Controlled Document – Refer to the NMIT website or intranet for latest version

QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (QMS) POLICY

Section Quality
Approval Date 29.09.2017 Approved by Chief Executive
Next Review 13.11.2023 Responsibility Executive Director – Customer
Experience and Excellence
This review 13.11.2020 Key Evaluation Question 6

INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE

The Quality Management System (QMS) includes all the activities at NMIT that contribute to agreed quality
outcomes for students and other stakeholders. The QMS includes NMIT’s commitment to the Treaty of
Waitangi. It encompasses NZQA Key Evaluation Questions (incorporated within NMIT Self-Assessment Policy
and related documents), and NZQA’s Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students.

NMIT has a commitment to comply with requirements and continually improve the effectiveness of the QMS.
To this end, documented information is retained and maintained to support the operation of NMIT processes
and to have confidence that the processes are being carried out as planned.

The QMS is dynamic and subject to continual improvement resulting from critical review and changing
stakeholder requirements.

Accurately documenting the policies, systems, processes and procedures within the Quality Management
System allows NMIT to:

o Provide value for the organisation and its stakeholders

o Record and maintain continuity of institutional knowledge;
o Continually improve;
o Effectively train and develop staff;
o Clarify the expectations and obligations of the Institute, its students and other stakeholders;
o Monitor performance through internal reviews and other quality assurance processes;
o Regularly review policies and procedures;
o Prevent, rather than correct, poor quality outcomes.
o Support the operation of NMIT’s processes and strategic objectives.
o Have confidence that the processes are being carried out as planned.

NMIT makes a commitment to improve its service to students, staff and external stakeholders through
continually improved leadership and teamwork, communication and training.

DEFINITIONS

Documented information Overarching term for documentation, including ‘controlled document’,

‘records’, ‘documented procedures’ [def; ISO 9001:2015]

Quality The performance or standard of a product or service compared with

previous expectations, as judged by a stakeholder.

Quality Assurance Processes and actions to ensure stakeholder expectations are met.
Quality Control Comparing outputs against previously agreed standards and making
required changes.

Quality Management A coordinated, long-term way of managing which focuses on the consistency
of organisational processes to meeting or exceeding stakeholder
expectations through continual improvement.

Quality Management System The formalised system that documents policy, procedure and processes, and
(QMS) responsibilities for achieving the consistent quality outputs which occur
within NMIT to enable agreed student and stakeholder expectations to be
met. The documented QMS sets out the policies, structure, processes,
responsibilities and resources; and describes how these are coordinated to
achieve quality.

Self-Assessment An ongoing process, embedded in the quality assurance and annual

planning activities of an organisation that examines the quality, value and
importance of the organisation’s educational delivery and outcomes, and
how it is meeting the needs of its students and other stakeholders.

SCOPE

The QMS is applicable to all aspects of NMIT operations, all work areas and all geographic locations including
the following:

o Nelson Campus, Nelson

o Marlborough Campus, Blenheim
o Woodbourne Campus, Blenheim
o Richmond Campus, Richmond
o Other sites with Academic Board approval where it is acknowledged that relevant aspects of the QMS
are in place.

At Institutional level the documented QMS is made up of this policy, the NMIT Academic Statute and all other
policies and procedures approved by the NMIT Board, Academic Committee, Executive Team or the Chief
Executive. These documents are version controlled and are subject to strict approval and document control
procedures.

Within Curriculum areas and Business Support areas, additional checklists, forms, templates and records may
apply which are not Controlled Documents. It is the responsibility of individual managers to ensure that these
documents are subject to appropriate approval and version control and are consistent with the overall QMS.

RESPONSIBILITIES

NMIT Board members, Directors, and all staff are responsible for working in accordance with the specific
requirements of the documented QMS.

