Tertiary pastoral care obligations in New Zealand

All tertiary providers and providers enrolling international learners

The Code applies to all tertiary education organisations (TEOs) including universities, institutes of technology and polytechnics, wānanga, and private training establishments — and to all providers enrolling international learners regardless of type. Providers must be audited against the Code by NZQA (for domestic providers) or the International Education Appeals Authority.

Every provider must:

• Have a documented and implemented pastoral care system
• Ensure learners are informed of all available support services
• Actively identify learners who may be at risk and respond promptly
• Ensure staff are trained and competent in pastoral care
• Have an accessible, fair, and confidential complaints process
• Maintain accurate records of pastoral care activities

Promoting learner wellbeing

Providers must take all reasonable steps to promote learner wellbeing and safety, including:

• Physical safety on campus and in accommodation
• Psychological wellbeing and mental health support
• Freedom from harassment, bullying, and discrimination
• Safe and accessible reporting channels
• Support for learners who disclose abuse or assault

Proactive identification — not just response

Providers must have documented processes to:

• Identify learners who may be at risk of harm to themselves or others
• Respond promptly and appropriately to identified risk
• Refer to appropriate professional support
• Follow up to monitor wellbeing

Indicators of risk include: withdrawal from classes, sudden change in behaviour, expressed distress, disclosed personal crisis, non-attendance, financial hardship, and third-party welfare concerns.

Must have a critical incident response plan

A critical incident is any event that seriously affects the wellbeing of one or more learners — including serious injury, death, sexual assault, natural disaster, or significant on-campus event.

Providers must:

• Have a written critical incident response plan
• Respond promptly to any critical incident
• Notify appropriate authorities (police, emergency services)
• Support affected learners and staff
• Review the response afterwards and update procedures

Provider-managed accommodation

Where a provider operates or endorses accommodation:

• Accommodation must be safe, suitable, and meet all building and health standards
• Residents must have access to pastoral support 24 hours a day
• Residential staff must be trained in pastoral care and know escalation procedures
• There must be on-call support available at all times

Additional requirements for international students

Providers enrolling international learners must additionally:

• Verify learner wellbeing and safety at the start of their studies
• Ensure learners understand their rights in New Zealand
• Have processes for learners whose visa status is affected
• Notify the Tertiary Education Commission if an international learner cannot be contacted within 5 working days of their expected arrival
• Conduct regular welfare check-ins

Providers placing learners in homestay must:

• Verify the suitability and safety of every homestay provider
• Have written agreements with homestay providers
• Conduct regular wellbeing check-ins with learners in homestay
• Have a process for urgent relocations where safety concerns arise
• Respond within 24 hours to any homestay safety concern

Must be accessible, free, fair, and confidential

Every provider must have a complaints process that is documented, accessible to all learners (including in multiple languages where appropriate), free to use, timely, and capable of providing remedies. External complaints can be made to:

• iStudent Complaints — for international learners (istudent.org.nz)
• NZQA — for domestic learners at PTEs
• The Office of the Ombudsman — for learners at public providers

Regular external review

Providers must conduct an annual self-review against the Code. External audit by NZQA or IEAA occurs at least every 5 years, or more frequently if concerns are identified. Non-compliance can result in conditions on registration, suspension, or revocation of accreditation.