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
12 June
Final date for schools to read and digitally sign their Memorandum of Agreement
23 June
Results and Assessment feedback released for AO1 Reading 32403 assessments taken digitally.
1 July
Special Assessment Conditions (SAC) – attach SAC entitlements to external standards from this date.
23 July
Results and Assessment feedback released for AO1 Writing 32405, Numeracy 32406, Pāngarau 32412, Te Reo Matatini (Te Reo Torohū) 32413, and Te Reo Matatini (Te Reo Whakaputa) 32415 assessments taken digitally.
On this page
Principal's Nominee webinars
School Relationship Managers offer regular webinars for Principal’s Nominees and other assessment leaders. Below is the schedule for the June and July webinars.
The full schedule, along with all presentations and supporting materials is available here:
2026 online PN sessions (external link)
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 using the links in the table below. 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.
|
Content |
Audience |
Dates and links |
Agenda |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Submitting external moderation |
PN / HODs |
|
|
|
Special Assessment Conditions (SAC) |
SENCO PN |
|
|
|
Term 3 PN priorities |
PN |
|
|
|
Term 3 Kura Kaupapa PN priorities |
PN |
|
Updates to 2026 Key Dates
There have been minor changes to the Key Dates information since the printed A1 and A3 sized 2026 Key Dates wall-planners were distributed by NZQA to schools at the beginning of 2026.
Summary of Key Dates changes [PDF, 82 KB]
The Key Dates information and downloadable files on the NZQA website, including the wall-planner PDF, have been updated with these changes as they occurred. We therefore recommend that schools check their planning against the updated Key Dates online information.
Students transferring to another school
When a student transfers schools, the previous school must update their SMS with the leaving date and leaving reason, but keep all valid entries and results active. These updates must be synced to NZQA.
Students leaving or transferring schools
Once the leaving date and leaving reason have been recorded on the NZQA system, the new school will be able to create an enrolment for the transferring student.
If an enrolment for a student transferring to your school has been rejected by NZQA, please contact their previous school and request that they update their records to include the student’s leaving reason and leaving date.
International students - NCEA fees
Schools with international students who have completed internal assessments and/or are entered into external assessment will be sent an invoice for NCEA fees by the end of September. Please review your billing report and correct data you submit for international students at your school accordingly. NCEA fee waivers will not be granted for data errors.
Information about NCEA and New Zealand Scholarship fees for international candidates, and how schools can send these fees to NZQA, can be found at:
NCEA scenario tool
As in previous years, the NCEA scenario tool/NCEA progress calculator will be unavailable between 15 June and 20 July due to the staggered results release of the co-requisite assessments. It will be available as usual from 21 July.
Te Ao Haka TAPā in the end of year examination timetable - guidance and support
Te Ao Haka TAPā external assessments will be delivered during the end-of-year examination timetable period on the following November dates:
- 10 November (PM) - Te Ao Haka Level 1 91978
- 11 November (PM) - Te Ao Haka Level 2 91982
- 12 November (PM) - Te Ao Haka Level 3 91987
Guidance and support for kura
To support kura with this change, the following will apply:
- All Te Ao Haka TAPā will take place in afternoon sessions (2-5pm).
- Te Ao Haka TAPā will be digital-only, with paper backups available by exception (e.g. for Special Assessment Conditions (SAC) or emergency purposes).
- NZQA will provide support for assessment delivery tailored to the specific needs of each kura. This could include:
- Supporting kura to become an Exam Centre. NZQA has identified kura that are not currently approved examination centres and will contact them directly to discuss next steps.
- Providing supervision staff if required, including through an affiliate Exam Centre arrangement with another nearby Exam Centre.
Questions?
If you have questions, or need further guidance, email the Assessment Delivery team.
ECM nomination reminder, Memorandum of Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding
ECM nomination reminder
Exam Centre Manager (ECM) nominations are now overdue. The deadline for nominations was 19 May. If you have not yet submitted your ECM nomination, please make sure this is completed as soon as possible.
The ECM onboarding process is scheduled to commence this month, and any delays will impact on your ECM’s training and the time they need for any recruitment or other preparatory activities.
To complete your nomination, log in to Old School Portal > High Security Features > Exam Centre Manager Recruitment.
A reminder that, whether you are re-engaging a previous ECM or nominating a new candidate, please assess their suitability against the Key Selection Criteria in the ECM Recruitment Guide available on the recruitment page.
ECM candidates are welcome to contact us directly for salary information. If you require support identifying a suitable candidate, please let us know by email and our recruitment team will be happy to assist:
Contact the Assessment Delivery team
Memorandum of Agreement
The Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) 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.
The Memorandum of Agreement was made available from 1 April 2026 and will close on 12 June 2026. All schools are required to read and digitally sign this document.
You can access it through your Provider Login under High Security > School’s Administration > Memorandum of Agreement.
Exam centre Memorandum of Understanding
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is a partnership agreement between a Kura Teina (school without an exam centre) and a Kura Tuakana (school with an exam centre) to ensure a suitable environment for NZQA Kura Teina ākonga sitting external exams.
An MoU is important to NZQA, as it is the authority NZQA needs to be able to allocate entries from schools/kura that are not an exam centre (Kura Teina) to the school that is an exam centre (Kura Tuakana).
This is a reminder that acceptance of the MoU by NZQA will close on 28 August 2026.
To obtain a template MoU, please email us. Schools/kura who are not currently exam centres will be emailed by their SRM to complete a MoU.
Visual Arts assessment method
Level 3 and Scholarship
A reminder to please ensure that the appropriate assessment method has been selected for students enrolled in the external standards for Visual Arts.
