On this page:

• Resources for developing your Plan
• Plan Guidance 2026
• Supplementary Plan Guidance
• Investment Round Timeline
• Gazette notice
• Templates
• Submitting your documents
• Additional funding information
• Additional resources
• Previous year resources

Resources for developing your Plan

Our role at the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) is to make high-quality investment decisions that support the tertiary education system to deliver quality learning, and equip learners, employers, industry and communities for economic and social success.

We provide resources to help tertiary education providers develop their Investment Plans:

• When creating your Plan, you should read Plan Guidance, the Investment Plan Gazette notice, and Supplementary Plan Guidance alongside each other.
• This year we have published the Response Framework for Educational Delivery and Performance. It describes the TEC process for managing educational delivery and performance where it needs to improve.
• You can also find templates for the strategic intent and learner success parts of your Plan, as well as our newly developed Disability Action Plan progress update template.

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

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

Plan Guidance 2026

Plan Guidance is an important document that provides information about what providers need to submit in their Investment Plan, how we will assess it, and our priorities for investment.

Plan Guidance for providers submitting Plans for funding from 1 January 2026 (PDF 8.5 MB)

Supplementary Plan Guidance

Supplementary Plan Guidance will provide you with further information to support you to develop your Investment Plan and any relevant Budget 2025 information. This will be available in June 2025.

Investment Round Timeline

Gazette notice 2025 for investment in 2026

The Gazette notice is a legal instrument where the TEC sets 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 and on our website.

2025 Investment Plan Gazette notice for investment in 2026 – TEC website

2025 Investment Plan Gazette notice for investment in 2026 – 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 below for other relevant templates.

Strategic Intent template

Template for Strategic Intent section of Investment Plans for Investment in 2026 (DOCX 338 KB)

Tertiary education organisations (TEOs) can use this 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.

Who needs it: All providers submitting a full Investment Plan must submit a Strategic Intent.

Submission deadline: By 4 July 2025

Learner Success Plan template

Template for Learner Success Plans for Investment from 2026 (DOCX 279 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 for funding from 2026 (PDF 383 KB)

This includes what you need to consider in each section of your submission.

Who needs it: TEOs must submit a Learner Success Plan if they:

• receive $5 million or more in on-Plan funding in 2025
• do not currently have a Learner Success Plan, and
• are submitting a full Plan (including a Strategic Intent this year).

Submission deadline: By 4 July 2025.

Learner Success progress update template

Template for Learner Success Progress Update for Investment from 2026 (DOCX 279 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 progress update, we have provided the following guidance:

For guidance for TEOs submitting a progress update, see:

Guidance for TEOs submitting Learner Success Plans for funding from 2026 (PDF 383 KB)

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

Who needs it: TEOs must submit Learner Success progress updates if they:

• receive $5 million or more in on-Plan funding in 2025  
• have a current Learner Success Plan, and
• are submitting a full Plan (including a Strategic Intent this year).

Submission deadline: By 4 July 2025. 

Disability Action Plan progress update template

Template for Disability Action Plan progress update for Investment from 2026 (DOCX 277 KB)

TEOs are encouraged to use the template, or to use the headings provided to guide their own document. To help you complete your Disability Action Plan (DAP) progress update, we have provided the following guidance. This also supports TEOs developing a DAP for the first time:

Guidance for TEOs submitting Disability Actions Plans (DAP) or a progress update from 2026 (PDF 424 KB) 

Who needs it: TEOs must submit a Disability Action Plan progress update if they:

• receive $5 million or more in on-Plan funding in 2025
• have a Disability Action Plan, and
• are submitting a full Plan (including a Strategic Intent this year).

Submission deadline: By 4 July 2025.

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.

Who needs it: Any TEO that has not received on-Plan funding in the last 12 months.

Submission deadline: By 4 July 2025. 

Additional funding information

For more information on 2025 in-year additional funding, see 2025 in-year additional funding requests.

Submitting your documents

All your Plan documents, including your Strategic Intent, Learner Success Plan, Disability Action Plan, MoPs and Educational Performance Indicator Commitments (EPICs) must be submitted through DXP Ngā Kete.

Please do not submit these documents by email, as this can result in delays.

Additional resources to support investment plans

Introduction to the TEC’s investment process

This process describes TEC’s investment process, as well as who’s responsible for each part of the process and what the different stakeholders in the system do. It is designed to support TEOs and other stakeholders to understand how the investment process works.

Investment Framework for Learner (Delivery) Funds

The Investment Framework for Learner (Delivery) Funds describes the current way we make investment decisions, what goes into our decision-making, and examples of how this works in practice.

Response Framework for Education Delivery and Performance

This describes how we manage performance where it needs to improve. It describes the information we consider in making a response decision, what other factors affect these decisions, and what options and levers we use. It provides greater transparency about what to expect if your performance needs to improve.

Learner Success Framework

This provides a blueprint for developing and implementing learner-centric operating models. It provides you with tools to understand your learners and address why and how your organisational model supports (or does not support) learner success.

Kia Ōrite Toolkit – achieving equity for disabled learners

The Kia Ōrite Toolkit provides current, New Zealand-specific guidance to help tertiary education organisations better support disabled learners.

Previous year resources