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Certificated teachers
For funding purposes, ‘certificated teachers’ must have:
- a NZ ECE or primary teaching qualification and a current practising certificate, or
- an overseas qualification assessed by NZQA as comparable to a NZ ECE or primary teaching qualification and a current practising certificate, or
- a letter from the Teaching Council with a clear ECE or primary “endorsement” (where registration has been gained through the Council's discretionary pathway), and a current practising certificate.
Read more about discretionary pathway registration on our website.
Becoming certificated
Apply to the Teaching Council to become a certificated teacher.
Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand
Equivalent qualifications
A list of approved NZ teaching qualifications is available on the Education Workforce website.
Study options to become a teacher – Education Workforce
Funding and teacher certification lapses
Where a teacher’s certification lapses, they may continue to be counted as certificated on the Staff Hour Count from the date the Teaching Council has confirmed their application for certification renewal has been received. This period must not exceed 3 months. Services accessing this Staff Hour Count provision, must keep evidence that the completed application has been submitted for renewal.
If, after 3 months, certification renewal has not been approved, the teacher must be counted as ‘other’ on the Staff Hour Count. Should certification renewal be declined, the Ministry will recover any associated funding.
The regulations require all services to have a person responsible available to support educators for all hours children are attending. Teachers accessing this provision cannot be used to avoid this obligation, therefore they cannot fulfil the role of person responsible while waiting for recertification.
Overseas qualifications
The New Zealand Qualifications Authority must assess any overseas qualifications as comparable to a NZ ECE or primary teaching qualification, before it can be recognised for funding purposes. The teacher must also be registered and certificated with the Teaching Council.
Contact the NZQA Qualification Evaluation Service on (04) 802 3000 or refer to the NZQA website for more details.
