Tertiary education in New Zealand is provided by universities, institutes of technology and polytechnics, private training establishments, industry training organisations, and wānanga (Māori education).
It ranges from informal non-assessed community courses in schools through to undergraduate degrees and research-based postgraduate degrees. All post-compulsory education is regulated within the New Zealand Qualifications Framework, a unified system of national qualifications for schools, vocational education and training, and 'higher' education. The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) is responsible for quality assuring all courses and tertiary education organisations other than universities. Under the Education Act 1989, The Committee on University Academic Programmes (CUAP) and the Academic Quality Agency (AQA) have delegated authority for quality assurance of university education. The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) is responsible for administering the funding of tertiary education, primarily through negotiated investment plans with each funded organisation.
Until 1961, all university education was organised under the University of New Zealand, with university colleges around the country. Eventually the colleges became degree-awarding universities in their own right.
Oversight The tertiary education sector in New Zealand comes under the oversight of the Tertiary Education Commission, a Crown entity tasked with implementing the Government's tertiary education policies within the framework of the Education Act 1989.
Tertiary institutions
Universities
Qualifications Typically, a bachelor's degree will take three years, and a further year of study will lead to an honours degree. Not every degree follows this 3+1 pattern: there are some four-year degrees (which may or may not be awarded with Honours), and some specialist bachelor's degrees which take longer to complete. Typically, Honours may be awarded with first class, upper second class, lower second class or third class, but this can vary from degree to degree. A bachelor's degree may be followed by a master's degree. A candidate who does not hold an Honours degree may be awarded a master's degree with honours: such a degree usually involves two years study, compared to one year for a master's degree for a candidate who does have an Honours degree. A candidate who has either a master's degree or a bachelor's degree with Honours may proceed to a doctoral degree.
Entry and fees Entry to most universities was previously "open" to all who met the minimum requirements in school-leaving examinations (be it NCEA or Bursary). However, most courses at New Zealand universities now have selective admission, where candidates have to fulfill additional requirements through qualifications, with the University of Auckland offering the largest number of selective-entry courses. Mature students usually do not need to meet the academic criteria demanded of students who enter directly from secondary school.
Domestic students will pay fees subsidised by the Government, and the student-paid portion of the fee can be loaned from the Government under the Government's Student Loan Scheme. Weekly stipends can be drawn from the loan for living expenses, or the student can apply for a needs based (on assessment of parental income) "Student Allowance", which does not need to be paid back.
"Bonded Merit Scholarships" are also provided by the Government to cover the student-paid portion of fees. The New Zealand Scholarship is awarded to school leavers by a competitive examination and also provides financial support to school-leavers pursuing a university degree but does not entail any requirement to stay in the country after they finish university. International students pay full (non-subsidised) fees and are not eligible for Government financial assistance.
Institutions
The first university in New Zealand, the University of Otago, was founded in 1869. The next year, in 1870, the University of New Zealand was founded – the overarching university entity which eventually had a number of university colleges under it. The University of New Zealand was initially based in Wellington, but additionally opened Canterbury College in 1873, University of Otago came under its control in 1874, Auckland University College in 1883, and later Victoria University College in 1889.
The University of New Zealand system – where it was the only degree-granting university in New Zealand – lasted until 1961.
Now the colleges are independent universities in their own right, and since 1961 four new universities have been created: Auckland University of Technology, Lincoln University, Massey University and Waikato University.
The eight universities of New Zealand are: Auckland University of Technology (Auckland) Lincoln University (Lincoln) Massey University (Palmerston North, Auckland, Wellington) University of Auckland (Auckland) University of Canterbury (Christchurch) University of Otago (Dunedin) University of Waikato (Hamilton, Tauranga) Victoria University of Wellington (Wellington)
The overarching representative body for universities is Universities New Zealand, made up of the Vice-Chancellors of the respective institutions.
According to the Education Act 1989, universities have the following characteristics:
Colleges of education The name 'College of Education' is protected by Act of Parliament. (Previously the name 'Teachers' College' was protected.) Only universities and standalone colleges of education may use this title. Thus, privately owned institutions that are not listed in Acts and that provide teacher education such as the Bethlehem Institute (Tauranga) and New Zealand Graduate School of Education (Christchurch) must use alternative names.
