New Zealand Qualifications Authority

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New Zealand Qualifications Authority
Mana Tohu Mātauranga o Aotearoa
New Zealand Qualifications Authority
Agency overview
Formed 1989
Jurisdiction New Zealand government
Headquarters Level 13
125 The Terrace
Wellington
New Zealand
Employees 365 (2007)[1]
Annual Budget NZD ~$70 million[2]
Minister Responsible Chris Carter, Minister of Education
Agency Executives Sue Suckling, Board Chairperson
 
Karen Poutasi, Chief Executive
Parent agency Ministry of Education
Website
www.nzqa.govt.nz

The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA, Māori: Mana Tohu Mātauranga o Aotearoa) is the New Zealand government department tasked with providing national and international leadership in assessment and qualifications. The NZQA quality assure secondary and tertiary qualifications and education providers, evaluate overseas qualifications and administer the New Zealand Register of Quality Assured Qualifications and the National Qualifications Framework, including the NCEA and the New Zealand Scholarship.

It is a "Crown Entity" established under the section 248 of the Education Act 1989.[2] In July 1990 it took over the work of the former Universities Entrance Board, the Ministry of Education's examinations, the Trades Certification Board and the Authority for Advanced Vocational Awards.[3]

NZQA is funded from the central government as well as fees, with the budget being about $70 million each year.[2]

In 2005 the Authority's Chairman and CEO resigned after a State Services Commission into the 2004 New Zealand Scholarship exams. In the physics exams only 39 out of 1,012 students who sat the exam received a scholarship while in English the result was 228 out of 587.[4] This, and the state of the Authority as a whole at that time, was described by media as a "debacle".[5]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ NZQA Annual Report 2006-2007. NZQA. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
  2. ^ a b c About NZQA. NZQA. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
  3. ^ QA News August 2000. NZQA. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
  4. ^ Scholarship statistics 2007. NZQA. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
  5. ^ Thomson, Ainsley; Dye, Stuart (May 17, 2005). Van Rooyen receives $50,000 to 'work' from home. New Zealand Herald. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.

[edit] External links

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