Technologies
Scholarship Digital Technologies 93604 is only available as a digital examination.
Scholarship Digital Technologies assessment specifications 2026 [PDF, 172 KB]
Te Reo Rangatira and Te Reo Māori
Te Hiranga (NZ Scholarship) examinations for Te Reo Rangatira and Te Reo Māori will be delivered in digital format only.
Further information, including guidance and support for kura, kaiako, and ākonga, will be available soon.
Reviewed NZC & TMoA achievement standards and assessment materials published for 2026 (RAMP process)
RAMP 2026 update
The Ministry of Education advise that updates to a number of New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa (TMoA) achievement standards and supporting assessment materials have now been published. These updates are part of the annual NCEA Review and Maintenance Programme (RAMP) and apply across multiple subjects at Levels 1–3, including both internally and externally assessed standards.
All providers will be required to use the updated versions of these standards and materials for assessment in 2026. Most updates are minor and focused on improving clarity and interpretation, and the Conditions of Assessment for all internal standards have been revised to strengthen guidance on authenticity.
PDF versions provided by the Ministry of Education that were released for planning in 2025 have now been removed, and all subject pages have been updated with the final 2026 materials.
Full details of the updates, including how to access all revised standards and assessment materials, are available on:
NCEA.education (external link) - Ministry of Education
Further information about the supporting materials for updated standards was shared in:
Externally assessed standards - 2026 materials
The 2026 assessment specifications for all externally assessed standards are available via the NZQA search database.
For the following standards, all exemplars created prior to 2024 will be removed from the website at the end of April 2026, as they no longer align with the current requirements:
- Design and Visual Communication 91338, 91627
- Earth and Space Science 91413, 91414
- Health 91462
Teachers who still find the older exemplars useful should download and save them before the end of April, as they will no longer be available on the NZQA website.
Sample assessments
Where existing exemplars are not fit for purpose, NZQA will provide sample assessment items to replace them:
- Digital Technology 92007
- Geography 91934
- Social Studies 92050
For Materials and Processing Technologies 92014, a sample assessment schedule will be provided (rather than a full sample assessment).
These sample materials reflect the changes made through RAMP and are intended to support teachers with assessment design in the first year of the updated standards.
Principal’s Nominee Webinars 2026
This year’s PN webinars began with Results Release sessions and some for new PNs and new Kura PNs. The materials for these sessions are available via Google drive. This year we are also making a recording available of the first session in each series.
Download the full PN webinar schedule [DOCX, 44 KB]
Access session materials in Google Drive (external link)
There is no need to register for a session. You are welcome to share the invitations with other relevant members of your staff.
Please note the following webinars scheduled in Term 1:
| Content | Audience | Dates and links | Agenda |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term 1 PN priorities | PN |
Tues 10 Feb 3.30 – 4.15pm Thurs 12 Feb 3.30 – 4.15pm |
|
| Term 1 Kura PN priorities | PN | Weds 11 Feb 3.30 – 4.15pm |
|
| Leading National Assessment seminar – Online | If you missed the in-person LNA | Tues 10 Mar 2.30 – 4pm |
|
| Special Assessment Conditions (SAC) | SENCO, PN |
Tues 17 Mar 11 – 11.45am Thurs 19 Mar 3.30 – 4.15pm |
|
| Data & entries Q&A | PN, Data Manager |
Tues 24 Mar 3.30 – 4.15pm Thurs 26 Mar 3.30 – 4.15pm |
|
| Literacy & Numeracy and Te Reo Matatini me Te Pāngarau | CAA & TAPā responsibility |
Tues 31 Mar 3.30 – 4.15pm Wed 1 Apr 3.30 – 4.15pm |
|
2026 external assessment task for level 1 Physical Education 92018 and 92019
The 2026 external assessment tasks for Physical Education 92018 and 92019 are now available
2026 Level 1 PE assessment specifications (external link)
Please inform your PE team of the location of this task to ensure suitable evidence is produced.
Aromatawai Māori
2026 ngā tautuhinga aromatawai assessment specifications provisional
Provisional assessment specifications are now available on the NZQA website for:
- Te Marautanga o Aotearoa
- Te Reo Māori
- Te Ao Haka
- Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau
2026 NCEA and NZ Scholarship assessment specifications
The final versions of these Assessment Specifications will be published from Monday 9 February 2026 on the subject pages.
2026 upcoming publishing dates - reminder
The following assessment materials for all Te Marautanga o Aotearoa (TMoA) wāhanga ako, Te Reo Māori, Te Ao Haka, and Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau standards will be published on the dates below:
Monday 9 February
- 2025 pūrongo aromatawai (assessment reports)
- All 2025 TAPā and Kete Manarua assessments
- Mahere aromatawai (assessment schedules):
- All TMoA wāhanga ako
- Te Reo Māori
- Te Ao Haka
- 2026 Kete Manarua
- Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau
- 2026 tautuhinga aromatawai (final versions):
- All TMoA wāhanga ako
- Te Reo Māori
- Te Ao Haka
Tuesday 24 February
2025 pūrongo aromatawai and mahere aromatawai for:
- Te Hiranga (NZ Scholarship) Te Reo Māori
- Te Hiranga Te Reo Rangatira
- Te Hiranga Te Ao Haka
Monday 2 March
2026 Kete Manarua:
- All TMoA wāhanga ako
- Te Reo Māori
- Te Ao Haka
Friday 20 March
Tauaromahi (exemplars) for aromatawai ā-waho (external) and aromatawai ā-roto (internal) assessments:
- All TMoA wāhanga ako
- Te Reo Māori
• Te Ao Haka
Digital examinations Te Hiranga Te Reo Rangatira and Te Reo Māori
From 2026, Te Hiranga examinations for Te Reo Rangatira and Te Reo Māori will be delivered in digital format only.
Further information, including guidance and support for kura, kaiako, and ākonga, will be available soon.
Expressions of interest for Polly 2026 text-to-speech trial
We are inviting schools and ECMs to participate in a trial of Polly Text-to-Speech (TTS), a tool that allows students to listen to English text being read aloud in digital assessments. The trial is to determine if Polly can be included in some end-of-year external examinations.
Checklist
The following checklist provides a quick reference of the actions associated with information in this circular.
Action items for Principal’s Nominee by calendar month
2025 results
- Enter any amendments or additions to 2025 internal results online by 27 February via Add Results through your Provider login
- Use File Downloads from your Provider login to update your Student Management System with the latest Results and Consent files
- Update your school’s contact information in your Provider login
Contact information
- Update your school’s contact information in your Provider login
- Review ESL access for teachers. Ensure teachers have access to Pūtake and the external moderation application
- Remove access for staff who have left your school
Seminars
- Register for LNA seminar
- Diarise and share with appropriate staff other relevant seminars
SAC
- Prepare and submit new 2026 SAC applications
- Begin the rollover process for 2025 applications
- Email sac@nzqa.govt.nz about SAC students to transfer
- Update SAC contacts in school profile
Course set up
- Establish markbooks ensuring that the school has consent to assess for all standards being offered
- Ensure course outlines reflect the intended assessment programme