Tena Koe,

Please supply the following information under the Official Information Act (OIA) regarding the TEC Plan Guidance For providers submitting Investment Plans for funding from 1 January 2027.
The information I am interested in concerns social work qualifications and the advice that was given to or received, or informed the statement in Appendix B, page 70 that states “For social work going forward, we will prioritise funding for delivery of the three-year Bachelor of Social Work recently accredited by the Social Worker Registration Board (SWRB) over the four-year programme, consistent with our wider priorities for health provision.”
Specifically, I am requesting:
1. What advice (formal or informal, including verbal advice conveyed in meetings or briefings) was given from SWRB (secretariat and Board) to TEC to inform or approve the statement in Appendix B, as noted above?
2. What other individuals or bodies, apart from the SWRB, provided the advice (informal or formal) that informed this decision, and when?
3. Please supply all communications relating to this advice.
Including the following:
• Advice and analysis: any briefings, reports, Cabinet papers, memos, internal analyses, or confirmation that no such documents exist relating to this decision.
• Any educational, workforce, or economic analysis used to support this prioritisation.
• Consultation and engagement: records of consultation with the TEC, NZQA, ministries, universities, professional bodies, or sector groups.
• Any feedback received from stakeholders regarding programme length or structure.
• Correspondence: communications (emails, memos, meeting notes, SWRB Board minutes) between SWRB and other agencies (including the TEC, Ministry of Education, or other government bodies) relating to this matter.
• Decision-making rationale: any documents outlining the policy rationale or internal position of the SWRB regarding the relative merits of the three-year BSW over the four-year programme.
• Any consideration of impacts on postgraduate qualifying SW pathways and programme length: provide relevant communications, modelling and analysis.
• Impact and risk analysis: any assessments of the potential implications for workforce supply, quality of training, or sector capacity.
• Any board papers, minutes or resolutions where these issues were discussed.

If you need any more information from me, please let me know as soon as possible.
I understand that a decision on a request for information under the OIA should be made within 20 working days of receiving that request.

If you do not normally deal with official information requests, or you need advice on dealing with this request, guidance is available from the Ombudsman at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz.

Ngā mihi
Kieran O’Donoghue
Professor of Social Work
Massey University