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Ministry of Education New Zealand

Who must connect to ELI

Eligible services include:

  • education and care services
  • kindergartens
  • Playcentres
  • home-based early learning services.

You must connect to the ELI system within 8 weeks of receiving your licence. You should enter enrolment and attendance data from the date your service's licence was issued.

Our training modules provide more information about the ELI system.

Overview of ELI

Tirohana o te Tukutuku ELI

How to connect to the ELI system

You can use a student management system (SMS) or ELI Web to manage information for your service and send your information to us.

ELI Web is our secure application for early learning services that do not use an alternative SMS to submit information to us.

Early Learning Information (ELI) Web – Applications and Online Systems

What information you need to submit to us

You must send us:

  • children’s National Student Numbers (NSN)
  • enrolment and attendance information
  • the annual ECE return (ECE census)
  • the electronic RS7 return.

Learn more about the use of this information.

Annual Early Childhood Education Census – Education Counts

pdf thumbnailEarly Learning Information (ELI) system Principles of Use
DownloadPDF127KB

When you change or stop using an SMS

If you change your SMS or stop using one because your service is closing down, you need to let us know in advance.

Email: [email protected]

Freephone (NZ Only): 0800 323 323

Before you stop using your SMS, you need to:

  • update all your ELI data
  • allocate a National Student Number (NSN) to all enrolled children
  • update all enrolment and attendance information
  • end all enrolments with the last date your service uses the old system.

If you are moving to a new SMS, you will need to re-enrol all children in your new system from the first day of using it.

Privacy

Early learning services, student management systems and other organisations must make sure they protect the information they collect, access and submit to the ELI system. They must keep personal information such as names, birthdates and addresses private. This is required under the Privacy Act 2020.

Privacy Act 2020 – New Zealand Legislation

Our guide has more information about protecting privacy.

pdf thumbnailGuide on Early Learning Information (ELI) and privacy
DownloadPDF143KB
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  • Education professionals