Guidance to develop your Investment Plan

He kuputohu mō te whakawhanake i tō Mahere Haumi

Last updated 2 October 2024
Last updated 2 October 2024

We provide resources to support you to develop your Plan for investment in 2025.

Our role at TEC is to make high-quality investment decisions that support a system to deliver lifelong learning and equip learners, communities and employers for success.

We provide resources to help you develop your Plan. Plan Guidance, the Gazette and Supplementary Plan Guidance, should be read alongside each other when creating your Plan. This year we have published an Investment Framework for Learner (Delivery) funds and an Introduction to the TEC’s Investment Process to help you understand how we work. You can also find templates for the strategic intent and learner success parts of your Plan.

All of these documents should inform your discussions with your Relationship Manager or our Customer Contact Group.

You need to be aware the Government is considering changes to tertiary education policy and funding in the current fiscally constrained environment. We will provide information about any relevant upcoming changes on our website once it becomes available. This includes any fund-specific updates.

Please refer to Plan Guidance and Supplementary Plan Guidance for our investment information.

Plan Guidance 2025

Plan Guidance is an important document that provides information about what needs to be submitted in your Investment Plan, how we will assess it, and our priorities for investment. Our investment briefs are now incorporated in Plan Guidance.

Plan Guidance for providers submitting Plans for funding from 1 January 2025 (PDF 5.3 MB)

Supplementary Plan Guidance

Supplementary Plan Guidance provides you with further information about what we will be looking for in your Investment Plan, that was not available when Plan Guidance was published in February.

Supplementary Plan Guidance for investment in 2025 (PDF 1.6 MB)

Investment Round Timeline

Activity

Timing

TEC releases Plan Guidance and Plan engagement begins

End of February 2024

TEC publishes notices in the New Zealand Gazette setting out requirements for Plan content, timetable, assessment and Plan summaries

End of February 2024

Government announces Budget 2025

May 2024

TEC provides indicative allocations

By 4 June 2024

TEC releases Mix of Provision (MoP) and Educational Performance Indicator Commitment (EPIC) templates

By 10 June 2024

TEC releases Supplementary Plan Guidance to reflect any policy or Budget changes

June 2024

Providers submit proposed Plans, including MoPs and EPICs, and if required Strategic Intent, Learner Success Plans (LSPs) and Disability Action Plans (DAPs) and Additional Funding templates

By 5 July 2024

TEC reviews proposed Plans and has further discussion with providers as needed

July–October 2024

Providers are notified of decisions in writing

From November 2024

First payments made against Plans; Plan delivery begins

January 2025

Plan Gazette notice 2024

We set criteria for the content of Investment Plans, Plan summaries, the submission process, the timetable, and how Plans will be assessed. These are published in the New Zealand Gazette.

2024 Investment Plan Gazette notice for investment in 2025 — TEC website

2024 Investment Plan Gazette notice for investment in 2025 — Gazette.govt.nz

Templates

Many of the templates you require for drafting and submitting your Plan (for example Mix of Provision (MoP) templates) are available in DXP Ngā Kete.

Please refer to the table below for other relevant templates.

Template description 

Who needs it

Submission deadline

Strategic Intent template

Template for Strategic Intent section of Investment Plans for investment in 2025 (DOCX 305 KB)

Tertiary education organisations (TEOs) can use this section of the template to structure the strategic intent component of their Investment Plan (Plan). It sets out the requirements for proposed Plans and ensures we have all the information we require to make informed investment decisions.

Strategic Intents are required from all TEOs submitting a full Investment Plan.

 

By 5 July 2024

Learner Success Plan template

Template for Learner Success Plans for investment in 2025 (DOCX 265 KB)

TEOs are encouraged to use the template, or to use the headings provided to guide their own document.

To help you complete your Learner Success Plan we have provided the following guidance: Guidance for TEOs submitting Learner Success Plans (PDF 383 KB).

This includes who needs to submit a Learner Success Plan and what you need to consider in each section of your submission.

Learner Success Plans are required from TEOs receiving more than $5 million in on-Plan funding who do not currently have a Learner Success Plan and are submitting a full Plan (including a Strategic Intent this year).

By 5 July 2024

Learner Success significant update template

Template for Learner Success Significant Progress Update for investment in 2025 (DOCX 256 KB)

TEOs are encouraged to use the template, or to use the headings provided to guide their own document.

To help you complete your Learner Success significant update we have provided the following guidance: Guidance for TEOs submitting a Learner Success significant progress update (PDF 383 KB).

This includes who needs to submit a significant update and what you need to consider in each section of your submission.

Learner Success Significant updates are required from TEOs receiving more than $5 million in on-Plan funding who do have a current Learner Success Plan and are submitting a full Plan (including a Strategic Intent this year). 

