About New Zealand Certificates
New Zealand Certificates sit at Levels 1 to 6 of the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQFC).
Available New Zealand Certificates can be found using our qualifications search.
Qualifications - Advanced Search (external link)
Schools wishing to provide a programme leading to a New Zealand Certificate must apply to NZQA for programme accreditation or programme approval and accreditation.
Programme approval and programme accreditation must be approved by NZQA.
Programme accreditation
If a school wants to deliver a programme approved for another educational provider, they can gain permission from the owner of that programme to be accredited to deliver the programme.
Schools must have consent to assess any standards offered in the programme.
Programme approval and accreditation
Schools can develop, and seek NZQA approval, for their own programmes to meet the graduate outcomes of a New Zealand Certificate.
If the programme includes standards, the school must already hold or apply for consent to assess those standards.
Guidelines
These guidelines address and explain each programme approval and programme accreditation criterion and tell you what information and evidence to include in an application:
Templates you can use in your application
Appendix 1 - Mapping example [DOCX, 16 KB]
Appendix 2 - Component descriptor example [DOCX, 14 KB]
Appendix 3 - Consultation log example [DOCX, 44 KB]
Appendix 4 - Programme document example [DOCX, 18 KB]
Instructions for online applications
If you applying for both programme accreditation and programme approval, use the online application form.
Go to the school's NZQA provider portal and find the high security applications button.
On this page
Reporting successful completion of a New Zealand Certificate
How National Certificates are different
A key difference between National Certificates and New Zealand qualifications is that students must be undertaking an approved programme, which is designed to lead to the graduate outcome in the qualification.
This means that a New Zealand Certificate cannot be awarded solely on the basis of a student having achieved particular standards (as it could for National Certificates). The student must have undertaken an approved programme.
Schools need to report completion
Schools with programme accreditation must report the successful completion of a New Zealand Certificate to NZQA. The school is the awarding body.
Reporting the achievement to NZQA will enable NZQA to issue the certificate to the student and to maintain the student's New Zealand Record of Achievement.
How to report completion
Schools will need to:
- enrol their students in the normal way, through the submission of student enrolment data in a data file to NZQA by 1 December each year
- email NZQA a spreadsheet of students and certificate completions by 8 December each year.
New Zealand Qualifications template for schools [XLSX, 9 KB]
Email the Schools Quality Assurance and Support team
NZQA will verify that any standards-based New Zealand Certificate has been correctly awarded.
Assuring national consistency of graduate outcomes
All New Zealand Certificates will be scheduled for a consistency review, which will be facilitated by an independent reviewer. NZQA will administer the review schedule, appoint the reviewers, and work with qualification developers and schools to prepare for the consistency review.
NZQA will also review a school's records and arrangements through the Managing National Assessments (MNA) process.
NZQA will not charge schools a fee for consistency reviews.
Further information
For further information, contact your School Relationship Manager.