NSNs in early learning services#

Licensed early learning services are required to record NSNs for all enrolled children as a condition of funding. The NSN also forms part of the attendance and enrolment information that you must provide to us.

Checking NSNs for enrolments#

Children need an NSN as soon as they enrol at your early learning service.

The first service that a child enrols with will create the NSN. Other services can then search for the NSN and allocate it to the child. Each child should have only 1 unique NSN. If you find a child has more than 1 NSN, you need to inform us immediately.

You need one of the following official identification documents to allocate or create an NSN:

• birth certificate
• passport
• New Zealand citizenship certificate.

For children from the Cook Islands, