The Road to Chartership: The Qualifications Assessment Process in New Zealand

Disclaimer: Please use the table of contents below and feel free to skip to your favorite or interesting part

Introduction

In our journey along the Road to Chartership, I have already explored the steps to, Becoming a member of Engineering New Zealand (ENZ).

In that post I promised to touch upon what to do if your engineering qualification wasn’t awarded in a jurisdiction under the Washington Accords?

This post takes a dive into navigating New Zealand’s qualifications assessment process, a key step for many overseas engineers pursuing recognition in Aotearoa. ^{(The Maori name for New Zealand.)}

Why Qualifications Assessment Matters

New Zealand values global talent, but it also holds high professional standards.

For engineers, being recognized by ENZ is an essential milestone on the road to chartership. If you’ve graduated from an institution outside the signed accord jurisdictions, your qualifications need to be formally assessed for comparability to New Zealand standards for you to become a member of ENZ or for you to even migrate to New Zealand.

That’s where the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) comes in.

NZQA assesses your academic credentials to see if they align with local benchmarks, enabling you to pursue membership with ENZ and other professional goals, like chartership or skilled migration visas.

So without wasting too much time, this is the process you will need to do to get your assessment done as I did.

Steps to Assessment

Step 1 – Create an Account with NZQA

Head to the following website:

https://www2.nzqa.govt.nz/international/recognise-overseas-qual/

Sign Up and Create an applicant’s account.

Fill in your details

You will be asked to provide your passport details as well as a scanned copy of it.

Step 2 – Gather the required documents

The assessment process requires a solid foundation of documentation and here is what you will need to gather:

1. Certified Academic Transcripts –
   On they portal they instruct you to ensure that your transcripts include detailed course results and grades.
2. Degree Certificates – The portal asks you to provide certified copies of your degree.
3. Course Syllabi or Curriculum Details -This can be tricky to obtain, especially if your institution does not readily make this available or no longer retains the records. Contacting your alma mater early is crucial, for UZ I have a copy that. If I remember well the Portal says this is optional.
4. Proof of Identity – A certified copy of your passport or birth certificate is required again in this step as well.
5. Proof of English Proficiency – This is If your qualifications were not taught in English, as you will need to submit an IELTS or TOEFL certificate, For former British Colonies this is not a challenge, I didn’t need it.
6. Translations – If your documents are in a language other than English, certified translations are mandatory, again not a challenge for English speaking/working countries like mine.

TIP: NZQA’s Website offers a detailed checklist to ensure nothing is overlooked, feel free to check it out.

Step 3 – Submit Your Application

All applications are submitted online through the NZQA portal and the only thing that will be need to complete this after doing all the other steps is the processing fee

Now your biggest question could be which assessment should I go for?

Trust me stick to the one for NZD $445, the Standard IQA, as Engineers we don’t need the Skills Shortage Assessment, Everyone knows we are a critical skill.

Once your application is submitted, you will receive a confirmation and a reference number.

Step 5 – The Assessment Process

The NZQA then evaluates your qualifications against the NZQF (The New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework).

This includes:

• Level Assessment: Determining whether your qualification matches the required academic level.
• Content Assessment: Reviewing your coursework to ensure it aligns with New Zealand standards.

The assessment typically takes 6-8 weeks, depending on the complexity of your qualifications.

TIP: For engineering all you need is a minimum NZQF Level 7

Step 6 – What Happens Next?

After the assessment, you’ll receive a report stating whether your qualifications are comparable to a New Zealand-recognized degree. Here’s how you can proceed:

1. If Recognized: Submit the NZQA assessment to ENZ for membership processing.
2. If Partially Recognized: NZQA may recommend additional steps, such as further study or supplementary documentation.

Note: ENZ still requires proof of professional competence through Knowledge Assessment, so you are not done yet, more is still to come.

Something Worth Mentioning

For engineering professionals, this process isn’t just about recognition of qualifications.

It’s about showcasing your potential to contribute to New Zealand’s engineering industry.

A successful qualifications assessment positions you for:

• ENZ membership.
• Progressing towards chartership.
• Meeting migration criteria for work or residence

Conclusion: Another Milestone on the Road

The NZQA qualifications assessment is a another big step in your Road to Chartership. While it requires effort, it ensures your qualifications are recognized and can now be used in the knowledge assessment, which we will talk about in our next post in this series.

Next Steps

If you’re ready to take this step, visit NZQA’s International Qualifications Assessment to start your application.

Stay tuned for the next chapter in the Road to Chartership series, where we’ll explore more practical tips based on my experience on the chartership journey.

In the next post we shall explore the Knowledge assessment 👇