NCEA is sat in Aotearoa and overseas
The National Certificate of Education Achievement (NCEA) is a New Zealand qualification, but learners in some Pacific countries also take NCEA.
Students in the Cook Islands and the Pā Enua (Outer Islands) sit NCEA, as do students in Niue.
NCEA is:
- recognised around the world
- recognised by universities, including the University of the South Pacific (USP)
- the main qualification for school leavers in Aotearoa, the Cook Islands and Niue.
NZQA administers NCEA in Pacific Island countries
The governments of the Cook Islands and Niue help facilitate NCEA in their countries.
We administer and moderate NCEA in New Zealand and overseas.
Students in the Pacific Islands sit their exams at the same time as students in New Zealand. They're also marked against the same standards.
Completed exams are sent from the Cook Islands and Niue to Aotearoa for assessment.
On this page
955
Learners in the Cook Islands and Niue participated in NCEA in 2022
2023
Year Tokelau adopted the NCEA system
205,800
Students in Aotearoa and the Pacific participated in NCEA in 2022
Tokelau has adopted NCEA
Tokelau adopted the NCEA education system in 2023.
Tokelau's three secondary schools are offering NCEA in collaboration with the distance education provider, Te Kura.
The schools will continue to work with Te Kura until they have consent to assess against standards.
Learn more
About Te Kura (external link) - Te Kura website
NCEA resources in Pacific languages
We offer NCEA resources in several Pacific languages, including Cook Islands Māori, Niuean and Tuvaluan.
These resources are:
- videos about how NCEA works
- PDF guides to NCEA
- PDF guides to NCEA Online.