JM251204 2026 01 23 Response.pdf

23 January 2026

Professor Jay Marlowe
By email: [FYI request #33133 email]

Tēnā koe Professor Marlowe,

Information request – JM251204

Thank you for your email dated 4 December 2025. In your email, you requested various
documents relating to the preparation of the Social Work Education Standards 2026 (which on
1 January 2026 replaced the earlier SWRB Programme Recognition Standards 2021):
•  Information about the SWRB’s decision-making regarding the length of qualifications.
o  “What factors, evidence, or advice informed the SWRB’s decision on the
flexibility and acceptable length of social work programmes”?
o  Al  “evidence, analyses, modelling, or briefing papers considered in forming
these decisions, including: consultation with social work education providers
and the professional bodies; and information provided to Ministers.”
•  Information about the new “curriculum requirements and postgraduate programme
length”.
o  “What assessment or analysis did the SWRB undertake to ensure a shortened
(120 or 180-credit) postgraduate pathway could deliver the required learning
outcomes for registration?”
o  “Any relevant reports, mapping exercises, or external advice”.
o  “Any consultation that has been conducted in relation to postgraduate
programme length”.
•  “Advice to Ministers on alternative pathways”.
o  “Has the SWRB provided any advice to Ministers or ministerial offices about
apprenticeship pathways, recognition of prior learning (RPL), or other non-
traditional qualification routes (i.e. apprenticeships)? If so, please provide
copies of all such advice and any related ministerial responses.”
•  Information about any directions or instructions from the government.
o  “Has the SWRB received any specific direction, request, or instruction from
any government agency or Minister in relation to the revised Education
Standards? If yes, please provide copies of such correspondence and any
rationale or justification supplied.”
•  “If any responsive documents are withheld or redacted, please provide a schedule
describing the document, the grounds for withholding under the OIA, and the
author/recipient.”
We have now prepared our response to your request. Please find this below.

Explanation of the SWRB’s decision-making concerning the length of prescribed
qualifications (both undergraduate and postgraduate)

Introduction
When a prior version of the Programme Recognition Standards was published in 2016, they
were published on the SWRB website with an introductory preamble which contained the
stipulated length of undergraduate and post-graduate qualifications as wel  as operational
detail on the monitoring of recognised programmes.

When the current Education Standards were developed in 2025, the Preamble was re-
developed into the Prescription and Monitoring Framework to cover all operational detail on
prescribing, confirming and monitoring qualifications. A copy of this Framework, which unlike
the Education Standards is not secondary legislation, is attached. This change was to allow
flexibility for Tertiary Education Organisations (TEOs) to use NZQA guidelines to structure the
length of qualifications from the definitions as stated, provided they could also meet the SWRB
Education Standards.

The New Zealand Qualification Authority (NZQA) stipulates that a bachelor’s degree requires a
minimum of 360 credits from levels 7 to 9. Some bachelor’s degrees, notably in professional
fields such as engineering, the health sciences and law, may encompass additional credits and
may require a longer period of study.  The NZQA stipulates that a master’s degree has a
minimum of 120 credits at level 8 and above, with at least 40 credits at level 9. Master’s
Degrees typically consist of 120, 180, or 240 or more credits.

Al  social work programmes, regardless of length, must meet the same rigorous SWRB
Education Standards. Graduates must demonstrate the same Core Competence Standards and
meet the same fit and proper requirements for registration. The focus is on competence and
capability to practise safely.

When prescribing qualifications, the Board is guided by three statutory principles set out in
Section 5B(2) of the Social Workers Registration Act 2003: qualifications must be necessary to
protect the public; must not unnecessarily restrict registration; and must not impose undue
costs on persons seeking registration or the public. The flexibility provided in the Education
Standards 2026 enables the Board to balance all three principles, particularly addressing cost
barriers whilst maintaining rigorous public safety standards.

The timeline of the development of the Education Standards 2026 is appended as Appendix A.

Information considered
The SWRB has responded to accumulating evidence from the sources identified below which
cumulatively indicated that a four-year degree is unsustainable in Aotearoa New Zealand’s
current economic and political climate. There was a perceived need for increased flexibility in
approach to the length of qualifications, allowing TEOs to decide on the appropriate length of
a qualification within NZQA guidelines for Bachelors and Masters degrees. A number of specific
factors were identified, as below.

