Learners Publications
Access to tertiary education, pathways, transitions from school to tertiary education, student support, participation rates, education statistics of NZ, state of education in NZ, student retention and qualification and course completion rates.
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Self-reported effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand: Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) 2023
This report examines the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lives of New Zealand adults aged 16 to 75 years. It uses peoples’ own evaluations of how the pandemic had affected eight areas of their lives. The data was…
Author(s): Nicola Marshall, Paul Satherley (Senior Research Analysts), and Dee Earle (Principal Research Analyst), Ministry of Education
Date Published: May 2026
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Persistent non-repayers
This report analyses the characteristics of student loan persistent non-repayers. They are student loan borrowers who left study in 2006 with a leaving debt of at least $20 and who, as New Zealand-based borrowers, made no repayments in three or…
Author(s): Loan Pham, Tertiary Sector Performance Analysis, Ministry of Education
Date Published: April 2019
Date Updated: October 2025
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Recent trends in school leavers going overseas
Are our highest achieving school leavers increasingly choosing to do their tertiary studies overseas? This paper looks at the recent trends in the data to see if this is true and discusses some of the potential policy implications.…
Author(s): David Scott, Tertiary System Performance Analysis, Ministry of Education
Date Published: April 2025
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Let’s Get Accessible: Disabled students’ experiences navigating the tertiary education system
Let’s Get Accessible: Disabled students’ experiences navigating the tertiary education system is a collaborative project between the Ministry of Education, National Disabled Students Association, Tertiary Education Commission, and the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. The project gathered qualitative data on the…
Author(s): Jessica Smith
Date Published: February 2024 Updated: May 2024
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How do expectations influence tertiary education attainment
This report looks at the influence of students’, and their parents’, expectations of their future education attainment at age 15 on their tertiary education attainment by age 28. It looks at whether expectations have an influence over and above other…
Author(s): Dee Earle, Tertiary Sector Performance Analysis, Ministry of Education
Date Published: April 2024
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Can health and disability services data in the IDI provide a useful indicator of disability?
This paper reports on a feasibility study into using health and disability services data in Stats NZ’s Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI) to provide an indicator of disability in the adult population. It investigates whether this data can be used to…
Author(s): Dee Earle, Tertiary Sector Performance Analysis, Ministry of Education
Date Published: September 2023
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The impact of COVID-19 on tertiary education in NZ: Course completions 2019-2022
This report is the second in a series that analyses the initial and longer-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tertiary education system in New Zealand. It uses course-level data to look at the impact on attainment in provider-based…
Author(s): Nicola Marshall, Tertiary System Performance Analysis, Ministry of Education
Date Published: August 2023
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Travel to tertiary: An analysis of how far school leavers travelled for tertiary study
This report examines the mobility of young school leavers in terms of the distance travelled to undertake their tertiary studies and in terms of the proportion of students travelling out of their regions. The analysis can provide information to help…
Author(s): Gabriele Frigerio Porta, Tertiary Sector Performance Analysis, Ministry of Education
Date Published: October 2022
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The impact of COVID-19 on tertiary education in New Zealand: Initial impact on participation
This report is the first in a series that analyses the initial and longer-term impact of COVID-19 on the tertiary education system in New Zealand. This report used indicative part-year data to take an early look at the impact on…
Author(s): Warren Smart, Tertiary Sector Performance Analysis, Ministry of Education
Date Published: December 2021
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Working while studying: Young New Zealand domestic students
This analytical report examines the work intensity of young New Zealand domestic students who were working while studying. It looks at the association between their work intensity and their course completion rates in 2019. The analysis is based on data…
Author(s): Loan Pham, Tertiary Sector Performance Analysis, Ministry of Education.
Date Published: October 2021
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Student Loan Scheme Annual Reports
This is the home page for the Student Loan Scheme Annual Report publication series. The Student Loan Scheme Annual Report has been tabled in Parliament each year since 2001 and provides public accountability information to government and New Zealanders to…
Author(s): Ministry of Education, Inland Revenue, the Ministry of Social Development and Statistics New Zealand
Date Published: Annually
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Disabled people and tertiary education: An analysis of the 2013 Disability Survey
This report investigates the participation and success of disabled people in tertiary education, using data from the 2013 Disability Survey. The purpose of the report is to inform policy to support the needs of disabled people in tertiary education.…
Author(s): Dee Earle, Tertiary Sector Performance Analysis, Ministry of Education
Date Published: November 2019
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The use of NCEA in the entry requirements of tertiary qualifications
This brief describes the extent to which tertiary education providers use NCEA in the entry requirements for their qualifications.…
Author(s): Rebekah Roos and David Scott, Tertiary Sector Performance Analysis, Ministry of Education.
Date Published: November 2018
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Going on to, and achieving in, higher-level tertiary education
This project looked at factors associated with participation and achievement in higher-level tertiary education for young people up to the age of 20. One report looks at factors associated with participation at Level 4 and above, the other looks at…
Author(s): Dee Earle, Tertiary Sector Performance Analysis, Ministry of Education
Date Published: September 2018
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Post-school labour-market outcomes of school-based NCEA
This report presents some basic statistics on what happens to school leavers in the first few years after school, and what difference school-based NCEA makes on post-school labour market outcomes.…
Author(s): David Scott, Tertiary Sector Performance Analysis, Ministry of Education.
Date Published: September 2018
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Impacts of University Entrance changes on Year 13 school leavers
This factsheet looks at the impact of the 2014 changes to the requirements for University Entrance (UE) on Year 13 school leavers. In particular, the factsheet looks at UE attainment rates, NCEA Level 3 rates, progression to bachelors or higher…
Author(s): Zaneta Park, Tertiary Sector Performance Analysis
Date Published: August 2018
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What are they doing? The field of study of domestic students/learners 2008-2016
This report analyses the field of study of domestic students/learners in the New Zealand tertiary education system between 2008 and 2016.…
Author(s): Warren Smart, Tertiary Sector Performance Analysis, Ministry of Education.
Date Published: January 2018
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What did they do? The field of study of domestic graduates 2008-2016
This report analyses the field of study of domestic graduates in the New Zealand tertiary education system between 2008 and 2016.…
Author(s): Warren Smart, Ministry of Education
Date Published: January 2018
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What did they do? The field of study of domestic graduates 2008-2015
This report analyses the field of study of domestic graduates in the New Zealand tertiary education system between 2011 and 2015 for below bachelors level and between 2008 and 2015 for bachelors level or higher.…
Author(s): Warren Smart, Ministry of Education
Date Published: November 2016
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What are they doing? The field of study of domestic students/learners 2008-2015
This report analyses the field of study of domestic students/learners in the New Zealand tertiary education system between 2011 and 2015 for below bachelors degree level and between 2008 and 2015 for bachelors level or higher.…
Author(s): Warren Smart, Tertiary Sector Performance Analysis, Ministry of Education.
Date Published: August 2016
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