Enrolling to Study in Aotearoa New Zealand
Whakauru mai ki Aotearoa
To successfully enrol, international students need to arrange visas, insurance, pay fees and talk with us. Student applications received via agents are only accepted from agents with a current signed agreement in place. Students studying towards teaching qualifications also need to find voluntary or paid work in an early childhood centre or school. Here is what you need to know.
You’ll need a student visa if you’re planning to study in New Zealand full time and the course is for longer than three months.
Your best visa choice will depend on your programme choices and some other factors. If you’re studying a short programme that’s less than three months, you don’t need a student visa: just a visitor visa. Visit the official New Zealand Immigration website for advice and information on visas.
Why you need a Student Visa
Te Rito Maioha will need to see your student visa to complete your enrolment. Your study visa should show the correct programme and institute of study details (for example, Bachelor of Teaching (ECE) at Te Rito Maioha).
If you hold a work visa, please note that you will need to apply for a Variation of Conditions on your work visa.
If you do not provide a valid visa, you will not have access to education at Te Rito Maioha and risk being removed from your programme of study.
Applying for your visa online
You need to apply for your student visa online through Immigration New Zealand. You will need to create a RealMe account to be able to apply for your student visa online. Follow the instructions given in the RealMe Guide linked below. If you are not eligible to apply online, Immigration NZ will direct you to apply using a paper form.
Education New Zealand have created a tool to help students with the visa application process.
If you already have your updated visa or have had an interim visa sent to you by email, please provide a copy to us as early as possible.
International students may not be covered by the public health system and may need to pay the full cost of health care or medical treatment in New Zealand. You need acceptable medical and travel insurance for the entire time you are enrolled with Te Rito Maioha as an international student. This includes group students.
You may organise your own insurance or purchase approved Southern Cross insurance through Te Rito Maioha. Contact International Student Services on intl@ecnz.ac.nz
Your insurance policy must meet the requirements outlined in The Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021.
Insurance must cover:
- Travel to and from New Zealand, and within New Zealand before, during and after their programme starts and ends, including study breaks and potentially including time either side of the enrolment period.
- Medical care in New Zealand, including diagnosis, prescription, surgery, and hospitalisation. Most international students will not be eligible for Government-funded health care and will need medical insurance to pay the cost of any medical treatment during their visit.
- Repatriation or expatriation as a result of serious illness, injury or death, including cover of travel costs for family members, and funeral costs.
Once you have decided on your programme of study at Te Rito Maioha, click the Apply Now button found on the programme page, or at the top of our website.
Make sure you finalise your application and submit it. Once we receive your application, we will contact you about the required documents you will then need to provide us and any other additional information.
Ensure you have evidence of your English Competency (please refer to the Teaching Council website here).
If you have applied for an Initial Teacher Education programme and need to sit for an internationally approved English proficiency test (listed on Teaching Council website), please send us evidence that you have booked your test. This will help to speed up your application process as we will then be able to invite you for an interview.
Attend the interview when required (for Initial Teacher Education programmes) and let us know if your interview needs to be rescheduled.
If you are living overseas and would like to have someone in New Zealand related to you contacting us about your application, please give us your written consent along with the person’s contact details via email.
Provide the documentation required within the timeframe requested.
Please make sure you submit the two verified forms of identification along with your application. This will help us to speed up your enrolment.
A verified copy of a document means a photocopy signed by a Notary Public, Justice of the Peace (JP), solicitor, church minister, police officer, school principal or Member of Parliament.
If you are applying for an Initial Teacher Education programme, this will help us to speed up your enrolment as we will be able to submit a police vetting request under your name. Police vetting can take up to 6 weeks to be processed and we will not be able to enrol you until we receive a satisfactory Police Vet report.
If you are applying for an Initial Teacher Education programme and you are overseas, please note that you will be required to supply a verified police clearance certificate from any country you have lived during the last 3 years. If the police clearance certificate is not in English language, please also provide an official translation.
For those who will need NZQA assessment, please contact NZQA here with enough notice (the assessment can take up to 3 months).
Bachelor of Teaching (ECE) or Graduate Diploma of Teaching (ECE) students need to be working or volunteering as a student teacher for 12 to 13 hours (two days) each week in an early childhood centre while they are studying.
Bachelor of Teaching (Primary) or Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Primary) students need to be working or volunteering as a student teacher for two days each week in a primary or intermediate school while they are studying.
It is up to you to find a centre or school where you can work or volunteer. You need to do this before your enrolment can be confirmed. You can use this official government website to find early learning services or schools in different parts of New Zealand:
You may be able to transfer credits for formal qualifications and learning gained from earlier study at other universities or education institutions.
If this qualification was completed outside of New Zealand you will need to first have it assessed by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA). The NZQA website will tell you more about this.
Find out how to apply to have an overseas qualification evaluated for use in New Zealand
If you want to apply for credit transfer you need to:
- Indicate this on your programme application form
- Complete an Assessment of Credit for Prior Learning form
- Provide a verified copy of the qualification including your name, a transcript and other information about the learning.
- No recognition of prior learning for informal learning is offered for the programmes that Te Rito Maioha offers for international students.
If you wish to change your studies from studying in your home country to studying in New Zealand, you will need to give advance notice to Te Rito Maioha. Please contact us on intl@ecnz.ac.nz for that purpose.
Extra documentation such as visa, international student insurance, and overseas police vetting will be required. We will inform you of the extra documentation required once we receive your request via email.
Transfers will only be allowed between semesters and as far as practical (provided that we have enough notice, and you have plenty of time for a visa application).
Students who transfer their studies to New Zealand can opt for homestay accommodation. Find more information about the homestay accommodation arrangement here
