Qualification requirements
At least 50% of required staff must have a recognised early learning teaching qualification.
| Component |
50% qualified licensing requirements |
Person responsible |
Funding (certificated teachers) |
| A current practising certificate issued by the Teaching Council |
Not required |
Required |
Required |
| Recognised ECE teaching qualification (or overseas qualification assessed as comparable by NZQA) |
Required |
Meets requirement |
Meets requirement |
| Recognised primary teaching qualification (or overseas qualification assessed as comparable by NZQA) |
Does not meet requirement |
Meets requirement |
Meets requirement |
| Staff enrolled in a course of study that will result in a recognised ECE teaching qualification within 12 months |
Can count 1 staff member towards requirement |
Does not meet requirement |
Does not meet requirement |
The person responsible role
All licensed teacher-led centre-based services are required to have 1 person responsible for every 50 children in attendance.
Persons responsible hold a number of important roles. They supervise children and staff, and they are directly involved in and primarily responsible for the day-to-day education and care, comfort, and health and safety of children attending the service.
Each person responsible must be nominated for the role by their service provider. It is best practice for the service provider to give them enough information and support to help them understand their role and to carry out the duties expected of them.
Who can be a person responsible
Persons responsible must have an ECE or primary teaching qualification and a current practising certificate.
Each person responsible must hold a current first aid qualification from a first aid training provider accredited by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority that meets the requirements of HS25.
They can count towards the requirement in HS25, where 1 adult must hold a current first aid qualification for every 25 children attending.
HS25 First aid qualifications
What the person responsible role involves
Persons responsible in teacher-led centre-based services must:
- supervise and be actively involved with children in attendance and staff providing education and care (even when children and staff are located in separate spaces)
- provide education and care to children in attendance and guidance to staff providing education and care
- ensure that staff are implementing any prescribed curriculum framework and know how to use it in providing education and care
- ensure that day-to-day health and safety risks and hazards are identified, and that appropriate steps are taken to address those risks or hazards when children attend
Regulation 3 – New Zealand Legislation
Regulation 44 – New Zealand Legislation
Regulation 60 – New Zealand Legislation
HS 17 Excursions
In practice
Persons responsible must work with children and staff and should not be engaged in activities that take them away from their supervision responsibilities. For example, they should not be located in an office with no children physically present undertaking administration duties.
When a person responsible is supervising across multiple rooms, they should be moving between these areas to effectively supervise and fulfil their responsibilities. There is no requirement to assign children or staff to each person responsible or for there to be a person responsible in every room.
As the person responsible is required to take an active role in supporting children’s learning, they should assist staff with questions about attending children's care and education. It is helpful for them to have knowledge of the regulations and licensing criteria that prescribe the minimum standards the service must meet.
The person responsible does not have to be the service’s pedagogical leader, but they must be able to guide and support staff to implement the curriculum in a way that is consistent with the prescribed curriculum framework.
Curriculum criteria 1–13
Carrying out daily hazard checks and addressing any identified risks is an important part of ensuring attending children experience a safe and healthy learning environment. The person responsible does not have to carry out the daily checks, but they must ensure that day-to-day health and safety risks and hazards are identified, and appropriate steps are taken to ensure any associated actions to keep children safe have been taken.
HS 12 Hazard and risk management
HS 17 Excursions
Staff should know who the person responsible is at any one time and be able to provide this information to parents on request
You must have a list of all the qualified and certificated teachers displayed in the entrance of your service. There is no explicit requirement for services to show who acts in the person responsible role under GMA1. But it may be helpful to both staff and parents to clearly state who can act in the role in the same document that is used to display the full names and qualifications of each person who counts towards regulated qualification requirements.
GMA1 Display of information
Regulation 3 – New Zealand Legislation
More information
The person responsible requirements must be met at all times children are attending, much like adult-to-child ratios.
The service provider holds overarching responsibility for compliance with all regulatory requirements, including the requirements associated with the person responsible role. They are expected to provide the person responsible with enough information and support to make sure they understand their role and can carry out their duties effectively.
A person responsible can count towards the 50% qualification requirement provided they hold a recognised early childhood education teaching qualification.
Services must keep records to demonstrate persons responsible hold a current practising certificate.
You can have as many persons responsible above requirements as you want. For example, you may choose to have a person responsible in every room.