By 5 July 2024

2025 Investment Plan additional funding requests

Our approach to additional funding considers available funding, network of provision, evidence of demand and past performance (for existing providers).

For 2025 investment, additional funding is not available for the Adult and Community Education (ACE) funds. This includes ACE in Communities, ACE in Schools, ACE in Schools Coordination, and ACE in Tertiary Education Institutions.

Approach to foundation education funding

We will consider additional funding requests (AFRs) for the following funds:

  • Delivery at Levels 1 and 2 on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (DQ1-2) Fund
  • Youth Guarantee (YG) Levels 1 and 2. We may consider Level 3 under exceptional circumstances.
  • Intensive Literacy and Numeracy Fund (ILN)
  • English Language Teaching – Intensive Literacy and Numeracy (ELT)
  • TEO-led Workplace Literacy and Numeracy Fund (WLN TEO-led)
  • Refugee English – Intensive Literacy and Numeracy Fund.

Approach to DQ7+ funding

We will be taking a targeted approach to additional funding for Delivery at Level 7 (degree) and above on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework

The TEC will contact those tertiary education organisations (TEOs) that we consider meet the criteria below:

  • Demand from learners in 2024 within targeted priority areas
  • History of strong Education Performance Indicators (EPIs)
  • Strong focus on learner success and addressing parity gaps
  • Other factors will be considered such as:
    • Availability of funding
    • External Evaluation and Review ratings
    • The Fund’s intent
    • 2024 April Single Data Return supported by the March interim forecasts
    • 2023 and 2024 AFRs, data and TEO engagement
    • Advice received from Workforce Development Councils (WDCs) and Regional Skills Leadership Groups (RSLGs).
    • Relevant supporting evidence from the TEOs and their stakeholders
    • Delivery over 105%

Approach to DQ 3-7 funding

We will publish updated information about the approach to additional funding for Delivery at levels 3 - 7 on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework next year.

 

By  5 July 2024

2024 additional funding requests – in-year amendments

The 2024 in-year Additional Funding request period is now closed.

Targeted additional Funding

As we did in 2023, we will be taking a targeted approach to additional funding for the following funds:

  • Delivery at levels 3 – 7(non-degree) on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework and all industry training
  • Delivery at Level 7 (degree) and above on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework

The TEC will contact those Tertiary Education Organisations (TEOs) that we consider meet the criteria below:

  • Demand from learners in 2024 within targeted priority areas
  • History of strong Education Performance Indicators (EPIs)
  • Strong focus on learner success and addressing parity gaps
  • Other factors will be considered such as:
  • Availability of funding
  • External Evaluation and Review ratings
  • The Fund’s intent
  • 2024 April Single Data Return supported by the March interim forecasts
  • 2023 and 2024 AFRs, data and TEO engagement
  • Advice received from Workforce Development Councils (WDCs) and Regional Skills Leadership Groups (RSLGs).
  • Relevant supporting evidence from the TEOs and their stakeholders
  • Delivery over 105%

 

Application period is from 1 May to 30 September 2024

New provider process

The process for providers wishing to apply for TEC Investment Plan (“on-Plan”) funding for the first time is outlined at Application to receive TEC funding.

You need to contact us before applying.

Any TEO that has not received on-Plan funding in the last 12 months

By 5 July 2024

We want to remind all TEOs that your Plan documents, including your Strategic Intent, Learner Success Plan, Disability Action Plan, MoPs and Educational Performance Indicator Commitments (EPICs) must all be submitted through DXP Ngā Kete. Please do not submit these documents by email as this can result in delays.

Investment Framework for Learner (Delivery) funds

The Investment Framework for Learner (Delivery) Funds is a new resource that describes the current way we make investment decisions.

Investment Framework for Learner (Delivery) funds 

Introduction to the TEC’s Investment Process

This document is designed to support TEOs and other stakeholders understand how the investment process works.

Introduction to the TEC’s Investment Process

Resources for the previous year – investment in 2024

Plan Guidance

This Plan Guidance and Supplementary Plan Guidance relate to funding for 2024.

Plan Guidance for providers submitting Plans for funding from 1 January 2024 (PDF 7.1 MB)

Supplementary Plan Guidance for providers submitting Plans for funding from 1 January 2024 (PDF 1.8 MB)

 

Investment Briefs

These investment briefs relate to funding for 2024.

Foundation Education Investment Brief (PDF 200 KB) 

Vocational Education Investment Brief (PDF 190 KB)

Higher Education Investment Brief (PDF 196 KB)

 

Information sheets

Learner Success Plan Information Sheet for investment in 2024 (PDF 276 KB)

 

Templates

Strategic intent and learner success plan template (DOCX 423 KB)

 

Want to know more?

For more information about the Investment round, please contact your Relationship Manager or call our Customer Contact Group on 0800 601 301.