Category: Tertiary Education Commission

Source: Tertiary Education Commission

Last updated 30 November 2023
Last updated 30 November 2023

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This page provides information on how researchers can request further information about the assessment of their Evidence Portfolio in a previous Performance-Based Research Fund (PBRF) Quality Evaluation round.
This page provides information on how researchers can request further information about the assessment of their Evidence Portfolio in a previous Performance-Based Research Fund (PBRF) Quality Evaluation round.

Requesting your results from previous Quality Evaluations
Individual researchers may request information on the assessment of their own Evidence Portfolio from the Quality Evaluation 2018.
To request this information, complete a Request for Evidence Portfolio Information form (PDF 197 KB).
Important: This is a writable PDF form. Please download and save the form, complete it, then save again before emailing it to customerservice@tec.govt.nz.
You can choose to have your results emailed to you rather than posted, and we encourage you to select this option for speed and efficiency.
To ensure confidentiality, if we have any concerns related to your identity, we will not release the information.
Tertiary education organisations (TEOs) cannot request this information on behalf of staff.

Source: Tertiary Education Commission

Last updated 30 November 2023
Last updated 30 November 2023

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This page provides a list of Performance-Based Research Fund (PBRF) publications, guidelines and other resources.
This page provides a list of Performance-Based Research Fund (PBRF) publications, guidelines and other resources.

These include:
Quality Evaluation 2026 publications
guidelines
user manuals
technical specifications
annual reports and performance information
reporting External Research Income (ERI)
measuring Research Degree Completions information
older resources.
Quality Evaluation 2026 publications
Guidelines for Quality Evaluation 2026
Other Quality Evaluation 2026 publications
For Sector Reference Group (SRG) consultation papers, see SRG consultation papers 2026.
For Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) consultation papers, see TEC consultation papers 2026.
User manuals
PBRF User Manual V5 (PDF 907 KB) (updated March 2022)A comprehensive guide to the PBRF as a whole. Outlines key components of the PBRF, the purpose and drivers of the fund and information to help tertiary education organisations to respond to the data requirements of the PBRF.
Performance allocations and annual reports
Performance allocations
Annual reports
Reporting External Research Income (ERI)
Research Degree Completions Business Rules
Older resources
Quality Evaluation 2018
Guidelines for tertiary education organisations participating in the 2018 Quality Evaluation (PDF 2.3 MB) (updated June 2018)This document provides information that tertiary education organisations (TEOs) need to determine staff eligibility, complete Evidence Portfolios, understand and participate in the TEC audit process, and understand the reporting of results. It also provides information about other related processes, such as submitting conflict of interest notices and complaints to the TEC.
Guidelines for the 2018 Quality Evaluation assessment process (PDF 2.2 MB)This document provides information about the assessment process undertaken by the 13 peer review panels. This includes information on the responsibilities of the panel, the scoring system and detailed scoring descriptors for Evidence Portfolios, the stages in the assessment process, the moderation process, and information about conflicts of interest and confidentiality.
A guide for staff members participating in the 2018 Quality Evaluation (PDF 1.4 MB)This document provides staff members with an overview of the process, their responsibilities and the responsibilities of their employing TEOs and the TEC. It also identifies the key areas of the Quality Evaluation process that relate to them and who can provide support. The guide is designed to be an overview of the process and directs staff members to the relevant areas of the other guidelines.
Panel-specific guidelines for the 2018 Quality Evaluation (PDF 1.6 MB) (updated April 2018)This document provides subject-specific advice to support TEOs and their staff members to develop and submit Evidence Portfolios. The panel-specific guidelines are supplementary to, and must be read in conjunction with, the guidelines listed above. 
Quality Evaluation 2012
2012 PBRF Quality Evaluation Guidelines (PDF 1.1 MB) (updated May 2013)An overview of the Quality Evaluation process, including eligibility criteria; submission, assignment and assessment of Evidence Portfolios (EPs); Panels, Expert Advisory Groups (EAGs), and audit and complaint processes.
Quality Evaluation 2006
Other historical resources and publications relating to earlier PBRF cycles have been archived. They can be requested by emailing pbrfhelp@tec.govt.nz.

