The provision of NCEA offshore is generally prohibited

Section 455 of the Act prohibits the provision of NCEA offshore, with 2 exceptions:

• to allow for the continued provision of NCEA to domestic students through distance school enrolment gateways,
• to allow for NCEA qualifications to continue to be provided in jurisdictions where the Government has enabled this through government-to-government agreements.

A third, COVID-19 related temporary exception (Schedule 1, Part 1, subpart 3, clause 12) allows NZQA to approve schools to provide NCEA to their students who were enrolled for 2020 on or before 3 July but are unable to enter New Zealand due to boarder restrictions. Further information about this temporary exception is set out below.

Currently, Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu (Te Kura) is Aotearoa New Zealand’s only distance school, and only the Cook Islands and Niue have a government agreement that allows for the provision of NCEA outside of New Zealand.

Tertiary education institutions offering unit standards that may also lead to NCEA can continue to offer these standards, as long as they lead to qualifications other than NCEA.

Section 541 of the Act makes it an offence to breach the prohibition, with a maximum penalty of $10,000. This penalty is consistent with pre-existing penalties for similar offences. NZQA is responsible for enforcing compliance, with the offence and penalty provisions, which are designed to complement NZQA’s existing monitoring and enforcement powers.

NCEA is designed to be delivered in New Zealand

NCEA was developed for New Zealand students or those living in New Zealand. It is not intended to be an international qualification. The assessment of achievement standards requires teacher understanding of the National Curriculum and competence in delivering the learning outcomes. This cannot be guaranteed in an offshore setting.

The widespread provision of NCEA outside New Zealand would create significant risks to the international reputation and credibility of New Zealand’s national qualifications and wider education system.