The academic voice
Many leading social work academics in Aotearoa New Zealand have written in detail on the
financial hardships experienced by social work students across a four-year degree. Financial
hardship is identified as being clearly linked to student retention and drop-out rates. Recent
documentation has included formal publications by Kim (2024), Beddoe et al. (2024), Bartley et
al. (2024), Beddoe et al. (2023), Cox et al. (2022), Hulme-Moir et al. (2022), Meadows et al.
(2020).

Most recently, Kim (2024) stated that increasingly high living costs and more chal enging
economic times nationally and internationally are contributing to financial hardship. Further,
Kim challenges the sector to collaborate on the development of strategies which will make
social work qualifications sustainable.

The student voice
Ākonga consistently reported financial hardship during SWRB programme reviews. These were
conducted in person while SWRB staff were conducting programme re-recognition site visits.
Comments and responses were summarised as part of the reports presented to the Board
confirming ongoing programme recognition.

The teaching voice
Social work educators identified financial hardship as a key factor in students dropping out.
Comments were collated in the raw data of survey responses and summarised in the reports.
https://swrb.govt.nz/about-us/news-and-publications/publications/#Annual-Reports

Fal ing enrolments
Since 2016, enrolment figures have steadily trended downwards with numbers falling in nearly
every programme since the introduction of the four-year degree, with 2023 the lowest since
2013, with a total of 2,605 enrolled across all programmes with 20% of the total studying at
post-graduate level. This compares to a peak of 3885 in 2015, with 8% at postgraduate level.
https://swrb.govt.nz/workforce/workforce-reports/

Decreasing graduation numbers
Low social work programme enrolments are impacting the development of the social worker
workforce. The number of graduates has declined from 691 in 2017, falling to 470 in 2023 with
505 graduating in 2024. Data was received from the Tertiary Education Commission.
https://swrb.govt.nz/workforce/workforce-reports/

Student retention and attrition
Students dropping out of programmes citing financial hardship due to the four-year degree. By
2022, the attrition rate sat at almost 50%, the lowest since 2013. Some of this may be due to
the Covid years, but comments from educators and students identified student hardship as a
major factor.
https://swrb.govt.nz/workforce/workforce-reports/

Workforce
There is a national shortage of social workers in the workforce and an increasing number of
vacant positions, as wel as a large cohort of social workers retiring. The 2025 Annual Social
Worker Workforce Report identified the following based on survey responses from 783
registered social workers:
“6.4 Biggest challenges for the social work profession
Social workers were asked what they think the biggest challenges for the social work profession
are now, and in the immediate future. As seen since 2022, the biggest challenge is the
recruitment and retention of social workers (61%) (p33).”
“6.5 Five-year plan for staying in the workforce
Two-thirds of survey participants plan to remain in the social work profession over the next five
years (65%), down from 73% in 2024. 19% of participants plan to leave in the next five years,
which has increased from 13% in 2024. This survey finding represents a loss of over 800 social
workers from the profession, and if the proportion is extrapolated out to the full practising
workforce (a total of 8,066 at the time of the survey closing), it would indicate a loss of over
1,500 social workers across New Zealand (p34).”
https://swrb.govt.nz/workforce/workforce-reports/ ; https://swrb.govt.nz/social-workers-are-
in-high-demand/

Changes and uncertainty in the tertiary education sector
Concerns arising between 2021-2025 related to future uncertainty in the tertiary education
sector surrounding Te Pūkenga, unified degrees, possible mergers amid a changing political
scene are all expected to have impact on the social worker workforce.

Increase in part-time student numbers
Ful -time study in Aotearoa New Zealand has become unsustainable for many students due to
rising living expenses, changes in student allowance entitlements, and limited government

support. The annual education reports note an increase in part-time students to a ¼ of
undergraduates and ½ of postgraduate by 2023, from a total of 25% in 2017.
https://swrb.govt.nz/workforce/workforce-reports/

The cumulative weight of this evidence demonstrated that the four-year degree requirement
was imposing undue costs on students seeking registration, whilst not demonstrably improving
public safety outcomes compared to properly structured three-year programmes that meet
the Education Standards. Therefore, the four-year degree requirement did not facilitate
decision-making about prescribed qualifications in line with the principles in Section 5B(2).

Advisory rōpū
There was no reference to programme length in any of the Advisory Rōpū notes taken during
the development of the Education Standards (Appendix A).

Consultation on the Education Standards
The SWRB worked with social work educators to develop the Education Standards to ensure
public safety and strengthen social workers’ professional competence and accountability. The
standards development also reﬂected sector feedback about barriers to programme
completion and workforce attraction, including programme length, cost, and declining
enrolments since 2017.

