2025 Report Summary

Haere mai 

Welcome to our 2025 Annual Report for Study Complaints | Ngā Amuamu Tauira. 

Study Complaints | Ngā Amuamu Tauira is a free and independent dispute resolution service. We’re here to help any international students or domestic tertiary learners who have unresolved complaints with New Zealand education providers. This report covers our first full operational reporting year - from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025.

We’re pleased to see a steady flow of learners getting in touch with us. Across the 18 months that our service has been open, volumes have been very consistent. We have also seen a good balance in the enquiries with 49% being domestic tertiary and 51% being international students.

Refunds are the biggest theme across the year, with 31% of enquiries involving a refund request. In particular, many learners withdrawing within the first 10 working days have raised issues about their education provider retaining the maximum 25% possible by default without considering and providing a breakdown of actual costs incurred. We also have had several students who are experiencing exceptional circumstances get in touch with us for assistance as their education provider had not given fair and reasonable consideration to their personal situations. 

In addition to financial matters, we can also assist with disputes about contracts. Examples include PhD candidates raising matters about their supervisor, disputes relating to the tuition fee charged, and disputes over costs believed to have been covered under a scholarship.

The final area where Study Complaints | Ngā Amuamu Tauira can assist is with redress claims following breaches of the Code of Pastoral Care and an investigation by the NZQA. One redress claim from a learner was accepted into our process this year.

Our approach is to resolve matters as early as possible. For the 42 disputes that were accepted as claims, 41% were resolved through facilitation. A further 23% reached an agreement together at mediation, and the remaining 26% required an adjudicator to make an independent decision on the matter. 

Accessibility is important to us. This reporting year, we translated our website into six additional languages – Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Hindi, Japanese, Te Reo Māori and Samoan to support learners in finding information in their preferred language.

Outside of our core dispute resolution mahi, we also spend time raising awareness and sharing insights. Our team enjoyed engaging with learners at orientation events across the motu, providing presentations and training for the sector, and meeting with key agencies who support the learner community. 

I would like to share my thanks with the amazing team of Resolution Coordinators, Resolution Facilitators and Resolution Practitioners behind this service, supported by Chris Pickering and Samantha de Coning. Your passion and dedication shines through each day. 

Ngā mihi 

Jeanie Robinson

Jeanie Robinson, Operations Manager - Commercial Services at Fairway Resolution Limited. As part of her role, Jeanie is responsible for Study Complaints | Ngā Amuamu Tauira.

2025 in review

How we helped

Our process is designed to empower students and education providers to resolve matters early and through consensual means where possible. Our aim is to meet the needs of learners studying in Aotearoa, ensuring they have a voice in the process and their mana, identity and wellbeing is prioritised. If a student and their education provider are unable to reach an agreed outcome, Study Complaints | Ngā Amuamu Tauira can provide finality through adjudication where a binding decision is issued.

Here is an overview of how we helped tauira from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025:

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• We received 208 enquiries
• 42 were accepted as claims
• Including disputes carried over from last year, we had 223 enquiries and 11 claims on hand
• We resolved or closed 44 claims.

Facilitation & negotiation

We let your education provider know and get you talking.

• 17 claims were resolved through facilitation and negotiation

Mediation

Collaborate and reach an agreement together at mediation.

• 6 claims reached an agreement at mediation
  • 67% resolved all matters
  • 33% resolved some matters

Adjudication

We consider the dispute and make a decision during adjudication.

• 18 claims were adjudicated
  • 3 were upheld
  • 3 were partially upheld
  • 12 were not upheld
     

Overview of disputes

Enquiries overview

For the period of 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025 a total of 208 enquiries were received. 

Of the total 208 enquiries, 102 were domestic and 106 were international students. 

In addition, 15 enquiries carried over from the previous reporting period, bringing our total to 223 enquiries on hand this year. 
 

Progression of enquiries received (combined – total 208)

• 31% of enquiries did not proceed or were withdrawn – this includes disputes that were resolved early between the learner and education provider
• 31% of enquiries were not accepted and determined as outside of jurisdiction
• 18% were accepted as claims – progressing to our dispute resolution process
• 9% were referred to other agencies or complaints bodies for further assistance
• 6% remained on hand at the close of this period – under consideration by the team
• 5% of enquiries were recorded as non-relevant – for example, requests for resources.

Nature of enquiries 

The Education and Training Act 2020 enables us to resolve disputes between students (including former and prospective students) and providers or signatory providers relating to:

1. contractual and financial matters
2. a claim for redress for any loss or harm suffered by a student as a result of a breach by a provider or signatory provider of a code issued under section 534.

The main theme of enquiries this period was: 

• 28% - Financial/contractual
• 41% - Other
• 31% - Refund.

We provide a more detailed breakdown of categories below:

*Not within jurisdiction for Study Complaints | Ngā Amuamu Tauira. 
 

Enquiries by provider type (combined – 208 total)

Here is a breakdown of enquiries by education provider type:

• 79 enquiries -  PTEs
• 52 enquiries  – Te Pūkenga
• 33 enquiries  – University
• 25 enquiries – N/A
• 11 enquiries – Secondary school
• 5 enquiries – Wānanga
• 2 enquiries - Primary school

• 1 enquiry –  Intermediate school
  

   

Claims overview

Within 10 working days of receiving an enquiry, we will either accept it as a claim, decline it, or ask for further information to help us decide whether we can accept it or not. 

Of the 208 enquiries received during this reporting period, 42 were accepted as claims. An additional 13 claims were carried over from the previous reporting period. 

Overview of how claims were resolved (combined - 44 total)

Of the total 55 claims on hand during this period (new cases and brought forward), 44 were resolved and closed as follows:

• 52% (23 claims) were resolved consensually
  • 17 through facilitation and negotiation
  • 6 through mediation
• 41% (18 claims) were adjudicated
  • 3 claims were upheld
  • 3 claims were partly upheld
  • 12 claims were not upheld.
• 7% (3 claims) were withdrawn when the student did not pursue the matter.

The percentage of claims being adjudicated has increased from 27% to 41% in this full year. This is in part due to disputes being more developed and entrenched by the time they get to Study Complaints | Ngā Amuamu Tauira. As students feel they have already been through a lengthy internal complaints process with their provider and early facilitation by Study Complaints | Ngā Amuamu Tauira has not resulted in a resolution, the parties are increasingly declining to mediate and moving directly to adjudication.
 

Claims received by provider type (combined total – 42)

Across all providers, most claims accepted were in relation to Private Training Establishments (PTEs), followed secondly by Te Pūkenga - Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics.

• 23 claims -  PTEs
• 11 claims – Te Pūkenga
• 4 claims – University
• 2 claims – Secondary school
• 1 claim - Primary school
• 1 claim – Wānanga

• 0 claims – Intermediate school

   

Additional information

You can find a copy of the full report here

If you have any questions, please get in touch with our team. You can contact us by:

• Free phone: 0800 00 66 75
• Email: help@studycomplaints.org.nz
• Web: www.studycomplaints.org.nz