What is a new provider?

A provider is considered “new” when they do not currently receive on-Plan TEC funding or have not received any on-Plan funding from TEC in the past 12 months, even if they receive other types of TEC funding.

On-Plan funds are:

• Delivery at Levels 1 and 2 on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (DQ1-2)
• Delivery at Levels 3–7 (non-degree) on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework and all industry training (DQ3-7)
• Delivery at Levels 7 (degree) and above on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (DQ7+)
• Youth Guarantee (YG)
• Intensive Literacy and Numeracy (ILN)
• English Language Teaching – Intensive Literacy and Numeracy Fund (ELT)
• Refugee English – Intensive Literacy and Numeracy (Refugee English)
• TEO-led Workplace Literacy and Numeracy Fund (TEO-led WLN)

If you wish to apply for other funds (off-Plan), you need to follow a different process.

For information on how to apply for these funds, please refer to the specific fund web pages in Fund Finder.

If your organisation is currently funded by TEC through an Investment Plan and wishes to be considered for new or additional funding, you do not need to apply as a new provider. Please find out more information about additional funding in the Investment Toolkit.

Priorities for funding

New providers seeking funding need to demonstrate that their proposed provision closely aligns with our investment priorities.

For DQ3-7 and DQ7+ funding this includes:

• delivering to under-served learner groups that are not reached through existing provision by other providers
• delivering to one or more priorities outlined in Plan Guidance that require additional provision
• provision agreed as part of iwi settlements.

For foundation education funding (DQ1-2, YG and ILN) we expect provision to be guided by broader priorities.

Please refer to 2025 Plan Guidance and Supplementary Plan Guidance for more information on WDC/RSLG advice, strategic priorities, and under-served learner groups.

2025 Plan Guidance (PDF 5.3 MB)

2025 Supplementary Plan Guidance (PDF 1.6 MB)

Application process for all funds

You must contact us to discuss your situation before applying for on-Plan funding. If you are invited to apply, we will send you the relevant application form and you will be required to provide evidence that you meet one or more of the above criteria. An invitation to apply for funding as a new provider does not guarantee that you will be approved for funding. That decision will be made upon review of your application as a whole and all applicable evidence, in the context of other applications made and the funding available at the time.  

Funding request timeframes

We have one main funding round each year for our on-Plan funds, with applications for 2025 closing on 5 July 2024 (see the Timeline in our Investment Toolkit).

Your application will be assessed and you will be notified of our decision after October 2024. If your application is unsuccessful, we will give you the opportunity to comment and provide further information before making a final decision. Funding for approved applications will then commence in January 2025.

Please contact us if you would like to discuss submissions outside of this timeframe.

Contact details

If you have any questions, or wish to discuss a potential application, please contact us:

Email: customerservice@tec.govt.nz
Subject line: New Provider funding enquiry

Free Phone: 0800 601 301
Phone: +64 4 462 5201