While some stakeholders expressed a preference for more extensive consultation timeframes
during the ﬁnal feedback phase in 2024, the Board noted that the Education Standards had
been developed through a comprehensive two-year engagement process including wānanga,
hui, advisory rōpū input, and multiple rounds of sector feedback beginning in 2022 (as detailed
in Appendix A)).

The Board’s consideration
A Brieﬁng Paper was provided to the Board at their 8 December 2023 meeting. This mooted
the possibility of a three-year degree. Discussion at the Board focused on how the Education
Standards would enable ﬂexibility in programme structure and length, rather than mandating a
speciﬁc timeframe.

Relevant excerpts from the Board’s minutes can be found below at Appendix B.

Curriculum requirements and postgraduate programme length
During the Education Standards and fees consultations via online hui with the tertiary
education sector in September 2025, a comment was made by an SWRB staff member that it
may be possible to offer a Masters programme shorter than 240 credits, as permissible under
NZQA regulations. The content expected in a qualification is outlined in the Education
Standards and coverage of the content could mean that a Master programme at less than 240
credits may not be possible. No recording was made of the online hui nor were there
transcripts created.

Comments were made available as Frequently Asked Questions on the SWRB website from
mid- to end-2025, then archived (a copy of the FAQ is attached).

Advice to Ministers about Alternative Pathways
Yes, information has been provided to the Minister:
-  Brieﬁng to the incoming Minister 2023.
“Since 2018, the SWRB has conducted an annual survey of all social workers across the
country. The results from the 2022 survey highlighted issues about the sustainability of
the workforce, with 15% of social workers stating they were planning to leave the
sector in the next ﬁve years. We see an overal  picture of signiﬁcant social worker
shortage, with a mismatch between the supply of social workers into the workforce
and increased demand for social workers. At the current rate, by 2024 there will likely
be more social workers leaving the profession than registering with the SWRB (p.7).”

-  Workforce Insights report 2024.
“As the primary pathway for social worker registration is via qualiﬁcation attainment,
the social worker registration system is closely linked to the training and education
systems (p5).”
“43. We know that a high proportion of students leave the current four-year degree
programme due to hardship. There was the potential (and still is) for tertiary
education providers to develop a three-year qualification which would alleviate the
many of the hardship issues students face, with a fourth year of for example guided
internship, an earn-as-you-learn or apprenticeship model (p11).”
“63. We have considered some of the challenges for the social work profession and
where we see potential for sector wide action to ﬁnd solutions. Examples of potential
actions across the key components of the workforce planning life cycle are set out
below:
•  Attraction: includes attracting and broadening the potential pool of students
into social work programmes and the potential pool of workers who could be
social workers into employment.
•  Recruitment: addressing barriers to enrolment in social work training
programmes and expanding pathways to qualiﬁcation and registration
(p15).”

The Minister was also advised of the development of the new Education Standards through
the SWRB’s 2024/2025 Statement of Performance Expectations (SPE)(attached). The SPE
noted that the revision of the Education Standards was a work area to be completed in 2025.
The Minister was also updated about the development of the Education Standards in the
SWRB’s 2024/2025 Quarter 2, 2024/2025 Quarter 3, and 2025/2026 Quarter 1 reports to the
Minister for Social Development.

External Directions or Instructions
The SWRB has received no instructions or directions from the Minister for Social Development
or from any government agency concerning the Education Standards.

Closing Comments
The factors identified above were recognised as having a profound impact on the Aotearoa
social worker workforce and its future, and required a response from the SWRB. Flexibility and
choice were considered to be essential for the tertiary education social work sector to identify
how they could best meet SWRB and NZQA programme requisites. The flexibility and
acceptable length of a social work qualification is primarily governed by the programme’s
ability to meet the requirements of the SWRB Education Standards and NZQA’s accreditation
standards. A TEO may therefore choose to continue offering a four-year undergraduate degree
should they wish, as long as it meets the SWRB Education Standards.

Subsequent interest in the delivery of a three-year degree has been received positively by
many, especially from the Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs) and Wānanga. The
SWRB is committed to ensuring that a three-year qualification covers all elements of the
Education Standards and remains cognisant of the need for critical reflection and supervision
preparedness of students during the programme. The SWRB, alongside NZQA or CUAP, assess
and prescribe (accredit) each programme prior to delivery of the new degree. The SWRB will
be monitoring each new programme at the end of the first year of delivery.