Source: Tertiary Education Commission

For user manuals, technical specifications, annual reports and performance information, reporting External Research Income (ERI) and measuring Research Degree Completions, see Resources and publications – PBRF.
Funding mechanism
The Minister responsible for tertiary education issues the Performance-Based Research Fund (PBRF) funding mechanism. The funding mechanism outlines the general form and essential components of the fund. It provides the mandate for us to allocate the funding and what the funding can be used for, and details how we administer the fund.
Funding requirements
Funding is agreed through a tertiary education organisation’s (TEO’s) Investment Plan (Plan).
A TEO that receives PBRF funding is required to:
Funding allocation
We use prior performance information to calculate an indicative allocation of PBRF funding for the next calendar year (PDF 731 KB).
The PBRF is a mixed performance-assessment regime that uses both peer review processes and performance measures.
We calculate PBRF allocations based on the performance of eligible TEOs in three components:
the latest Quality Evaluation;
the number of eligible Research Degree Completions; and
the value of External Research Income.
For more information on these components of the Fund, see Performance-Based Research Fund.
Quality Evaluation
The Quality Evaluation part of the funding allocation, which currently uses results from the 2018 round, is based on the award of funded Quality Categories and subject area weighting of Evidence Portfolios submitted by TEOs. It is calculated relative to:
the funded Quality Category assigned to Evidence Portfolios (EPs) – ie, A, B, C or C (NE);
the full-time equivalency status of the participating TEO’s PBRF-eligible staff member as recorded in the PBRF Staff Data File; and
the weighting for the subject area to which EPs have been assigned.
Note that for Quality Evaluation 2026 the funding calculation will include some new elements. For more information, please see the PBRF User Manual (PDF 907 KB).
Research Degree Completions
The Research Degree Completions part of the funding allocation is based on a three-year rolling average of a TEO’s research-based postgraduate degree completions, weighted by:
research volume,
relative costs of the subject areas,
ethnicity, and
completions in te reo Māori.
For the definitions and rules on measuring research degree completions, see Resources and publications – PBRF.
External Research Income (ERI)
The ERI part of the funding allocation is based on a three-year rolling average of a TEO’s proportion of total ERI earned, weighted by funding source.
Indicative allocations
Te Pūkenga’s allocation percentage is based on consolidation of the relevant year data for each of the three funding components for the Institute of Technology and Polytechnic (ITP) it replaces.
An indicative funding allocation may be made to a TEO that later transfers delivery to a transitional or other TEO. In that case, we will engage with the new TEO to transfer and adjust the allocation.
We will adjust the allocation of the provider receiving the largest portion of Research Degree Completions Funding if the final rounded calculations create an over-allocation of the annual funding of the PBRF. We will accept a small difference where funding is under-allocated due to rounded calculations.
For the methodology and technical specifications for calculating the PBRF indicative allocations, see Indicative allocations by year.
PBRF wash-up
For the methodology and technical specifications for the PBRF wash-up, see Funding wash-ups by year.
Funding conditions
The current and historic funding conditions specific to the Performance-Based Research Fund can be found in the yearly Funding Conditions Catalogues. See Funding conditions by year.

Source: Tertiary Education Commission

Information for private training establishments He pārongo mō ngā wāhi whakangungu motuhake

Private training establishments deliver foundation level programmes; and qualifications up to post-graduate level. This section includes information for private training establishments, including change of ownership conditions and financial viability requirements for TEC-funded private training establishments.
Ko tā te whakahaere whakangungu motuhake, he tuku kaupapa tūāpapa; me ngā tohu mātauranga piki atu ki te taumata tāura. Kei konei he pārongo mō ngā whakahaere whakangungu motuhake, arā, ko ngā tikanga whakawhiti rangatiratanga me ngā tikanga whakahaere pūtea mō ērā whakahaere whakangungu motuhake nā TEC tā rātou pūtea tautoko.

Source: Tertiary Education Commission

TEI councils are responsible for the development and good governance of their organisation. They must balance upholding the autonomy and academic freedom of their organisation with being publicly accountable.
TEI councils are expected to take a strategic and leadership role in guiding their organisations to ensure they continue to improve their performance and are responsive to change and opportunity.
Effective councils provide clear strategic leadership and set and monitor the achievement of challenging targets. They have well-informed members with a good understanding of stakeholders and their institution’s strengths and areas for improvement. Effective councils challenge the management team about the institution’s performance as well as self-reviewing or reflecting on their own performance on a regular basis.
Being a council member is an opportunity for people with the right skills and experience to make a significant contribution to tertiary education in New Zealand and guide decision-making that will benefit not only the institution itself, but also its learners and the wider community.
Role of TEI councils

