38130 (2025). Dr Lawrence Xu-Nan to the Minister of Education

38130 (2025). Dr Lawrence Xu-Nan to the Minister of Education: What international comparison, if any, will/are being made to the new schooling qualification announced 4 August 2025?

Hon Erica Stanford: The proposed changes to NCEA are currently being consulted on until 15 September 2025. The proposal to move towards a structured subject-based approach aligns with internationally comparable qualification pathways, which all use a subject-based approach. Most internationally comparable qualifications pathways do not include three years of high-stakes assessment. The proposal to remove NCEA level 1 would bring our national qualification pathway closer to comparable qualifications which generally have no more than two years of high stakes assessments.