Approval Body and Staff Member • Review and approve documents under their responsibility within
responsible for the document the agreed review cycle.
• Ensures legislative requirements

Executive Director – Customer • Responsible for the overall management of the QMS
Experience and Excellence (ED – documentation
CEE)

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Quality Advisor • Maintains the QMS Intranet site and associated metadata,
ensures the same documents are available to external
stakeholders via the NMIT website. Maintains pdf copies of
documents
• Monitors the review dates
• Coordinates policy reviews in consultation with team member(s)
responsible for the document.
• Ensures the QMS is consistent with legislative and other external
requirements
• Communicates policy updates to wider NMIT staff

Quality Committee • Develop and oversee NMIT’s QMS. Interpret and maintain an
overview of the external legislative requirements that influence
the quality of NMIT’s services.
• Authorise the development, review or deletion of NMIT’s
documented policies and procedures and define the consultation
and approval process in each case.
• Ensure the Institute’s business rules are accurately documented
in policies and procedures that are coherent, fit for purpose and
integrated into a complete quality system.

Quality Enhancement Manager • In consultation with the Executive Director – Customer

Experience and Excellence, plan and manage the QMS ensuring it
is clearly defined, effective, well controlled and accessible to all
staff

STRUCTURE OF THE QMS (CONTROLLED DOCUMENTS)

SECTION HEADINGS

NMIT policies and procedures are maintained as Controlled Documents under the following section
headings:

• Finance
• Forms, Templates and Guidelines (available on Intranet, for staff use only)
• Institute Governance and Management
• Learning and Teaching
• People and Organisation Development
• Problem Resolution
• Quality
• Research
• Safety, Health and Wellbeing

CONTROLLED DOCUMENTS VERSION CONTROL

Every Controlled Document includes the following information

o NMIT logo
o The Section (refer above)
o The Approval Date of the document (date approved by the approval body)
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 o The Last Reviewed/This review date (date that a review has been conducted by the person
who has responsibility for the document).
o The Next Review is the date of the next review, in accordance with the agreed ‘review
frequency’ (captured in the meta-data). The default review cycle period is 36 months.
o Approval Body One of the four approval bodies:
NMIT Board;
Academic Committee;
Executive Team; or
Chief Executive
o Responsibility – the position title of the staff member responsible for the document
o Reference to NZQA’s Key Evaluation Questions 1-6.

For clarity and document control purposes, a consistent style, distribution, deletion and revision of documents
is followed. Statements of “Purpose”, “Scope” and “Responsibility” should be at the start of each document,
and “References” to other relevant documents, both internal and external on the final page. These references
should include:

o Links to related NMIT QMS documents

o Related addresses and links to documents/websites of external bodies, e.g. NZQA, TEC,
Ministry of Education
o Statutory documents e.g. Acts of Parliament
o Legal advice obtained before approval, if relevant.

DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT

Version Control is achieved by including the review dates, past and future, the approval body responsible, and
the Director responsible for the content and review cycle of each document published on the QMS.

Review dates and information pertinent to the review of a policy or procedure (e.g. workshops convened, key
staff consulted, reasons for delays) are captured and monitored internally through the use of a SharePoint site,
managed centrally by Academic and Quality. Summaries of review dates and updates to the QMS are reported
at Academic Standards and Quality (AS & Q) Committee.

The procedure for developing, reviewing and approving Controlled Documents is described in Quality
Management System Procedure.

DOCUMENT REVIEW

To ensure that documents reflect:

• Current practice
• NMIT structure and responsibilities
• Consistent with the Education and Training Act (2020) and other relevant legislation
• External requirements (e.g. TEC funding requirements, NZQA Key Evaluation Questions)

The Quality Advisor will initiate the review cycle with the person/body responsible for the document.

ACCESS TO CONTROLLED DOCUMENTS

All NMIT staff and members of the Board may access the approved versions of Controlled Documents via the
NMIT intranet or alternatively via the NMIT website.

Students and other external stakeholders can access the approved versions of Controlled Documents via the
NMIT website, or on request from their Department or SANITI.

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REFERENCES

INTERNAL
NMIT Academic Statute - Introduction
Quality Management System (QMS) Procedure
Self-Assessment Policy
Self-Assessment Procedure
Internal Review

EXTERNAL
NZQA External Evaluation and Review
Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students
Education and Training Act 2020
International Organization for Standardisation – www.iso.org

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