The first teachers' training college was established in Dunedin in 1876. After schooling for children aged between 7 and 13 years became compulsory in 1877, other training colleges were established in Christchurch (1877), Wellington (1880) and Auckland (1881). During the Long Depression of the 1880s and the Great Depression of the 1930s, these training colleges were closed and reopened due to government budgetary cuts and economic difficulties. All these colleges reopened in 1936. During the post-Second World War Baby Boom, new teacher training colleges were established in New Zealand's major centres and reached a peak of nine by 1964: Auckland (four), and one each in Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin. The number of teacher trainees soared from 1,460 in 1940 to 7,779 by 1975.
During the 1960s, the Government granted more independence to teachers' training colleges, with governance being transferred from boards of education to college councils. As a result, teachers' colleges were able to manage their own staff recruitment and curriculum, but the Department of Education retained responsibility for policy development and student enrollment. From the late 1970s, teachers' colleges began offering joint programmes with the universities. During the 1980s, teachers' colleges were renamed "colleges of education" and expanded their programmes to include social work-training, advanced courses for trained teachers and professional development courses for other professions such as nursing.
During the 1980s, several colleges of education closed or merged due to a surplus of trained graduates and declining birth rates. Following the closure of the Ardmore college in 1974 and the North Shore college between 1981 and 1983, the Auckland Teachers College and Secondary Teachers College merged in 1986 to form the Auckland College of Education. By 2007, all the remaining colleges had merged with universities closely allied with them to become constituent teacher training facilities. In 1990 the Hamilton College of Education merged with the University of Waikato. This was followed by the Palmerston North College of Education, which merged with Massey University in 1996. Between 2004 and 2005, the Auckland and Wellington colleges merged with Auckland University and Victoria University respectively. In 2007, the Christchurch College of Education merged with the University of Canterbury. The remaining stand-alone college in Dunedin merged with the University of Otago in January 2007.
Institutes of technology and polytechnics
Institutes of technology and polytechnics (ITP) offer general technical and vocational education, as well as undertaking applied research. Most learners study vocational programmes at levels 1–6 of the NZQF, but following education reforms during the 1990s ITPs have been permitted to offer degree and postgraduate programmes, and are increasingly offering these programs, including a small number of doctorates. The vocational qualifications offered by ITPs are developed by industry training organisations, but they are free to set their own curricula and assessments. These are generally based on practical knowledge in a working environment, and learning may take place in classrooms, simulated work environments, external workplaces, or a combination of these. Certification upon graduation is industry-related and real work experiences are often part of the curriculum. The peak body for this sector is New Zealand Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (NZITP) .
On 1 August 2019, the Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced that the Labour-led coalition government would merge all 16 institutes of technology and polytechnics (ITPs) into a single entity in April 2020 called Te Pūkenga, citing declining student numbers and better allocation of government resources. Polytechnics have been cautiously optimistic about the changes despite concerns about losing their autonomy to a national organisation. While Ara Institute of Canterbury chief executive Tony Gray and Otago Polytechnic chief executive Phil Ker have cautiously welcomed the changes, the opposition National Party's Education spokesperson Shane Reti and Southern Institute of Technology CEO Penny Simonds have opposed the merger, saying that it would lead to job losses.
Following the 2023 New Zealand general election, the National-led coalition government announced it would be dissolving Te Pūkenga with the goal of restoring the autonomy of the polytechnics. In July 2025, the Government was confirmed that Te Pūkenga would be replaced with 10 stand-alone polytechnics from 1 January 2026, and that Te Pūkenga would continue operating for another year until its disestablishment on 31 December 2026.
Wānanga
A wānanga is a publicly owned tertiary institution that provides education in a Māori cultural context. Section 162 of the Education Act 1989section 162 of the Education Act 1989 (re-affirmed by the Waitangi Tribunal in 2005) specifies that wānanga resemble mainstream universities in many ways. , wānanga offer certificates, diplomas, and bachelor-level degrees, with some wānanga providing programmes in specialised areas up to doctorate level.
Wānanga educational programmes are accredited through the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) and the Ministry of Education, and are partly governed by New Zealand's Tertiary Education Commission (TEC).
In Maori tradition the word wānanga conveyed meanings related to highly evolved knowledge, lore, occult arts, and also "forum" in the sense of a discussion to arrive at deeper understanding.
There are three official wānanga: Te Wānanga o Raukawa, Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi and Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.
Other tertiary education organisations
Private training establishments