Matatāhuna-Universities Quality Assurance Agency established

Matatāhuna-Universities Quality Assurance Agency (UQAA) has been approved and established as from 12 March, 2026.

UQAA replaces the Academic Quality Agency (AQA), which was disestablished by the New Zealand Vice-Chancellors Committee at the end of 2024. Since that date, the work of AQA has been continued by a Transitional Academic Audit Committee while a new Agency was developed.

The purpose of the UQAA is to:

• Ensure confidence, nationally and internationally, in the academic quality of New Zealand universities.
• Apply quality assurance and quality enhancement processes that assist universities to ensure that students are provided with high-quality learning experiences.
• Provide the NZVCC and its committees with advice on international and national good practice in relation to academic quality assurance.

Although established and funded by the NZVCC, UQAA is operationally independent in the conduct of its quality assurance activities. Neither the NZVCC or individual Vice-Chancellors will influence reviews or reports conducted and written by UQAA.

UQAA will have no more than seven members appointed by the NZVCC, including a Board Chair. A Kaihautū, Academic Quality Assurance role will be created. This role will provide academic leadership in university quality assurance processes and chair all institutional reviews.

A Terms of Reference for the Board, and job description for the Kaihautū have been approved by the Vice-Chancellors.

Programme approvals

An in-principle decision has been made to move to audited self-accreditation of academic programmes by individual universities.

This will mean the cessation of the Committee on University Academic Programmes.

A national framework of agreed standards and guidelines will be developed. Individual universities will have their own institutional frameworks that operate in line with the national framework. Each will have the autonomy to approve and modify academic programmes.

Key principles will include:

• provision for external peer review
• compliance with the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework
• common guidelines for nomenclature
• Institutional processes will be assessed by Matatāhuna UQAA as part of their regular processes

Further work is now underway on planning for this new programme approvals process. It is expected the new system of programme approvals will be in place from 2028.