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:

• Student Achievement Component (SAC) at levels 1 and 2
• Student Achievement Component (SAC) at levels 7 and above
• Unified Funding System (UFS) (previously Industry Training Fund and SAC levels 3-6 and Level 7 non-degree provision)
• Youth Guarantee (YG)
• Intensive Literacy and Numeracy (ILN)
• Intensive Literacy and Numeracy for Speakers of Other Languages (ILN ESOL)
• Intensive Literacy and Numeracy (ILN) Refugee English
• Workplace Literacy and Numeracy (WLN) TEO-led
• Adult and Community Education (ACE) in Communities, and
• Adult and Community Education (ACE) in Schools, including Coordination funding.

If you wish to apply for other funds (off-Plan), you need to follow a different process. Please refer to the specific fund web pages in Fund Finder for information on how to apply for these funds.

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.

Application process for UFS and SAC 7 and above funding

The funding already allocated to tertiary education providers is at its highest level ever. This is due to the significant increase of learners enrolling in tertiary education in the last two years.

The bar for the funding of new providers across all funds will therefore be set high for 2023.

For organisations seeking funding under the Unified Funding System (provider-based or extramural only*) or Student Achievement Component Level 7 and above, funding would only be considered where the delivery proposed by a new provider is of strategic importance. This includes:

• offering provision in a field of study or training where there are current gaps, as identified in WDC or RSLG advice to TEC, which no existing providers can fill
• delivering to under-served learner groups that are not reached through existing provision by other providers
• delivering to one or more strategic priorities that require additional provision, such as health priorities
• provision agreed as part of iwi settlements
• provision agreed as part of a Transitional Industry Training Organisation transition plan.

Please refer to 2023 Plan Guidance and Supplementary Plan Guidance for more information on WDC/RSLG advice, strategic priorities, and under-served learner groups.

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.

*NB: New providers will not be eligible for funding for work-based delivery under the UFS in 2023, while the transitions of industry training arising from the Reform of Vocational Education (RoVE) are ongoing. For more information, please see Plan Guidance.

Application process for other on-Plan funds

Please contact us to discuss your situation and proposed delivery. We will provide you with all necessary information and the new provider application form.  

Funding request timeframes

We have one main funding round each year for our on-Plan funds, with applications for 2023 closing on 8 July 2022 (see the Timeline in our Investment Toolkit). Your application will be assessed and you will be notified of our decision after October 2022. 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 2023.

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