The Minister of Education, Hon Erica Stanford announced yesterday a new qualification system to replace NCEA. The full announcement is available here.

Summary from the Ministry of Education

Cabinet approved an initial package outlining the structural components of the new qualification system. These include:

• Replacing NCEA with a new secondary qualifications system with two levels over two years at Years 12 & 13.

• Introducing subject-based assessment for Years 12 & 13, ensuring students are assessed on whole curriculum subjects.

• Removing NCEA Level 1 and replacing it with deeper, curriculum-driven learning in Year 11. This will better prepare students for the qualification in Years 12 and 13.  

• Introducing a Foundational Award recognising students’ achievement in literacy and numeracy at a Year 11 curriculum level. 

• A requirement that all Year 11 students study English | Te Reo Rangatira and Mathematics | Pāngarau from 2028. 

• Integrating industry-led subjects into the senior curriculum, providing a single qualification pathway.  

This is the first tranche in the design of the new qualification system. The detailed design of the new qualification will now get underway.Tranche two includes achievement requirements for Year 12 and 13; whether the Foundational Award is a requirement for the Year 12 and 13 qualifications; and more information about how grading is going to work, for example what scale is used for grading.  Assessment will be developed to incentivise learning and achievement, better preparing students for life after school.

Implementation information and support

Schools are not required to make any changes in 2026 as the NCEA still applies.

The new qualification system will be implemented from 2028 (Y11), 2029 (Y12) and 2030 (Y13). This will help give teachers the time to familiarise themselves with the updated curriculum and the new qualifications and time for the school system, more broadly, to adapt.