Domestic students enrolled in ITE for the first time

Overall trends (see Figure 1 and 2) Last Updated: June 2024

Overall

The number of domestic students enrolling in an ITE qualification for the first time decreased from 4,050 in 2022 to 3,400 in 2023 (a decrease of 16 percent or 650 students). When looking at the indicative teaching sector this was the result of:

• a decrease in ECE ITE from 1,425 students in 2022 to 1,140 students in 2023 (a decrease of 20 percent or 285 students)
• a decrease in primary ITE from 1,765 students in 2022 to 1,425 students in 2023 (a decrease of 19 percent or 340 students), and
• a decrease in secondary ITE from 850 students in 2022 to 800 students in 2023 (a decrease of 5.9 percent or 50 students).

After the large COVID-19 related increase in domestic first-time ITE students in 2021, the border reopening and low unemployment have likely contributed to the decrease in ITE students in 2022 and 2023. Enrolments are now at levels below those seen in the years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

There was an increase of 3.2 percent in first-time Māori medium ITE students which represented an increase of 5 students (these students are already included in the sector data above).

ECE

The number of first-time ECE students decreased for the second year in a row in 2023 following the significant rise in 2021 related to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of these recent decreases, the number of students in 2023 (1,140) has ended up below the previous low point seen in 2017 (1,240).

Primary

Like student numbers in other ITE teaching sectors, the number of first-time domestic primary students decreased significantly in 2022 and 2023 following the large COVID-19 related rise in 2021. In 2023, primary ITE student numbers (1,425) were below the previous low point seen in 2016 (1,755).

Secondary

Secondary ITE numbers have displayed a similar pattern of a large increase in 2021 followed by decreases in 2022 and 2023. As a result, the number of secondary domestic first-time ITE students reached 800 in 2023. This represented a low point in enrolments between 2005 and 2023.

Figure 1: Number of domestic students enrolling in ITE for the first time by indicative teaching sector

Note: where students enrol in or complete an ITE qualification which prepares them to teach in more than one sector, we report them in each of these sectors.

Māori medium

In 2023, the number of first-time ITE Māori medium students increased by 3.2 percent to reach 160. This followed a decrease of 23 percent in 2022, a decrease of 20 percent in 2021, and an increase of 22 percent in 2020. These large swings in the number of starters are due in part to the relatively small numbers involved in Māori medium ITE.

In 2023, 63 percent of Māori medium first-time ITE students were enrolled in immersion programmes.

The vast majority of Māori medium first-time ITE students were enrolled in programmes at the primary sector level. In 2023, 75 percent of first-time students were enrolled in primary programmes.

Domestic students enrolled in Māori medium ITE qualifications

Figure 2: Number of students enrolling in Māori medium ITE qualifications who were enrolling in ITE for the first time, by indicative teaching sector

Demographic characteristics (see Figures 3-5)

In 2023, 74 percent of first time domestic ECE students were aged under 35. This proportion peaked with 80 percent aged under 35 in 2017 and has generally trended downwards since then. In the primary sector, the proportion of first-time students aged under 35 decreased from 83 percent in 2022 to 79 percent in 2023. In the secondary sector, the proportion of first-time students aged under 35 was 73 percent in 2022, down from a peak of 83 percent in 2015.

First-time students in the ECE sector were almost exclusively women (97 percent in 2023), with lower proportions of women in the primary (83 percent in 2023) and secondary sectors (58 percent in 2023). These proportions have not changed significantly in recent years.

The proportion of first-time domestic students who were Māori has increased in the primary and secondary sectors while decreasing in the ECE sector. In 2023, 14 percent of ECE first-time students were Māori compared with 16 percent in 2022. The proportion of primary ITE students who were Māori was up slightly to 26 percent in 2023 from 24 percent in 2022. In the secondary sector, the proportion of first-time students who were Māori was 18 percent in 2023, up from 14 percent in 2022.

The low number of first-time students who are Pacific Peoples makes identifying trends difficult. But, in the primary sector, the proportion of first-time students has increased from 8.3 percent in 2021 to 12 percent in 2023, while the proportion of Pacific Peoples in secondary ITE increased to 8.8 percent in 2023, up from 6.5 percent in 2022. In the ECE sector, the proportion of Pacific Peoples has remained relatively unchanged since 2018. In 2023, this proportion was 9.2 percent.

Figure 3: Age distribution of domestic students enrolling in ITE for the first time by indicative teaching sector

Figure 4: Gender distribution of domestic students enrolling in ITE for the first time by indicative teaching sector

Figure 5: Ethnic group distribution of domestic students enrolling in ITE for the first time by indicative teaching sector

Study-related characteristics (see Figures 6 and 7)

The majority of first-time students in the ECE and primary sectors study at the bachelors degree level. In 2023, 71 percent of ECE students and 65 percent of primary students were enrolled in bachelors degrees. In the secondary sector, bachelors degree provision has decreased in recent years so that now first-time students are enrolled exclusively at the graduate diploma, postgraduate diploma, and masters degree level.

