Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Primary)

Gain real-life experience, professional knowledge, and bicultural skills to work with tamariki from years zero to ten (aged 5-15).

This programme will explore what it means to be a reflective, ethical, culturally responsive, and child-centred teacher in Aotearoa New Zealand. Through the graduate diploma you will build your understanding of the New Zealand curriculum, gain insights into children’s learning and development, and develop your knowledge of high-quality teaching practices.. Furthermore, you will gain the skills to embrace te reo me ōna tikanga Māori, Pacific culture, and the cultural identities of all tamariki you teach.

Completion of this teacher education programme presents you with the opportunity to achieve your full teacher registration certificate from the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Note: International students are required to be in New Zealand to study this programme.

• Full-time or part-time
• Online
• Field-based
• Practicum
• In-person Orientation
• Noho marae

This programme can be undertaken full-time for one year or part-time over two years.

A blend of online, face-to-face, and field-based learning will be used to deliver teaching and learning.

To set you up for success in the graduate diploma programme there is a three-day, in-person orientation at the start of semester one. In addition to this you will have an overnight noho marae experience in your local region in semester one and a one-day, online orientation at the start of semester two.

In addition to supervised practice in your local primary school, you will need to complete two teaching practicum placements, totalling 12 weeks in a different setting during the programme.

Alongside readily accessible support online, in-person support is available across our 11 Regional Education Centres. Simply locate the one nearest to you.

Assessment

This programme is assessed by internal assessment. Assessments are varied and include online conversation participation, essays, reports, PowerPoint presentations, multimedia presentations and other assessment types.

To be eligible for programme admission, you must:

• Hold an equivalent NZQA Level 7 Bachelor’s Degree or higher (if gained overseas you may be required to have this assessed by NZQA).

• Be at least 17 years of age if you are a domestic student; or 18 years of age if you are an international student.

• Provide 2 written confidential referee reports.
  Reports from family members or friends will not be accepted.

• Complete and pass a children’s worker safety check as required under the Children’s Act 2014.

• Consent to and pass a police vetting check as required by the Children’s Act 2014.

• Show proficiency in English as per the Teaching Council’s language competency requirements.
  See: Language Competency Requirements

• Arrange to work or volunteer at a primary, intermediate or area school, supervised by a registered teacher with a full practising certificate, for a period of at least:

  • 2 days a week; or
  • 1 day a week, if you are studying part-time

The Teaching Council is currently consulting on a proposal to introduce a requirement that student teachers enrolling in an initial teacher education (ITE) programme for primary teaching would have to demonstrate competence in mathematics, using either of the following measures:

Holding a minimum of 14 credits at Achieved, Merit or Excellence in the NCEA subjects ‘Mathematics and Statistics’ and /or ‘Pāngarau’ at NCEA Level 2 or above (or a recognised equivalent), or
Passing a mathematics assessment as specified by the Teaching Council.

Te Rito Maioha is continuing to recruit students to begin study in 2025 based on the existing ITE entry requirements. The Teaching Council has advised us that they are comfortable for enrolment to continue as no decision has yet been made.



However, student teachers commencing study in 2025 should be aware that, if the Teaching Council were to approve the current proposal after consultation, should they not meet measure (a) above, they would be required to pass the mathematics assessment specified by the Teaching Council with at least the specified minimum score before they were able to graduate from the programme. (This reflects that the Teaching Council’s consultation proposes, as a transitional arrangement for 2025 and 2026, that measure (b) can be able to be met prior to graduation, rather than prior to entry to the programme.)



Note: this message reflects advice received from the Teaching Council.

What is a verified copy?
A verified copy is a photocopy of your original document signed as being a true and accurate copy by a Justice of the Peace (JP), solicitor, church minister, kaumātua, police officer, school principal, Member of Parliament or Te Rito Maioha teaching staff member. You can find a list of Justices of the Peace in the Yellow Pages of the telephone book or at Royal Federation of NZ Justices’ Associations

Documents required to submit an application

1. Primary ID
You must supply a verified copy of one of the documents below:

• New Zealand Birth Certificate issued on or after 1 January 1998 carrying a unique identification number
• New Zealand Passport
• Overseas passport (must include relevant visa/residency permit)
• New Zealand Emergency travel document
• New Zealand refugee travel document
• New Zealand certificate of identity (issued under the Passports Act 1992 to non-NZ citizens who cannot obtain a passport from their country of origin)
• New Zealand certificate of identity (issued under the Immigration Act 1987 to people who have refugee status)
• New Zealand citizenship certificate

2. Secondary ID
You must supply a verified copy of one of the documents below:

• New Zealand Driver’s licence
• 18+ Card
• Community services card
• NZ student photo identification card – from another tertiary institution
• NZ employee photo identification card
• NZ electoral roll record
• Inland revenue number
• NZ utility bill, issued not more than six months earlier.

3. Evidence of qualification

This programme consists of 4 (30-credit) courses and 2 (15-credit) courses.

During this programme, you will study 6 courses:

Fees cover all tuition costs, student guides, readings and Noho Marae.

All fees shown are for domestic students studying in 2025*:

The field-based placement fee is a compulsory course cost for the Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Primary)

Fees may be subject to late payment fees after the due date.

Enrolling as an international student, you will be subject to international fees.

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