Education New Zealand welcomes urgent changes to pastoral care for domestic students

ENZ Chief Executive Grant McPherson says, “The New Zealand education sector has long been recognised as leading the way in providing great pastoral care for international students, and we welcome the news that a code for domestic tertiary students will be introduced next year.”

New Zealand has had a compulsory Code of Pastoral Care for International Students since 2002. The Code provides an additional duty of care to provide assurance about the quality of the New Zealand system to prospective students and their families.

International students already have strong protections in place in the existing Code of Pastoral Care for International Students, including safety, wellbeing and accommodation and they will continue to be well supported to have an excellent experience while studying during 2020.

McPherson says international providers need to be aware of one important change that affects them. New offences and penalties introduced today will also apply to institutions enrolling international students. These offences and penalties are for severe breaches of the Code.

The interim domestic tertiary code will be in place from 1 January 2020 until 1 January 2021. Next year, the Government will develop a permanent Code of Practice with significant sector engagement to ensure it is enduring. This will provide an opportunity to address any gaps in the current Code of Pastoral Care for International Students, in time for 2021.

“Education New Zealand welcomes any initiative that ensures all students receive a high-quality education and a positive experience that supports their educational achievement.”

Further information:

• Minister’s media release
• Cabinet paper
• The Education (Pastoral Care of International Students) Code of Practice 2016 is administered by NZQA who can, with the Minister’s permission, delegate administration functions to Universities NZ