New Zealand Diploma in ECE (Home-based Care)

Our New Zealand Diploma in ECE (Home-based Care) is designed for all home-based educators wanting to exceed the standard requirements for home-based care settings in 2025.

This programme provides home-based care educators with a strong foundation in child well-being, early learning, and development in the bicultural context of Aotearoa New Zealand.

To transition the home-based early childhood workforce to becoming fully qualified in 2025 the government makes it possible for you to study and complete this level 5 diploma free of fees in 2025.

Enrolment into this programme requires students to be working or volunteering for a Home-based care provider to complete their field-based learning.

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

Teacher Registration Pathway

This programme does not qualify students for Teacher Registration and a Practicing Certificate from the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand.

• Full-time or part-time
• Orientation day
• Online learning
• Field-based learning

You can choose to enrol in this programme full-time over 1 year or part-time over 2 years, whether you are a qualified or non-qualified teacher.

The courses will be delivered through a blend of online, field-based and face-to-face learning.

You will belong to a connected online community where support from lecturers and pouako is readily accessible. Face-to-face support from lecturers and pouako is also available at your nearest Regional Education Centre.

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:

• 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.

• International students are required to show proficiency in English by achieving an IELTS 5.5 overall (no band lower than 5) or a minimum mark of 42 overall at PTE Academic (no band lower than 36). NZ residents schooled outside of New Zealand may need to provide other evidence of their English language proficiency.
  See: Language Competency Requirements

• Meet the minimum requirements to study at tertiary level in New Zealand.
  We accept either:

  • NCEA Level 3, including 10 literacy credits at Level 2 and 10 numeracy credits at Level 1

  • Equivalent experience or learning sufficient to study in the programme
    

• Arrange to work or volunteer for a Home-based provider, supervised by a registered teacher with full practising certificate, for a period of at least:

  • 12 hours a week; or
  • 6 hours a week, if you are studying part-time.

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.

This programme consists of 4 (30-credit) courses that can be studied full-time over one year or part-time over two years:

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

In 2025, our Home-based Care programme will be free for all domestic students.

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