Language competency requirements

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List of evidence to demonstrate English language competency 

List of evidence to demonstrate te reo Māori competency 

Exceptional cases for English language 

Teaching requires a high standard of English or te reo Māori language competency in speaking, writing, reading and listening. All applicants studying to be a teacher or applying for registration and certification must meet the language competency requirements. 

The Council focuses on evidence-based proof and there are several opportunities to demonstrate competency. Read more details in our Language competency for teaching in Aotearoa New Zealand policy.

Please attach a certified copy of evidence of your language competency with your application. This should be supplied in the form of official results statements, testimonials or reference letters. 

List of evidence to demonstrate English language competency

Please provide evidence of one of the following to meet the English language competency requirements:

• New Zealand University Entrance literacy credits at either NCEA level 2 or 3  
• New Zealand University Entrance via NCEA as defined by NZQA
• NZ tertiary entrance (this preceded University Entrance)  
• International Baccalaureate full diploma in English medium (24 points minimum) 
• Cambridge International Examinations Cambridge International Examinations minimum 120 points on the UCAS Tariff plus meeting the CIE literacy requirements. 
• All primary schooling and at least three years secondary schooling completed in the English language and while living in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, or South Africa. (For South Africa, applicants also need to provide a South African Matriculation Certificate Minimum Higher Grade D pass or Standard Level 5 in English or a South African Senior Certificate Minimum Higher Grade D pass or Standard Level 5 pass in English). 
• Six years of secondary and tertiary education comprising secondary schooling to at least year 12 and at least two years of successful full-time tertiary education, taught in English as the primary language of instruction and through face-to-face learning and assessment such as tutorials, presentations, seminars, and supervisory meetings, and was gained while living in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, or South Africa. (For South Africa, applicants also need to provide a South African Matriculation Certificate Minimum Higher Grade D pass or Standard Level 5 in English or a South African Senior Certificate Minimum Higher Grade D pass or Standard Level 5 pass in English). 
• New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF) qualification at or above level 7 Awarded a single qualification at NZQF level 7 or above which took two or more years of full-time study to complete and was taught in English as the primary language of instruction and through face-to-face learning and assessment such as tutorials, presentations, seminars, and supervisory meetings, and was gained while  living in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, or South Africa.  For South Africa, applicants also need to provide a South African Matriculation Certificate Minimum Higher Grade D pass or Standard Level 5 in English or a South African Senior Certificate Minimum Higher Grade D pass or Standard Level 5 pass in English. 
• Cambridge CELTA 
• Trinity College CertTESOL 
• English Language Competency Pathway (ELCP) for Tagata o le Moana | Pacific Peoples

Or achieve an approved test outcome in one of the following test options within the past two years:

Online examinations

We know that the world has changed, and that Covid-19 has made traditional face-to-face assessment difficult. If your language competency is based on an online examination rather than a qualification, this can only be recognised if your provider has supplied evidence to the Council that provides assurance around the examination’s validity and security.  At the time of writing, that includes the TOEFL Internet-based test, the ISLPR online test and IELTS Academic (IELTS on computer test).
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Language competency for teaching in Aotearoa New Zealand: English Language Competency Pathway (ELCP) for Tagata o le Moana | Pacific Peoples

Tālofa, fakaalofa lahi atu, kia orana, talofa lava, mālō e lelei, ni sa bula vinaka, noa'ia, mālo ni, mauri, tēnā koutou katoa and warm greetings to you all!  

The Teaching Council has a commitment to building partnerships that reflect and embody our Tangata Tiriti and Tagata o le Moana responsibilities so we can support kaiako | teachers and their work with learners, families and communities. During the consultation journey we worked alongside kaiako | teachers, stakeholders, educational leaders and Pacific communities. They openly shared valuable personal and professional experiences that helped inform the changes to our language competency requirements. 

The Language competency for teaching in Aotearoa New Zealand policy now offers an English Language Competency Pathway (ELCP) for those applying for Initial Teacher Education (ITE), teacher registration or a Limited Authority to Teach. This new option means that applicants can now use their primary and secondary schooling or tertiary studies while living in the Pacific region, as evidence for demonstrating English language competency. 

The policy changes demonstrate our intent as the Teaching Council to reduce barriers for Pacific Peoples and support the growth of Pacific multilingual and immersion pathways across the education system. 

The visual below outlines what is required for the ELCP and the accepted evidence for English language competency.

The visuals below outline two possible example scenarios of a teacher using the English Language Competency Pathway (ELCP).

For more information on the English Language Competency Pathway (ELCP) for Tagata o le Moana | Pacific Peoples, please read our FAQs.   

List of evidence to demonstrate te reo Māori competency

One of the following types of evidence must be provided to demonstrate te reo Māori competency: 

• Achieved Whakamātauria Tō Reo Māori Level 3 (National Māori Language Proficiency Examinations) 
• All primary schooling and at least three years secondary schooling in te reo Māori 
• Five years of secondary schooling in te reo Māori 

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Exceptional cases for English language

If you cannot provide one of the above specific options of evidence of your English competency but have other evidence showing a high standard of competency the Council may consider it on a case-by-case basis. We consider exceptional cases to ensure we accommodate high-quality teachers with the right level of competency. 

If you have not completed any schooling and studies in any of the countries listed in the policy (New Zealand, Australia, United Kingdom, the Republic of  Ireland, Canada, USA or South Africa) and you have not completed an approved test/course then it is likely that you will not meet the requirements for an exemption. 

The Council has expanded the range of evidence that can be considered for discretionary language competency exemption requests to include evidence from Realm and other Pacific countries, which is currently in review. Read more about this here. 

Exemption requests for Initial Teacher Education must be made by the provider. 

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