Since the last of the colleges of education (CoEs) were merged with them in the mid-2000s, universities have dominated first-time ITE student provision in the primary and secondary teaching sectors. In 2023, 76 percent of primary sector students and 82 percent of secondary sector students were studying at universities. In the ECE sector private training establishments (PTEs) have the largest proportion of first-time students in 2023 (65 percent) followed by Te Pūkenga (18 percent) and universities (16 percent).

In 2023, 52 percent of first-time ECE students studied on an extramural basis, compared with 28 percent of primary students and 41 percent of secondary students.

In 2023, the vast majority of first-time primary sector students (91 percent) and secondary sector students (84 percent) were studying full-time, compared with 66 percent in the ECE sector.

In line with the decrease in ITE students seen at the national level, the number of first-time domestic ITE students also decreased in all broad regions of study in 2023. The data shows that the fastest rate of decline in students was in the Rest of the North Island (down 18 percent) followed by Auckland (down 16 percent) and the South Island (down 13 percent).

Figure 6: Distribution of domestic students enrolling in ITE for the first time by qualification type and indicative teaching sector

Figure 7: Distribution of domestic students enrolling in ITE for the first time by sub-sector and indicative teaching sector

International students enrolled in ITE for the first time

The number of first-time international students increased from 390 in 2022 to 925 in 2023. This compared with a previous high of 715 students in 2020 which occurred prior to the full impact of COVID-19. In 2023, 76 percent of first-time international students were enrolled in an ECE qualification.

Domestic students completing an ITE qualification for the first time

Overall trends (see Figures 8 and 9) Last Updated: August 2024

There was a decrease in first-time domestic ITE graduates in 2023 compared to 2022. The number of domestic students completing an ITE qualification for the first time decreased from 3,435 in 2022 to 3,330 in 2023 (a decrease of 3.1 percent or 105 graduates). When looking at the indicative teaching sector this was the result of:

• an increase in early childhood (ECE) ITE graduates from 1,135 graduates in 2022 to 1,160 graduates in 2023 (an increase of 2.2 percent or 25 graduates)
• an increase in primary ITE graduates from 1,470 graduates in 2022 to 1,475 graduates in 2023 (an increase of 0.3 percent or 5 graduates)
• a decrease in secondary ITE graduates from 820 graduates in 2022 to 675 graduates in 2023 (a decrease of 18 percent or 145 graduates)

There was also an increase of Māori medium ITE graduates from 150 in 2022 to 165 in 2023 (these graduates are already included in the sector data above).

The majority of ECE students are enrolled in bachelors degrees and there is a lag between when they first enrol and when they complete the qualification. The increase in graduates in ECE in 2023 reflects a COVID-related increase in students starting an ITE bachelors degree in 2021. These students are now graduating in 2023 and more than offset a decrease in graduates from shorter ITE qualifications in this sector. The number of graduates in 2023 (1,160) remains well above the low point of 945 in 2019.

The number of first-time domestic primary ITE graduates remained relatively unchanged in 2023 from the previous year. Similar to ECE, an increase in bachelors degree graduates in 2023 offset a decrease in graduates from shorter ITE qualifications. The number of primary graduates has been around 1,500 for six out of the last eight years.

As most secondary ITE qualifications are studied over one year, the number of graduates more closely tracks enrolments in a year. The decrease in graduates mirrors the decrease in enrolments in 2023. After reaching just over 1,000 graduates in 2021, the number of secondary graduates has since declined to reach 675 in 2023. This represents the lowest number of secondary graduates in the ITE data time series which starts in 2005.

Figure 8: Number of domestic students completing an ITE qualification for the first time by indicative teaching sector

Note: where students enrol in or complete an ITE qualification which prepares them to teach in more than one sector, we report them in each of these sectors.

Māori medium

The number of first-time graduates from Māori medium ITE qualifications increased for the third year in a row in 2023. The number of graduates increased from 150 in 2022 to 165 in 2023. This compares with 135 graduates in 2021 and 120 graduates in 2020.

In 2023, 70 percent of graduates were from immersion programmes.

In 2023, 94 percent of graduates were in primary sector programmes. The remaining students were in ECE-level programmes.

Figure 9: Number of domestic students completing Māori medium ITE qualifications who were completing their first ITE qualification

Demographic characteristics by teaching sector (see Figures 10-12)

First-time ITE graduates have generally been getting younger in the ECE sector. The proportion of ECE graduates aged under 35 years has increased from 53 percent in 2007 to 69 percent in 2023. In the last seven years, the proportion of graduates aged under 35 in primary ITE has ranged between 76 percent and 78 percent. In secondary ITE, the proportion of graduates aged under 35 had decreased from 83 percent in 2015 to 74 percent in 2023.

