Background

Between 1992 and 1998 the following organisations were responsible for different aspects of the Student Allowances Scheme:

• the Ministry of Education:
  • the government's lead advisor on education policy (including Student Allowances)
  • the delivery and administration of the scheme (including the payment of all Student Allowances) and
  • the approval of tertiary education providers and qualifications or programmes for access to Student Allowances (and Student Loans)
• tertiary education providers (other than private tertiary establishments) - the assessment of Student Allowances applications from their students
• Eduserve (Christchurch Polytechnic) - from 1995 the processing of Student Allowance applications from students attending secondary schools and private tertiary establishments (under an agreement with the Ministry of Education)
• the New Zealand Vice-Chancellors Committee - the quality assurance of New Zealand University qualifications or programmes
• New Zealand Qualifications Authority - the quality assurance of non-University qualifications or programmes

Any queries in relation to Student Allowances for study from the beginning of 1992 to the end of 1998 are not the responsibility of MSD.

MSD does not hold any Student Allowances information in relation to study, applications or payments during those years.

If students raise questions relating to Student Allowances paid during those years, they should be referred to their Education Provider. However, their Education Provider may no longer hold any relevant records as they are not required to keep records indefinitely.

If their Education Provider no longer exists and they have a complaint, they can raise it with the Ministry of Education.

Note the Ministry of Education no longer holds any individual Student Allowances records for those years.

In December 1997, the government decided MSD would take over responsibility for the delivery of the assessment and payment of Student Allowances for study starting on or after 1 January 1999.

This decision recognised the benefits that would flow from an integrated approach to the assessment and payment of financial support to students, including the delivery of the Student Loan Scheme.

Since 1 January 1999, the following organisations have been responsible for different aspects of the Student Allowances Scheme:

• MSD (via StudyLink) - the assessment and payment of Student Allowances to eligible students
• the Ministry of Education - the government's lead advisor on education policy (including Student Allowances)
• tertiary education providers and secondary schools - the supply of enrolment information to StudyLink
• the Tertiary Education Commission - since its creation in 2002, the approval of tertiary education providers and qualifications or programmes for access to Student Allowances (and Student Loans)
• New Zealand Vice-Chancellors Committee - the quality assurance of New Zealand University qualifications or programmes
• New Zealand Qualifications Authority - the quality assurance of non-university qualifications or programmes on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework
• Statistics New Zealand - the management of the Integrated Data Infrastructure, including Student Allowances (and Student Loan) data supplied by MSD