Source: Tertiary Education Commission

We make bulk payments to tertiary education organisations (TEOs) to cover the cost of Fees Free enrolments for each calendar year.
How allocations and payments work
For provider-based enrolments, at the start of each year, we use your TEO’s information from prior years to determine your indicative allocation for this calendar year. We create a payment schedule based on that allocation, which usually includes monthly payments. Throughout the year, we monitor your reported delivery. We make adjustment payments in-year as required, if your delivery is trending significantly higher or lower than your allocation for the calendar year.For work-based enrolments, we pay you each month based on the fees reported and validated for your work-based learners that calendar month.
At the end of each year, after we’ve received your final provider-based and work-based Fees Free returns, we complete a wash-up of all Fees Free allocations and make a final payment or recovery, so that your final allocation matches your delivery for the year.
Find out more about your allocations and payments
All information on your organisation’s allocations can be found in the My Allocations and Payments application in Ngā Kete:
My Allocations and Payments
2024 Fees Free allocations will be available from the end of November. To see how we calculated your 2024 allocation, read the 2024 methodology:
2024 Fees Free Methodology (PDF 212 KB)
To see how we calculated your 2022 funding wash-ups, read the 2022 methodology and technical specifications:
2022 Global Wash-up Methodology (PDF 1.1 MB)
How to check learners’ eligibility for Fees Free
Eligibility statuses can change daily based on statutory declarations, eligibility appeals, and other information submitted to the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC). It’s important to check the eligibility status of your learners regularly, so that you can report eligible enrolments to us.
You can check learners’ eligibility status through the Fees Free website, Workspace 2, or by emailing us.
Checking learner eligibility on the Fees Free website
The Fees Free website, while mostly used by learners, can be used by TEOs to check a learner’s eligibility. The website is updated daily.
FeesFree.govt.nz
Checking learner eligibility on Workspace 2
On the home page of Workspace 2, there is a Shared Documents section. Here, you’ll find several Fees Free Eligibility CSV files that list all eligible learners (those with a “Yes” or “Starter” status) that have remaining Fees Free entitlement, for each calendar year. These are the learners you will need to report for Fees Free.
If a learner is not on this list, then:
they are ineligible for Fees Free, or
their status is ‘Unknown’, or
they are eligible but have already used their full entitlement in a previous year.
There is a different file for each calendar year. Please check a learner’s eligibility status for the year they started their study or training.
All files are updated daily.
Workspace 2
Checking learner eligibility by email
For large numbers of learners, you may wish to send a CSV file containing a list of National Student Numbers (NSNs) enrolled with your organisation in the current calendar year to customerservice@tec.govt.nz.
We’ll return this file to you with the learners’ eligibility statuses within two business days.
This file will allow us to give you the status of every learner enrolled with your TEO, whether the learner is eligible or not.
Reporting
As with other funds, you must report your Fees Free eligible enrolments to us so that we can monitor Fees Free entitlement use, and calculate the allocation due to you for each enrolled learner.
Reporting provider-based study
Each month, we provide you with a blank Fees Free All Enrolments and Costs template on Workspace 2, which you should use to report all your eligible Fees Free enrolments, to date, for the calendar year.We email the lead contact and the data return contacts for each TEO at the start of each reporting round. You can also find the dates of the reporting rounds in the TEC business calendar.When you submit your returns to us, we validate the information and send you two reports in return. One lets you know any errors we have found in your return (the Fees Free All Enrolments and Costs Data Validation report). The other tells you how much we intend to allocate to you for each learner you have reported to us (the Fees Free Multiple Providers and Cap Limit report).For guides to help you fill in and understand your reports, see Guidance – Fees Free.
If you have any questions, please contact your Relationship Manager or Advisor, or the Customer Contact Group on 0800 601 301 or customerservice@tec.govt.nz.
Reporting work-based training
Each month, we give you a blank Fees Free Programmes and Fees template on Workspace 2, which you use to report the fees you are charging for eligible learners in that month.
You also receive a Fees Free Schedule of Fees, which you need to fill in the first time you report to us. After that, you should only fill it in when you make changes. The Schedule of Fees is a complete list of fees that you charge to learners enrolled in eligible programmes. We used it to help us validate the information you submit in your Programmes and Fees return.
We email the lead contact and the data return contacts for each organisation at the beginning of each reporting round. You can also find the dates of the reporting rounds in the TEC business calendar.When you submit your returns to us, we validate the information and send you a Remittance. This lets you know any errors we have found in your return, and tells you how much we intend to allocate to you for each learner you have reported to us.For guides to help you fill in and understand your reports, see Guidance – Fees Free.
If you have any questions, please contact your Relationship Manager or Advisor, or the Customer Contact Group on 0800 601 301 or customerservice@tec.govt.nz.