First-time graduates in the ECE sector were almost exclusively women (97 percent in 2023). Women were relatively smaller proportions, but still majorities, of primary (83 percent in 2023) and secondary (59 percent in 2023) sector graduates.

In 2023, the proportion of ITE graduates who were Māori increased in all three teaching sectors. In ECE, the proportion of Māori graduates increased from 12 percent in 2022 to 13 percent in 2023, the proportion of Māori graduates in primary ITE increased from 21 percent in 2022 to 23 percent in 2023, and the proportion of Māori graduates in the secondary sector increased from 12 percent in 2022 to 17 percent in 2023. Of the three teaching sectors, primary ITE (23 percent) has the highest proportion of Māori graduates in 2023.

The low number of first-time graduates who are Pacific Peoples makes identifying trends difficult. In 2023, the proportion of graduates who were Pacific Peoples increased in the ECE and secondary sectors, while decreasing slightly in the primary sector. In the ECE sector, the proportion of Pacific Peoples increased from 6.2 percent in 2022 to 7.3 percent in 2023 and in secondary the proportion increased from 7.3 percent to 8.9 percent. The proportion of Pacific Peoples in the primary sector decreased from 8.8 percent to 8.1 percent. In 2023, secondary ITE had the highest proportion of Pacific Peoples graduates (8.9 percent).

Figure 10: Age distribution of domestic students completing an ITE qualification for the first time by indicative teaching sector

Figure 11: Gender distribution of domestic students completing an ITE qualification for the first time by indicative teaching sector

Figure 12: Ethnic group distribution of domestic students completing an ITE qualification for the first time by indicative teaching sector

Study-related characteristics by teaching sector (see Figures 13 and 14)

In the ECE and primary sectors the majority of first-time ITE graduates complete bachelors degrees. In 2023, 73 percent of ECE graduates completed an ITE bachelors degree, compared with 68 percent in 2022. In primary ITE, 70 percent of graduates completed a bachelors degree, up from 51 percent in 2021. In secondary ITE, first-time graduates mainly complete graduate diplomas, postgraduate diplomas and masters degrees. In 2023, 66 percent completed graduate diplomas, 18 percent completed postgraduate diplomas and 16 percent completed masters degrees.

Universities continue to produce the vast majority of first-time graduates in primary and secondary ITE. In 2023, 86 percent of graduates in primary and 89 percent in secondary were from universities. PTEs now produce the largest number of first-time ECE graduates. In 2023, 57 percent of ECE graduates were from PTEs, compared with 21 percent from universities and 22 percent from Te Pūkenga.

Figure 13: Distribution of domestic students completing an ITE qualification for the first time by type of qualification and indicative teaching sector

Figure 14: Distribution of domestic students completing an ITE qualification for the first time by sub-sector and indicative teaching sector

The number of first-time domestic ITE graduates decreased in two of the three broad regions of study in 2023. The number of graduates in the South Island was up slightly (from 805 in 2022 to 820 in 2023), while the Auckland region showed the biggest drop in graduates, from 1,240 in 2022 to 1,075 in 2023. In the Rest of the North Island, the number of graduates remained almost unchanged, with a slight decrease from 1,265 in 2022 to 1,260 in 2023.

In line with the decrease in overall completions in 2023, seven of the nine broad subject areas had a decrease in graduates between 2022 and 2023. The only broad subject to show an increase in graduates was Technology (from 85 in 2022 to 90 in 2023) while the number of graduates in Te Reo Māori remained unchanged (25 in 2022 and 2023).

The largest changes in the distribution of the broad teaching subjects between 2022 and 2023 was a decrease in share from 14 percent to 10 percent in Mathematics and statistics and an increase in share from 10 percent to 13 percent in Technology. Another STEM area, Science, had a decrease in share from 20 percent in 2022 to 18 percent in 2023.

At the more detailed subject level, the data shows the biggest change in numbers related to a decrease in graduates in Mathematics (from 115 in 2022 to 65 in 2023) and Science/General science (from 115 in 2022 to 80 in 2023). In both cases, the decreases in 2023 followed an increase in graduate numbers in 2022.

International students completing an ITE qualification for the first time

The number of first-time ITE international graduates with an ITE qualification decreased by 8.3 percent in 2023 to reach 550 (a decrease of 50). Of these 2023 graduates, 62 percent were in the ECE sector.

Technical Notes

How do these initial teacher education (ITE) statistics differ from other field of study data published by the Ministry of Education?

