Quality Assurance

A New Zealand qualification has a reputation globally for being practical, modern and desirable - in some niche areas such as biotechnology, forensic science and marine engineering, New Zealand degrees are acknowledge as simply the best in the world.

Approved (quality-assured) Courses

The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) was established to develop the quality of the education programmes offered by colleges of education, polytechnics and institutes of technology (all of which are state institutions) and private training institutions.  It does this by:

• Requiring private training institutions to register if they offer programmes whose duration is 12 weeks or more
• Requiring all the institutions to maintain the standard required to achieve accreditation
• Approving the programmes they deliver.

Fees Protection

NZQA requires private training establishments to have an arrangement for the protection of student fees in the event that a course stops before its scheduled completion.

Complaints

If you have a complaint about your course that cannot be resolved with the provider, NZQA may be able to assist (toll - free 0800 QA HELP / 0800 724 357).

If you have a complaint about the pastoral care provided for you, try first to resolve it within your institution, using your own institutions international students' office or grievance procedures.

If this is not successful, the Ministry of Education has set up the International Education Appeal Authority to investigate complaints about pastoral care and enforce the standards in the Code of Practice.