The two methods are:
- DS (digital) is for Moving Image submissions
- PS (physical) is for physical submissions (the 3 folio cardboard portfolio).
Level 2
Physical submission is not available for Level 2. To reflect this, NZQA has applied a change to fix all existing entries which had paper submission as an assessment method.
Downloading PDFs required outside of the exam timetable period for external standards
We have developed a spreadsheet that lists the secure assessment and resource PDFs that are available via the 'Download other external assessments and resources' link in your Provider Login.
Resources available through your secure log in [XLSX, 13 KB]
The spreadsheet identifies which standards have associated resources and indicates when they are available. For more detailed information, please refer to the individual assessment specifications.
Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu - End of year exam requests
The following has been included at the request of Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu.
Te Kura is not an end of year exam centre. This means ākonga, where Te Kura is their only secondary school, are required to sit exams at a school in their community.
Te Kura ākonga register for exams via an online NCEA Registration facility (this process does not apply to ākonga who are dual-enrolled with Te Kura). If an ākonga nominates your school as their preferred exam centre, your Principal’s Nominee will receive an email outlining the request, together with a link to approve or decline it. Ākonga are also expected to contact you to discuss if their request can be accommodated.
An Exam Centre Memorandum of Understanding is not required.
Te Kura appreciates the support of schools in enabling their ākonga to sit end of year exams. For more information, please contact the Qualifications Advisor at Te Kura on 0800 65 99 88 option 3 (ask for Jo) or email ncea.registration@tekura.school.nz.
Special Assessment Conditions (SAC)
Students requiring Braille papers
If you have a student requiring Braille papers for the Co-requisite assessment event in September, please:
- Submit a SAC application (even if the student is in Year 9 or 10) by 17 July at the latest. We will not have time to prepare the Braille papers unless informed by this date.
- Email the SAC team by 17 July so that we can confirm what is needed, or to discuss the application:
SAC for students requiring Braille papers in end of year exams must be attached to exam sessions as early as possible and no later than 31 July. SAC applications for Braille papers cannot be approved after this date due to the significant time required for their production.
Attaching SAC provisions to exam sessions
The Special Assessment Exams Processing link on your SAC page for attaching SAC provisions to exams opens on 1 July. Guidelines on how to complete this process can be found on page 38 of the SAC Online Tool Guide. You can only complete this process once students’ external entries have been submitted to NZQA.
SAC Online Tool Guide [PDF, 1.9 MB]
Notifications Gateway quality assurance process
Sincere thanks to all Principal’s Nominees, SENCOs, and SAC Coordinators at the selected schools who compiled and submitted supporting evidence for notifications made in 2025, enabling the quality assurance process to be undertaken.
Participating schools will be advised of the outcomes in due course.
SAC updates
All SAC updates can now be found on the NZQA website, under EmaiLink. All Principal’s Nominees, SENCOs, and SAC Coordinators will continue to receive SAC updates through email. You can check your contacts are up to date in your Provider Login under High Security > School’s Administration > Profile.
Support
Please email the SAC team if you have any questions or need support with SAC processes.
NZQA wānanga aromatawai 2026 (online workshops)
NZQA will run a series of online workshops and drop-in sessions to support kura and kaiako delivering Te Marautanga o Aotearoa (TMoA) and New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) kaupapa Māori Level 1 achievement standards, as well as a selection of field Māori unit standards.
About the workshops and drop-in sessions
Workshops will be held for each subject/wāhanga ako and will focus on assessing the standards. The workshops will run for up to two hours, covering both internal and external assessment.
Follow-up ‘drop-in sessions’ will be available in Term 3. These sessions will be open for one hour, and are an opportunity for kaiako to discuss any assessment issues and/or follow-up questions from the workshops with a subject matter expert.
All workshops and drop-in sessions will be held online via Microsoft Teams.
Who can attend?
The workshops and drop-in sessions are targeted at kaiako who are new or require a refresher/support in assessing against the standards.
Register now for upcoming workshops in Term 2
Register for a workshop/drop-in session or view the full schedule for the year
Upcoming workshops in Term 2 are below:
- Te Ao Haka
- Pāngarau
- Whakairo
- Te Reo Māori
- Pūtaiao
- Tikanga ā-Iwi
- Te Reo Rangatira
- Ngā Mahi a Te Whare Pora
- Pacific Studies
- Hauora
- Toi Ataata
- Hangarau
- Toi Puoro
- Taonga Puoro
Ringa Toi - call for Expressions of Interest
NZQA invites you to be part of the eleventh annual Ringa Toi exhibition.
It’s that time of the year again, and we are seeking registrations of interest from schools and kura that want to submit student artwork to be considered for this year's exhibition.
Ringa Toi is an annual exhibition that showcases student artwork with a focus on Toi Māori and Pacific Arts at Excellence level. The exhibition includes a range of art across categories.
Venue
Ringa Toi is stepping into an exciting new chapter in 2026 at PĀTAKA Art + Museum in Porirua.
Located in the rohe of Ngāti Toa Rangatira, PĀTAKA is a dedicated art gallery and museum showcasing the very best in contemporary Māori and Pacific arts, making it a fitting home for Ringa Toi.
Exhibition dates
16-30 September 2026.
How to register your school or kura
Please register your interest online before Friday 3 July, 2026 (external link)
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
- 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
- SAC - Begin interviewing each SAC student about what they would like to use for each exam session and record the decision
- Early release of results - Contact your SRM if you have any students seeking mid-year entry to university and apply for early release of results