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Tertiary education organisations (TEOs) are in the best position to drive their own quality and improve that quality.
They do this by engaging in regular, fit-for-purpose self-review.
Self-review prompts TEOs to keep improving their processes and delivery, for themselves and their learners.
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Self-review is part of our quality assurance framework
TEO self-review is one of 4 key parts of our integrated quality assurance framework (iQAF). TEOs undertake an evidence-based self-review that's focused on their whole organisation and its systems.
Self-review helps TEOs gain an in-depth understanding of:
- the quality of education and training they deliver, as well as how they support learner wellbeing and safety
- how effective their quality assurance systems and practices are
- the outcomes their students achieve.
As part of iQAF, self-review helps us make sure that non-university tertiary education in Aotearoa is high quality.
From July 2026, all non-university tertiary education providers delivering education and training, including Industry Skills Boards (ISBs) delivering work-based training, undertake self-review.
Video transcript
Kia ora, nau mai, haere mai, and welcome to TEO self-review, we look forward to working with you as part of your annual self-review. This video explains what TEO self-review is, its purpose, what’s involved, and how to get ready.
TEO self-review and iQAF
TEO self-review is a key part of our integrated quality assurance framework, or iQAF.
Through iQAF, we acknowledge that TEOs are best placed to drive and improve their own quality and that TEOs play a key role in ensuring the integrity of the qualifications system.
TEO ownership of quality and quality improvement focuses on how TEOs understand, maintain and improve their performance and quality through regular self-review and continuous improvement.
TEO self-review helps your organisation gain a deeper understanding of the quality of your education and training, how learner wellbeing and safety are supported, the effectiveness of your quality assurance systems and practices, and the outcomes achieved by your learners.
TEO self-review helps NZQA support high-quality non-university tertiary education in Aotearoa, New Zealand. You can read more about iQAF and how NZQA assures quality across tertiary education on our website.
Purpose of self-review
Each TEO is required to complete an annual organisational self-review.
Annually, your organisation will also submit a self-review summary report to NZQA. The summary report outlines what your self-review has identified in relation to teaching and learning, assessment, and learner wellbeing and safety. It will outline any planned actions to address areas for improvement and each year you will also be asked to respond to a thematic question around a specific area of interest to NZQA.
TEO self-review does not result in any formal judgement about your organisation’s performance and self-review capability. It is not a monitoring process. This is different from the previous EER process that TEOs might be familiar with.
TEO self-review gives us an opportunity to:
- understand your organisation’s context
- gain system-level insights into TEO performance and capability
- identify where we can support capability development across the tertiary system
- report back to the sector about any emerging trends or patterns we see, including sharing good practice.
What does the self-review cycle look like?
There are 4 key steps:
Step 1. Your organisation completes an annual organisational self-review covering:
- education and training quality
- the effectiveness of your quality assurance system and practices (including learner wellbeing)
- the outcomes achieved by your learners.
Step 2. Your organisation submits a self-review summary report filled out through the provider portal on our website.
Step 3. An NZQA TEO self-review evaluator will review your report submission and develop a discussion plan for your annual discussion. The discussion plan will be shared with you before your annual discussion is scheduled. Your organisation will then meet online with your TEO self-review evaluator – this will be approximately 90 minutes.
Step 4. After the annual discussion, the evaluator will prepare a discussion summary. Your organisation will have an opportunity to review and agree to the summary to ensure it accurately reflects the discussion.
The summary serves as a record of the conversation and is not published. NZQA will follow up with you in about 6 months for a brief check in about your quality improvement plan.
There is no cost to TEOs for taking part in this process.
Annual discussion
As mentioned in step 3, you will have an annual discussion about what you have outlined in your self-review summary report.
The purpose of the discussion is to understand how each TEO’s self-review is supporting continuous improvement and what TEO’s are learning about their practices that make the greatest difference for their learners.
The aim is for this be an open and collaborative conversation where we can explore your progress, learning and priorities together. TEO self-review evaluators will guide you through the process.
The annual discussion will focus on:
- understanding your TEOs context
- significant changes identified in the summary report and how they affect your organisation
- improvements, challenges, and opportunities
- planning and actions for thematic review
- quality improvement plans.
