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Private Training Establishment Registration Rules 2025

The rules relating to PTE registration

If you prefer you can download these rules as a PDF:

Private Training Establishment Registration Rules 2025 [PDF, 1.1 MB] [PDF, 3.4 MB]

What’s changed 

The 2025 rules require a PTE to provide the annual financial statements it must complete as part of its statutory obligations under other Acts, instead of an Annual Financial Return.

The requirement to follow Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and financial reporting standards has been replaced with a requirement to maintain an adequate system of internal financial controls that enable the PTE to compile financial statements that comply with its annual reporting obligations under any relevant legislation.

1. Authority

These Rules are made under section 452 of the Education and Training Act 2020.

On this page

2. Commencement

  1. These Rules commence on 1 July 2025.

3. Interpretation

1. In these Rules, unless the context otherwise requires:

accreditation means accreditation to provide all of part of an approved programme under section 441 of the Act

Act means the Education and Training Act 2020

Category 1 PTE means a PTE that has received, in the most recent external evaluation and review carried out by NZQA in respect of that institution, statements of confidence that are either:

  1. Highly Confident in educational performance and Highly Confident in organisational capability in self-assessment; or
  2. Highly Confident in educational performance and Confident in organisational capability in self-assessment:

consent to assess means a consent to assess against standards granted under section 449 of the Act

external evaluation and review (or “EER”) means the quality assurance system set out in rules made under section 452(1)(t) of the Act

financial year of the PTE means the year ending on the balance date of the PTE, within the meaning of section 4 of the Financial Reporting Act 2013

level means any of levels 1 to 10 on the NZQCF

micro-credential has the same meaning as in section 10(1) of the Act

NZQA means the New Zealand Qualifications Authority

NZQCF means the Qualifications and Credentials Framework described in section 436 of the Act

programme has the same meaning as in section 10(1) of the Act

PTE means private training establishment

qualification means a qualification listed on the NZQCF

signatory provider means a provider that has been approved as a signatory under sections 531A(1) and 535A(3)(a) of the Act

standard means a standard listed on the Directory of Assessment and Skill Standards, as provided for in section 437 of the Act

Te Hono o Te Kahurangi quality assurance means applying Te Hano o Te Kahurangi whare aka framework and quality assurance tools for the registration of private training establishments, as that framework and those tools are published by NZQA from time to time on its website.

2. Where Te Hono o Te Kahurangi quality assurance for EER has been applied to a PTE, unless the context otherwise requires references in these Rules to:

“educational performance” are to be treated as references to “organisational performance”:
”self-assessment” are to be treated as references to “self-reflective practice”:
“Highly Confident” are to be treated as references to “He pounamu kahurangi”:
“Confident” are to be treated as references to “He pounamu whakairo”.

Part 1 - Registration information and applications

4. Information requirements in applications for registration of private training establishments

  1. In addition to the information required by section 344(2)(a) - (e) of the Act for applications for registration of a PTE, the following further information is required for the purposes of section 344(2)(f) of the Act:
    1. a list of the names of the governing members (as that term is defined in section 10(1) of the Act):
    2. a list of any material conflicts of interest of the PTE, and of any interests of the PTE, or of its body corporate owner(s), in organisations in the education or immigration sector that  provide goods or services to tertiary students:
    3. in the context of the information required by section 344(2)(a) of the Act (being the kinds of education proposed to be provided and the outcomes the establishment seeks to achieve), a description of how the PTE will meet the needs of its intended students, of its relevant communities (including whānau, hapū, iwi, or hapori Māori) and of its other key stakeholders (including any relevant academic, employer, industry, runānga, mārae, professional and other bodies)
    4. an organisation chart of the staff positions ( whether employees or contracted staff) and the names of the staff currently in, or appointed to, those positions:
    5. copies of the curriculum vitae and position descriptions of senior managers (as defined in section  10(1) of the Act):
    6. a copy of the PTE's quality management system that applies across all aspects of its business and as a minimum must include policies and procedures for:
      1. organisational self-assessment for the purposes of EER:
      2. decision-making, financial delegations, and financial controls:
      3. personnel recruitment and management:
      4. information management, including systems for the  collection,  recording and transfer of student records, and financial, statistical and other  information that the PTE must supply to, or keep available for, government agencies:
      5. enrolment procedures:
      6. management of risks:
      7. student complaints, student discipline and appeals, ensuring the policies and procedures are fair and equitable:
      8. compliance with rules made under section 452(1)(e) of the Act for student fee protection.
  2. Applicants must use the application form available on NZQA's website and pay a deposit of $750 GST inclusive to NZQA.

5. Requests for Te Hono o Te Kahurangi quality assurance

  1. When applying for registration of a PTE, an applicant may request that Te Hono o Te Kahurangi quality assurance is used for assessment of the application.
  2. An applicant making a request under rule 5.1, in addition to providing the information required under rule 4.1, must provide the information that the Te Hono o Te Kahurangi quality assurance framework and tools require.
  3. NZQA will evaluate a request made under rule 5.1, together with the information supplied, in accordance with Te Hono o Te Kahurangi quality assurance.

Part 2 - Requirements for maintaining registration

6. Requirements to be met for PTE's to maintain registration

  1. To continue to maintain registration, a PTE must comply with the following requirements set out in rules 6.1.1 to 6.1.9.

Part 3 - Incentive for Category 1 PTEs

7. Incentive applying to Category 1 PTEs

  1. For the purposes of rule 6.1.3(a), Category 1 PTEs need only supply every second year the annual financial statements required by that rule.

Part 4 - Revocation

8. Revocation

  1. The Private Training Establishment Registration Rules 2022 are revoked.

Explanatory note

This note is not part of these Rules.  It is intended to indicate the general effect of these Rules.

These Rules set out, in relation to registration of private training establishments, -

  1. the processes for making applications and granting registration:
  2. the requirements to maintain registration:
  3. that category 1 PTEs need only supply an annual return once every two years.

These Rules were re-issued in 2025 to:

  1. remove the definition of Annual Financial Return and amend rule 6.1.3(a) and (b), and rule 7.1, to refer to the annual financial return a PTE must complete as part of its statutory obligations under other Acts: 
  2. update the definition of financial year of the PTE:
  3. remove the requirement in rule 6.1.3(f) relating to only following Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and financial reporting standards and replacing it with a requirement to maintain an adequate system of internal financial controls that enable the PTE to compile financial statements that comply with its annual reporting obligations under any relevant legislation.

These Rules are administered by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.