The new standards enable flexible programme delivery while maintaining rigorous
requirements for competence and public safety, with the potential to support alternative
pathways into the profession.

The Board remains committed to thorough examination of all candidates applying for
registration as is the current practice.

Further information
If you have any questions, or wish to discuss the matter further, please contact the SWRB by
email at [Social Workers Registration Board request email] , or by post at Social Workers Registration Board, PO Box 3452,
Wellington 6140 (attention Legal Team).

You have the right to seek a review of our response by the Ombudsman. Information about
the Ombudsman can be found at https://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz .

Ngā mihi nui

Lucas Davies
Acting Legal Services Manager
Social Workers Registration Board

References

Bartley, A., Beddoe, L., Hashemi, L., Rahimi, M., & de Fossard, S. (2024). Social work students in
Aotearoa New Zealand: The impacts of financial hardship on mental and social wellbeing.
Social Work Education, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2024.2326540

Beddoe, L., Hunt, S., Staniforth, B., & Cox, K. (2024). The impact of studying social work on
student social wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand: Struggling with incongruent demands.
Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work, 36(4), 77–91.
https://doi.org/10.11157/anzswjvol36iss4id1214

Beddoe, L., Baker, M., Cox, K., & Ballantyne, N. (2023). Mental health struggles of social work
students: Distress, stigma, and perseverance. Qualitative Social Work, 23(5), 813–832.
https://doi. org/10.1177/14733250231212413

Cox, K., Beddoe, L., & Ide, Y. (2022). Social work student hardship: A review of the literature.
Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work, 34(1), 22–35. https://doi. org/10.11157/anzswj-
vol34iss1id848

Hulme-Moir, K., Beddoe, L., Davys, A., & Bartley, A. (2022). Social work education in Aotearoa
New Zealand: A difficult journey for student caregivers. Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work,
34(4), 33–46. https://anzswjournal.nz/anzsw/article/view/985

Kim, H. (2024). The sustainability of social work education during low enrolment in Aotearoa
New Zealand. Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work. 36(3), 78-82 Retrieved from
https://anzswjournal.nz/anzsw/article/view/1139

Meadows, L., Fraser, S., Swift, D., & Gant, L. (2020). BSW students under stress: Students’
struggles lead to an innovative response in Aotearoa New Zealand. Advances in Social Work
and Welfare Education, 22(1).

Appendix A – Development of the SWRB Education Standards 2026

1.  The Education Standards, Te Pou Tūhono, was undertaken within a Te Tiriti o Waitangi
framework. The SWRB committed to this framework from the outset, underpinned by He
Arapaki, the SWRB Māori Development Strategy and Action Plan which encompasses the
uara of matatika, manaaki, mahitahi and māia.
2021- 2023
2.  The 2022 phase of the review included sector engagement led by the SWRB’s Chief Advisor
Social Work. External kaiwhakahaere were appointed representing tangata whenua and
tangata Tiriti to co-lead the work with the SWRB review team.  An advisory rōpū was
appointed for the review. The rōpū was made up of four tangata whenua and two tagata
Pacific social workers. A reference rōpū was also established with its members reflecting
Aotearoa’s diversity. 
3.  The 2022-2023 review phase drew on themes emerging from wānanga, hui and direct
contributions from the sector. Draft Education Standards were developed and made
available to the sector in May 2023. In July 2023 a discussion document and online survey
was circulated to those who had been involved in the review.
4.  Responses affirmed that the new education standards captured the essence of the themes
from earlier sector engagement in that they better integrated Mātauranga Māori and
other knowledge into the curriculum.
5.  The values identified by the advisory rōpū to shape the revised Education Standards were
Kaitiakitanga, Manaakitanga, Whanaungatanga, and Rangatiratanga. These values were
the supporting Pou that are now framed in the Education standards’ supporting narrative.
These also align and connect with the SWRB’s values: Matatika (reflecting Kaitiakitanga),
Manaaki (aligning with Manaakitanga), Mahitahi (reflecting Whanaungatanga), and Māia
(relating to Rangatiratanga). These shape the SWRB Education Standards as relational and
values-based.
2023 –2024
6.  In late 2023, a final review was undertaken to ensure the Education Standards aligned with
SWRB legislation and intent, and key concepts such as public safety appeared in the
standards as curriculum guidance for educators.
7.  A comparison of the draft Educations Standards against the standards of other national
and international regulatory bodies was undertaken to analyse gaps or overlaps. During
this early stage, approaches to the prescription and monitoring of social work programme
delivery were also in development.
8.  Ensuring that the standards are future-focused and flexible enough for alternative
programme structures was important to meet future identified needs for the social work
profession and to enable innovative approaches to qualification delivery. Further
amendments were made in some areas with the goal of improving graduate competence
and outcomes, and this work continued into 2025.