Although the Ministry of Education publishes other enrolment and graduate data for students who studied in the field of education, the ITE statistics exclude qualifications that do not lead to provisional teacher registration (such as certificates that are preparatory qualifications). In doing so, the initial teacher education statistics present a more accurate picture of teacher training in New Zealand.

Determining the likely sector of teaching of initial teacher education students/graduates

Using the administrative data reported to the Ministry of Education by tertiary education providers, the following process was used to determine the likely sector of teaching (early childhood education (ECE), primary, or secondary) for each student/graduate:

Step 1:

The New Zealand Classification of Education (NZSCED) code for the initial teacher education qualification the student was enrolled in (or completed) was used to map the qualification to a sector of teaching. The mapping used is presented in Table 2. For example, a student enrolled in or completing a qualification with an NZSCED code of 070101, 070118, or 070120, was assigned to the ECE sector.

Step 2:

A number of initial teacher education qualifications do not identify a single sector of teaching via an NZSCED code, as they can produce graduates for more than one teaching sector.

In these cases, to determine the likely sector of teaching for each student/graduate, the courses a student enrolled in as part of the initial teacher education qualification were analysed. The study load (as measured by equivalent full-time students (EFTS)) in courses assigned to any of the initial teacher education NZSCED codes in Table 1 (or in courses that had a name that identified a sector of teaching) was then aggregated and a student was assigned to a teaching sector where they had the largest study load.

Where the likely sector of teaching for a student/graduate could not be identified using Step1 and Step 2 the sector was treated as "unknown".

Because the likely sector of teaching is a derived characteristic, it should be treated as indicative only.

Determining who is enrolling in ITE for the first time or completing their first ITE qualification

People can enrol in and complete additional ITE qualifications throughout their career. They do this for a variety of purposes, including: career progression, specialisation and remuneration gains. These people will already be qualified to teach.

To get a sense of people who are new to teacher training we split the enrolment data into those enrolling in ITE for the first time in that year and those who have been enrolled in ITE qualifications in previous years.

To identify the students new to ITE, we look back to 1994 using historical datasets to see if they have studied previously. If we don’t see a prior enrolment, they are treated as new to ITE in that year. As the unit record data only goes back to 1994, there may be older students who we identify as being new to ITE who may in fact already have studied an ITE qualification in the period prior to 1994.

Similarly, for ITE completion data, we report who is completing an ITE qualification for the first time and those who have already completed an ITE qualification in the past. This gives a sense of how many graduates may be available to join the teaching profession.

Focusing on 'first-time' students gives a more accurate picture of who may be available to join the teaching profession for the first time in the future.

More detail on this is provided in the Technical notes sheet in the Excel statistical tables.

Treatment of multi-teaching sector qualifications

In the reporting of official ITE statistics, where students enrol in or complete an ITE qualification which prepares them to teach in more than one sector, we report them in each of these sectors.

More detail on this is provided in the Technical notes sheet in the Excel statistical tables.

Region of study

In the ITE enrolment statistics, where a student is studying intramurally, the delivery site of the courses they enrolled in is used to identify study region. Where a student is studying extramurally, the postal code of the term address of the student is used to determine study region. Where study region cannot be determined we treat the study region as unknown.

For the ITE completions data, the study region of the last year of enrolment in the qualification is used to determine the study region.

It should be noted that the region an ITE student studies in may not be related to the region where they commence teaching.

Assigning a student as intramural or extramural

To assign a student as intramural or extramural the study load in courses/papers they are enrolled in within the qualification in a year is examined and if the majority of the study load is on an intramural basis they are assigned to that status (and vice versa). So a student who is classified as intramural may still be doing an extramural based paper.

The teaching subjects of secondary sector graduates

The initial teacher education data in sheet ITE.COM8 presents the teaching subject(s) of secondary sector graduates. Between 2019 and 2021, teaching subject was collected via completion reporting and based off a subject classification designed to capture majors of degrees. Up to three subjects could be reported. From 2022, the teaching subject has been collected via enrolment data and a new subject classification, which is aligned with NCEA subjects, was introduced. Also, up to four subjects could be reported. Caution should be used when comparing time periods either side of the change in collection method.

The subjects reported in sheet ITE.COM8 do not necessarily represent the subjects that the graduate may teach at school.

The initial teacher education data is compiled at the qualification level

The initial teacher education statistics reported here were compiled at the qualification level. Therefore, if a student was assigned to a particular sector of teaching, all of the EFTS for that student in that qualification in that year were assigned to that sector.

Māori medium statistics

The Māori medium statistics are reported for programmes that meet Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand requirements for Māori medium. The Māori medium data is available from 2016 onwards as the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand requirements for Māori medium came into force on 1 January 2016.

As well as reporting the total number of students enrolled in and completing Māori medium ITE qualifications, we have split the data into bilingual or immersion provision. This terminology is in line with NZSCED definitions.