The code sets out what education providers must do to ensure the wellbeing and safety of their learners.
About the Code
The code sets out expectations for New Zealand education providers. The Code covers:
- learner wellbeing and safety, including in student accommodation
- physical and mental health
- making sure learning environments are safe and accessible, including support for Māori, Pacific and disabled learners, and
- responding to the distinct needs of international learners about agents, enrolment and contracts, and wellbeing and safety.
Who the Code applies to
Education providers
The Code covers:
- all education providers that enrol tertiary learners, including offshore and work-based learners, and
- all approved education providers that enrol international learners, at both tertiary and school levels.
To enrol international learners, a provider must be a signatory to the Code.
The Code covers all tertiary learners, including offshore and work-based learners. It also applies to international learners at both school and tertiary level.
New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) is Code administrator
They support education providers in meeting their obligations under the Code and monitor compliance.
The Tertiary and International Learners Code of Practice – NZQA
For international learners
Additional wellbeing and safety practices for international learners are set out in parts 6 and 7 of the Code.
School signatories and tertiary providers must make sure that international learners:
- have signed a contract of enrolment with their education provider
- have the right insurance for travel and stay in New Zealand
- have the information they need to take part in age-appropriate orientation programmes
- can access the information and advice they need for their own wellbeing and safety, and
- are safe and well supervised in their accommodation, including safety checks of residential accommodation providers for learners aged under 18.
Find education providers who can enrol international learners – NZQA
For disabled learners
The Code sets out wellbeing and safety practices to support “diverse learners”, which includes disabled learners. Under the Code, tertiary providers must:
- work with diverse learners and their communities to develop, review, and improve learner wellbeing and safety strategic goals, plans, and practices to ensure they are fit for purpose
- make arrangements with disabled learners or those affected by health and wellbeing difficulties to accommodate learning needs, including for study off-campus
- understand the welfare issues of diverse learner groups
- proactively build and maintain effective relationships with diverse learner groups within their organisation
- provide formal and informal processes for actively hearing, engaging with and developing the diverse range of learner voices and those of their communities, and
- foster learning environments that are safe and designed to support positive learning experiences for diverse learner groups, including disabled learners.
In addition to the requirements above, tertiary providers must publish their strategic goals, plans and a version of their self-review reports. These must be in accessible formats and available to learners, staff and the public, including on their websites.
Complaints processes
Under the Code, education providers must have a clear and fair process for complaints that learners can easily access. Learners, or their families, should talk to the education provider and follow their process in the first instance.
If a complaint is not successfully resolved with the provider, there are further steps you or your child can take.
- NZQA handles complaints relating to the code of conduct. NZQA will either investigate your concerns or let you know what you can do next.
- For financial or contractual matters there is an independent dispute resolution scheme.
Dispute resolution scheme
Under the Code, providers must advise learners on the next steps available to them if they are not satisfied with the outcome of a complaint. This includes how to raise complaints through the dispute resolution scheme operator.
Study complaints | Ngā amuamu tauira is a free dispute resolution scheme for tertiary learners. If you have not been able to resolve your complaint with the provider or NZQA, they may be able to help.
Make a complaint to the Ombudsman
If your complaint is about the administrative acts or decisions made by a university, wānanga or Te Pūkenga, the Ombudsman may be able to look into this.
Get help (for members of the public) – Ombudsman New Zealand
Phone the office of the Ombudsman.
Freephone 0800 802 602
