Consent and Moderation Requirements (CMRs) outline the specific requirements for consent to assess against standards and national external moderation.
Each skill standard, unit standard and achievement standard listed on the Directory of Assessment and Skill Standards (DASS) has an associated CMR document.
CMRs are developed by standard-setting bodies (SSBs), such as Workforce Development Councils (WDCs), NZQA and the Ministry of Education.
Directory of Assessment and Skill Standards (DASS) (external link)
On this page
Consent to assess against standards on the DASS
Providers need to apply for consent to assess against standards to confirm they are capable of assessing against those standards.
This involves preparing and submitting an application to NZQA. Providers prepare any required evidence to submit with their application according to the relevant CMRs.
To clarify any industry or sector-specific requirements, providers seeking consent should contact the relevant SSB. In some cases, an industry specialist may visit the provider's site to determine if the provider is suitable.
Secondary schools and wharekura have a base scope of consent to assess against standards. The Base Scope of Assessment for Schools (BSAS) lists the included domains.
To assess against standards beyond the scope of their existing consent, schools and wharekura must apply to NZQA.
Helpful links
Base scope of assessment for schools
Consent to assess for tertiary providers
National external moderation
National external moderation provides assurance that assessment decisions are consistent with the national standard across all organisations that have consent to assess against standards.
Workforce Development Councils (WDCs) are responsible for the national external moderation of industry standards.
NZQA runs other national external moderation systems, including moderation for general education subjects (mostly offered in schools). We also monitor WDCs' processes and systems for moderation.
Assessment against DASS standards is moderated through the SSB’s national external moderation systems.
The Moderation Requirements section of a CMR sets out the national external moderation requirements for the standards listed in the scope of the CMR.
Tertiary providers with consent to assess must participate in the SSB's national external moderation system.
You can find details on national external moderation requirements by referring to the relevant CMR.
Helpful links
Accessing CMRs
SSBs may develop and maintain more than one CMR.
You can find the CMRs you need to view on our search page:
Search the Directory of Assessment and Skill Standards (DASS)
Contents of a CMR
Each CMR covers:
- the industry or sector-specific requirements for granting consent to assess for organisations to deliver programmes or assess against standards in the scope of the CMR
- the moderation process providers with consent to assess need to engage in.
CMRs have 2 sections: Requirements for Consent to Assess and Moderation Requirements.
Requirements for Consent to Assess
The purpose of the Requirements for Consent to Assess section is to:
- set out requirements that providers seeking consent to assess against standards must meet
- allow industry or sectors to establish specific requirements, where necessary, within the consent to assess criteria for specific standards
- tell providers the specific requirements for consent to assess
- advise providers of SSB involvement in the consent to assess process
- highlight industry or sector-specific requirements for consent to assess to the quality assurance body (QAB)
- clarify the specific requirements of that industry or sector for personnel involved in quality assuring consent to assess applications
- ensure consistency between consent to assess panels.
Applications for consent to assess must comply with the rules:
Consent to Assess against Standards on the Directory of Assessment and Skill Standards Rules 2022
Moderation Requirements
The Moderation Requirements section of a CMR sets out the national external moderation requirements for the unit standards listed in the scope of the CMR.
It is the responsibility of providers with consent to assess and SSBs to make sure that assessors participate in the SSB's national external moderation system. SSBs may seek to verify this.
How CMRs are developed
A standard-setting body, such as a WDC or NZQA's National Qualifications Services or Māori Qualifications Services, prepares a CMR for an industry or sector.
Our approvals and accreditation team coordinates the quality assurance process for CMRs.