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All home-based early learning services must meet the requirements set out in the regulations.
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 – New Zealand Legislation
Qualification requirements for educators
The regulations require that all (i.e. 100% of) educators either hold a home-based service qualification, or within 6 months of starting with a home-based service are working towards the qualification.
Educators who are already working in your home-based early learning service on or before January 2025 should:
- Hold a recognised home-based qualification or by 1 July 2025, be enrolled in a course of study offering a home-based qualification and complete the qualification within the timeframes below:
- If the qualification is an early childhood teaching qualification at Level 7 or above, it should be completed within 4 years of enrolment.
- Any other qualification should be completed within 2 years of enrolment.
Educators who are joining your licensed home-based early learning service should:
- Hold a home-based service qualification or within 6 months of joining a home-based service, be enrolled in a course offering a home-based qualification and complete the qualification within the timeframes below:
- If the qualification is an early childhood teaching qualification at Level 7 or above, it should be completed within 4 years of enrolment.
- Any other qualification should be completed within 2 years of enrolment.
Recognised home-based qualifications
The recognised qualifications are:
- a Level 4 or higher ECE qualification listed on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework or
- an early childhood qualification recognised by the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand for registration purposes
- a Level 3 ECE qualification completed before 1 June 2022
- a primary teaching qualification
- a level 5, or above, qualification developed by Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust Board.
You can see the list of recognised qualifications here.
Accepted qualifications for home-based early learning educationIf you are unsure about whether a qualification meets the requirements, contact us.
Contact your regional office.
Overseas qualifications
New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) must assess overseas qualifications.
International qualifications assessment – NZQA
Overseas teaching experience can sometimes be recognised as a qualification. The Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand has more information.
Information for overseas-trained teachers – Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand
Record keeping
You must keep records to show how you are meeting the qualification requirements of regulation 28(1) (e). You don’t need to update this record on a monthly basis, but you should update this regularly as things change.
The record should include:
- all educators’, start and end dates with the service
- all educators' qualifications, or
- a record of enrolment that shows their course start date and the date they complete their qualification.
You should keep a certified copy of educator qualifications, or a record of learning from NZQA. A letter stating an educator has completed their training is not evidence of a qualification.
A certified copy is a photocopy that has been stamped or endorsed by a person who confirms that the copy is a true copy of the original document. Certified copies from previous employers or organisations cannot be relied on. This means you will need to see the original qualification before you can certify a copy.
Who can certify a qualification
- The service's ECE professional leader (i.e. the coordinator).
- Ministry of Education staff.
- The authority that originally issued the document.
- A Justice of the Peace.
- A solicitor.
- A notary public.
- A registrar.
- As a service provider, you can certify a photocopy of an original qualification.
The person certifying your document(s) must:
- note on every page the words “certified true copy of the original” and
- clearly identify and include on the document their:
- full name
- title
- signature
- address and contact number
- official stamp or seal
- certification date.
The ECE Funding Handbook has more information about record keeping requirements.
