Quality Assurance of Tertiary Education Providers Rules 2026

2. Commencement

These Rules come into force on 19 January 2026.

4. Quality management system

1. Tertiary education providers must have or create, maintain, keep up to date, and give effect to a quality management system that applies across all aspects of their education or training (or both) business.
2. The quality management system must as a minimum include coherent policies and procedures for:
   1. development and implementation of the system:
   2. organisational self-review, taking into account its purpose in rule 5(2):
   3. enrolment procedures:
   4. decision-making, financial delegations and financial controls:
   5. personnel recruitment, management and professional development:
   6. information management, including for:
      1. enrolling students:
      2. student records (enrolment and academic):
      3. up to date and accurate information to prospective students:
      4. keeping public information up to date:
      5. providing information to government agencies, such as financial, statistical, and other relevant information:
   7. management of risks, including without limitation health and safety risks:
   8. maintaining academic integrity:
   9. programme and micro-credential management, including development, review, resources, and provision of programmes and micro-credentials for which the provider has accreditation:
   10. assessment and moderation:
   11. fair and equitable management of student complaints, student discipline and appeals:
   12. compliance with relevant requirements of the Act and NZQA rules made under section 452 of the Act:
   13. meeting the relevant requirements of the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021.
3. Where tertiary education providers do not have a quality management system of the kind set out in rule 4(2) on 1 January 2026, they need to have created the system before 1 January 2027.
4. Upon request by NZQA tertiary education providers must provide a copy of their quality management system to NZQA.

6. Additional self-review content for work-based training

1. In addition to the self-review coverage of rule 5, a tertiary education provider of work-based training must also review the effectiveness of the arrangements it has in place to ensure the quality of the training and assessment of trainees undertaken in workplaces.
2. This review must include the effectiveness of:
   1. services designed to support employers, trainees, assessors and verifiers to undertake the training and assessment:
   2. resources provided to employers, trainees, assessors and verifiers to support the training and assessment:
   3. verification and moderation of assessment activities.

8. Sub-contracting

1. This rule applies where:
   1. a tertiary education provider has been granted accreditation to provide an approved programme or micro-credential, or a consent to assess against standards; and
   2. proposes to use a sub-contractor to provide any education or training that forms part of that accreditation or consent to assess.
2. If the sub-contractor holds accreditation for the same programme or micro-credential, or has consent to assess against standards for that education and training, the tertiary education provider must notify NZQA of the sub-contracting arrangement prior to sub-contractor providing the education or training, and supply to NZQA the following information:
   1. a copy of the sub-contracting agreement which must outline the responsibilities and obligations of the parties;
   2. the duration of the arrangement;
   3. the reasons for the arrangement; and
   4. confirmation that any advertising and other information provided to prospective students clearly shows that the study or training involved is provided under a sub-contracting arrangement.
3. If the sub-contractor does not hold accreditation for the same programme or micro-credential or does not have consent to assess against standards for that education and training, the tertiary education provider must apply to NZQA for approval to engage the sub-contractor prior to any provision of education and training by the sub-contractor.
4. Applications under rule 8(3) must include the following information:
   1. the name of the sub-contractor;
   2. identification of the education or training to be provided under the arrangement;
   3. the rationale for the proposed sub-contracting arrangement;
   4. a copy of the sub-contracting arrangement between the tertiary education provider and the sub- contractor; and
   5. evidence of internal quality assurance approval by the Chief Executive of the tertiary education provider or a senior manager with delegated authority from the Chief Executive.
5. NZQA will grant approval to an application under rule 8(3) where it is satisfied that:
   1. the tertiary education provider remains responsible for the sub-contractor meeting all of the tertiary education provider’s obligations that are relevant for the accreditation or consent to assess;
   2. the sub-contractor will meet all relevant obligations in the Act and in rules made under section 452 of the Act in relation to the provision of the education or training;
   3. there is a formal documented arrangement between the tertiary education provider and the sub- contractor that includes provisions to ensure that NZQA is able to exercise its quality assurance and enforcement powers and functions in respect of the acts or omissions of the sub-contractor relating to the provision of the education or training;
   4. the information and advertising for the education or training clearly states that it is provided through a sub-contracting arrangement; and
   5. all student enrolments are through the tertiary education provider, and the tertiary education provider maintains all student enrolment and academic information.
6. To continue to maintain approval under rule 8(5) the tertiary education provider must ensure the sub-contracting is conducted at all times in accordance with the requirements set out in paragraphs (a) to (e) of rule 8(5).
7. A tertiary education provider is not compliant with this rule 8 where the sub-contractor engaged by the other body purports to further sub-contract the delivery of education or training.

10. Revocation and transitional use of EER categories

1. The Quality Assurance (including External Evaluation and Review (EER)) Rules 2022 are revoked.
2. Tertiary education providers with a categorisation under the rules revoked by rule 10(1) may only refer to their latest categorisation, and must state with that categorisation the year the categorisation was received and that the EER system is no longer in operation.