TEO self-review summary report
For detailed instructions on how to access the NZQA provider portal to fill in, complete, and submit your summary report, we encourage you to check out the written and video guides on our website. The portal includes the following sections that you will fill out to generate your report:
- activity summary, alongside significant changes that have impacted your organisation
- EFTs (or equivalent full-time students) data, from both funded and non-funded delivery
- initiatives your organisation took in the previous year to improve, highlighting success and challenges
- a thematic question on an area of interest for NZQA
- a quality improvement plan that outlines your organisation’s key priorities for the coming year
- compliance attestation. Your organisation confirms it complies with the Education and Training Act 2020, NZQA rules made under the Act, and the Pastoral Care Code. Here, you will be asked to provide the URL link to your published Code self-review.
Please note that your organisation will only be able to access the provider portal to submit your summary report 10 weeks before your submission day. Your submission day is listed on the Schedule for TEO self-review page on our website.
Code self-review
TEOs are still required to undertake a self-review of the quality of their learner wellbeing and safety practices against the required outcomes and processes of the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021. A TEO’s Code self-review should be incorporated as part of an organisation’s annual self-review.
NZQA will check that your organisation has completed a Code self-review and that it meets the Code’s reporting and publication requirements. Your organisation must publish a version of its Code self-review on its website by the time your TEO self-review summary report is submitted to us.
Please note that whilst you do need to publish your Code self-review, you do not need to publish your TEO self-review summary report.
Thank you for watching this video on TEO self-review. If you have questions about self-review or the process, please visit the NZQA website. You can also contact the TEO self-review team by emailing: teo_sr@nzqa.govt.nz.
We look forward to hearing your organisation’s story and supporting you through your self-review journey. Mā te wā, see you soon.
Watch: An introduction to self-review (6:58 mins)
This short introductory video explains the different parts of a TEO self-review, as well as what's required from providers at each stage.
The results of self-review
TEO insights about their quality and ways to improve
Organisations review their educational performance and quality assurance practices to identify any areas they need to improve.
TEOs then use these findings to develop:
- a thorough understanding of quality for their TEO
- quality improvement plans with clear actions.
TEOs produce a self-review summary report
After a TEO completes their self-review, they summarise this review and their findings in a self-review summary report. They submit this summary report to us through the MyNZQA provider portal, using an online template.
The report will include a plan to improve quality at the organisation, as well as for its learners.
What's in the template?
The template asks TEOs to share information on:
- context of the TEO
- areas of interest to NZQA
- quality improvement plans
- compliance with relevant rules and regulations.
TEOs meet with us to discuss the self-review summary report
We meet with each TEO annually to discuss the summary report. We assign a self-review evaluator for the discussion.
The annual discussion allows us and the TEO to talk about their self-review report and improvement plan.
It also allows us to raise any issues we may have identified through the summary report or other quality assurance activities.
We can also identify ways to support the TEO building capability as well.
NZQA produces a final summary report
We create a summary report and share it with the TEO at the end of the annual self-review process.
These summary reports are not public information and aren't shared on our website.
The process for TEO self-review
1
Conduct a self-review
A TEO examines their organisation's systems and processes, as well as how effective these are for learners and their outcomes.
2
Submit a self-review summary report
A TEO uses the online template in the MyNZQA provider portal to create and submit a self-review summary report.
3
Talk with NZQA once a year
TEOs meet with an NZQA self-review evaluator yearly to discuss their self-review summary report, improvement plan, and any quality assurance issues.
Annual discussion for TEO self-review4
NZQA provides a final summary report
After the annual discussion, NZQA shares a final summary report with the TEO.
Next steps for TEO self-review
Self-review for organisations
Find out how to do self-review in your organisation
Self-review for organisations
Schedule for TEO self-review
Find out when a specific TEO needs to submit their self-review report
See the schedule
TEO self-review summary report
Learn how to complete and submit your TEO's self-review summary report
TEO self-review summary report
Annual discussions with NZQA
Find out what happens at an annual discussion and how to prepare
Annual discussion for TEO self-review
NZQA Rules for TEO self-review
Learn about the rules that TEO self-review needs to follow
Quality Assurance of Tertiary Education Providers Rules