About education providers
An education provider can be any organisation supplying education and/or training and/or assessment services. A wide range of courses and qualifications are offered in New Zealand.
All providers can be accredited to assess for National Qualifications Framework (NQF) qualifications. Before applying for accreditation, private and government training establishments must be registered with the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA).
University accreditations on this site cover only NQF qualifications and New Zealand qualifications (such as the NZDipBus). For a full list of approved programmes, you will need to go to the website of each university.
Many companies and government training establishments register their staff training operations as training establishments. Industry Training Organisations (ITOs) are not education providers but can become accredited to register assessors within specified fields of the Framework.
For more information about the quality assurance of education providers see:
- Quality assurance of providers - a brief explanation of the terms registration, accreditation and course approval
- Registration and accreditation process - information and application pack for providers who want to become registered and accredited
Types of provider in New Zealand
| Schools | There are primary, intermediate and secondary schools in New Zealand. The New Zealand Qualifications Authority deals largely with schools at the secondary level (years 11-13). |
| Polytechnics/institutes of technology | Deliver technical, vocational and professional education. They also promote research, particularly applied and technological research, that aids development. |
| Colleges of education | Provide teacher education and research related to the early childhood and compulsory sectors of education, and provide associated social and educational service roles. |
| Private training establishments | Are private organisations providing education/training (ie they are not state owned). |
| Government training establishments | Are state owned organisations providing education/training (for example, defence forces, Inland Revenue) |
| Wananga | Are teaching and research institutions that maintain, advance, and disseminate knowledge, develop intellectual independence, and assist the application of knowledge regarding ahuatanga Māori (Māori tradition) according to tikanga Māori (Māori custom). |
| Universities | Are characterised by a wide diversity of teaching and research, especially at a higher level, that maintains, advances, disseminates, and assists the application of, knowledge and develops intellectual independence. |
Page updated: 07 August 2007