Source: Tertiary Education Commission

Information for tertiary education institutions He pārongo mō ngā TEI

Tertiary education institutions (TEIs) comprise universities, institutes of technology and polytechnics, and wānanga. This section contains information for TEIs about governance (TEI councils), borrowing and investments, financial monitoring, seismic risk and capital asset management.
 
Ko ngā pūtahi mātauranga matua, (ngā TEI) ko ēnei e whai ake nei. Ko ngā whare wānanga, ngā kura pūkenga, ngā kuratini me ngā wānanga. Kei konei he kōrero mā ngā TEI e pā ana ki te kaitiakitanga (me ngā kaunihera TEI), te tono pūtea taurewa me ngā pūtea tautoko, te aroturuki ā-pūtea, te whatitata rū me te whakahaere rawa matua.

Source: Tertiary Education Commission

Our focus Tō Mātou Aronganui

In this section, you will read about our organisational strategy which aims to ensure the tertiary education system can respond to change and continue to improve outcomes for learners and industry.
I tēnei wāhanga ka ako koe mō ngā whāinga tōmua o te Rautaki Mātauranga Matua 2014–2019 me te āhua o ōna pānga ki tā mātou whakapaunga pūtea tautoko ā-tau, tata ki te $3 piriona. Kei konei hoki tā mātou rautaki umanga hei pānuitanga māu. Ko tāna, he whai ana kia aro atu te pūnaha mātauranga matua ki ngā rerenga kētanga o te wā, kia whai tonu kia pai ake ngā huanga mō ngā ākonga me ngā wahi ahumahi. 

Source: Tertiary Education Commission

Last updated 20 November 2023
Last updated 20 November 2023

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In late February 2024, the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) will release guidance to tertiary providers on what to include in their Investment Plan for 2025.
In late February 2024, the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) will release guidance to tertiary providers on what to include in their Investment Plan for 2025.

Plan Guidance, the Strategic Intent and Learner Success Plan template and the Gazette notice for Investment Plans will all be available in late February 2024. These documents contain information about our priorities and expectations for provision in 2025 and how your Plans will reflect this.
For this funding round the information released in February 2024 will contain our overarching priorities for investment as well as some specific target areas in provision for foundation, vocational and higher education. We are also incorporating into Plan Guidance the improvements in performance outcomes we are looking for from TEOs to achieve our investment priorities. Previously, we released this information as Investment Briefs.
Investment Round indicative timeline for 2025
To help you prepare for the next funding round, we are releasing an indicative timeline of the major milestones that will occur for investment in 2025.

Activity

Timing

TEC releases Plan Guidance and Plan engagement begins

End of February 2024

TEC publishes notices in the New Zealand Gazette setting out requirements for Plan content, timetable, assessment, and Plan summaries

End of February 2024

Government announces Budget

May 2024

TEC provides indicative allocations

By 4 June 2024

TEC releases Mix of Provision (MoP) and Educational Performance Indicator Commitment (EPIC) templates

By 10 June 2024

TEC releases Supplementary Plan Guidance to reflect any policy or Budget changes (as required)

June 2024

Providers submit proposed Plans, including MoPs, EPICs, Learner Success Plans (LSPs) and Disability Action Plans (DAPs)

By 5 July 2024

TEC reviews proposed Plans and has further discussion with providers as needed

July–October 2024

Providers are notified of decisions in writing

From November 2024

First payments made against Plans; Plan delivery begins

January 2025

Source: Tertiary Education Commission

Last updated 15 November 2023
Last updated 15 November 2023

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This page provides links to Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) consultation papers, consultation feedback summaries and decision documents related to Quality Evaluation 2026.
This page provides links to Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) consultation papers, consultation feedback summaries and decision documents related to Quality Evaluation 2026.

The TEC consults with the sector and other stakeholders on a range of issues as part of implementing Quality Evaluation 2026.
See the table below for Performance-Based Research Fund (PBRF) Quality Evaluation 2026 consultation papers. We will update this table over time.