Plan Guidance gives tertiary education providers important information about what we require and expect to see in an Investment Plan and how we will assess it. This is key guidance on how Investment Plans should align with our investment priorities.

Investment planning for 2027 is taking place in a very challenging fiscal environment. We expect demand to remain strong and available funding to be unlikely to match it. Trade-offs will be required and most providers will see reduced investment. Our investment will focus on high-performing and priority provision that delivers good outcomes for learners, and the skills and qualifications needed for an educated, innovative and prosperous New Zealand. Providers should reprioritise their existing funding, where relevant, to respond to our priorities.

The Tertiary Education Strategy 2025–2030 (TES) sets out the Government’s objectives and priorities for the tertiary education system, which plays a key role in growing the economy and enhancing New Zealanders’ economic and social wellbeing. The TES will underpin our investment decisions for 2027 funding. Plan Guidance sets out our expectations of how providers should give effect to the TES.

The learner success approach is a whole-of-organisation commitment to lifting achievement and retention across all learner groups. To streamline requirements and reduce compliance, progress updates and next steps on your Learner Success Plan and Disability Action Plan are now integrated into the Strategic Intent part of Plans. 

Achieving sector-wide improvements in educational outcomes for all learners is central to the TES, learner success and our investment approach. Plan Guidance clearly sets out our performance expectations and clarifies what good performance looks like for different areas of provision.

The Strategic Intent template provides a framework to help you meet Plan requirements. We strongly recommend that you use the template to structure your Plan. This will enable us to assess your Plan robustly and consistently and will avoid repetition of information throughout your Plan.

Supplementary Plan Guidance will be released in June and will contain further information following Budget 2026.

For more information, see:

• Investment Plan guidance, templates and timeframes
• Tertiary Education Strategy 2025–2030 – Ministry of Education

We encourage providers to engage with their Relationship Manager or contact our Customer Contact Team on 0800 601 301 or customerservice@tec.govt.nz.