2024–2025
9. The final version of the Education Standards and the accompanying Prescription and
Monitoring Framework was approved by the Board in May 2025, following incorporation
of minor changes to introduce greater clarity.

Appendix B – Excerpts from the minutes of Social Workers Registration Board meetings

Agenda item 3.2a

8 December 2023
Ramiﬁcations for the length of degree
22. The draft Education Standards Phase Two oﬀer a change from the 2016 PRS with no speciﬁc
direction/guidance on the number of years for a degree (neither 3 nor 4 years). It is useful to
note that the guidance to the sector was contained in the preamble to the 2016 standards,
rather than in the standards themselves. The draft standards do not include a preamble, in part
because the legal status of the preamble was not clear. The standards have the status of
secondary legislation.

23. This will allow the possibility of a 3-year degree as long as an accredited provider can
provide
evidence that a graduate wil  meet all the standards as described in the SWRB Education
Standards within that time OR that a diﬀerent approach is introduced such as the English or
Northern Ireland model (Appendix Three). As a result, the structure of degrees could therefore
potentially change over the next 4–5-year period.

24. Reduction of the programme length needn’t imply a reduction in public safety but rather
that
TEOs are meeting standards in diverse ways. The emphasis remains on producing graduates
who are competent and safe to practice along with meeting the needs of the New Zealand
sector and workforce. It should also be noted that a 3-year degree is not a barrier to
qualiﬁcation recognition overseas as other jurisdictions also have 3 year degrees.

25. Taking this approach wil  address s5B(c) in making the degree less ﬁnancially burdensome.

26. The issue of the degree’s length was raised by CSWEANZ members in November 2023 as
they
have considerable interest in increasing ﬂexibility in programme structure, length and
approach.

Minutes relating to Agenda Item 3.2a

8 December 2023

3.2 Education Standards Update
The draft Education Standards paper from the Phase Two project, was taken as read by the
Board
noting the paper provides the intent that SWRB wil  recognize how public safety is addressed
when prescribing a qualiﬁcation against the draft Education Standards Phase Two.

Board paper 5.3 identifying themes from consultation:

19 April 2024
Key Themes and Responses:
1.  Overall, feedback was positive and constructive in clarifying points of ambiguity and
concern.

2.  Many welcomed the increased flexibility and future-proofing capacity of the Standards but
noted that the potential for degree-length change has surprised the sector. They noted

that it does offer an opportunity to break away from homogenous degrees but that wil
also have challenges.

3.  The main issues were:
-  Degree length and level: Exploring the different pathways and approaches a possible
three-year degree offers would need to also include how the SWRB Quality Assurance
processes are graduating beginning practitioners with the same level of skil s as a four-
year degree.
-  The recognition of experience in the RPL process for section 13 applicants.
-  A clear rationale for moving to a less prescriptive set of standards needs to be provided
and understood as there were differing ideas on whether it is better to be more or less
prescriptive;

4.  Ensuring that any qualification prescribed by the SWRB is at Level 7 or above was a point
expressed by all. The information on levels and credit lengths had all been encompassed in
the Preamble which is no longer a part of the Education Standards. The level has now been
included but the credit value has not, to allow flexibility and alternative structures.

5.  It was deemed critical that the degree continues to uphold social work qualifications as a
profession rather than an occupation. To this end, all groups would welcome discussion on
academic programme development as feeder programmes and at the post-graduate level.
6.  Some found the feedback process too restricted for full discussion with their members and
that the consultation phase was therefore not robust enough. It was noted to each of the
groups that the standards have been through discussion and consultation over the past
two years.

7.  One point regarding the possibility of a three year degree was that educators were
concerned that workplaces in the social sector would not look wel  enough after graduates
in protecting both the public and the graduated students. Educators would like formalised
discussion on the degree length at some point in the future.

Minutes relating to 5.3 Education Standards - Final Draft

19 April 2024
Considering the comments made, the Board:
•  Approved in principle, the revised draft education standards - ﬁnal draft
for inclusion in the development of the SWRB Education and Training
Framework.
•  Discussed and provided feedback on the contents of the paper.
All in Favor. Carried.
Outcome: Approved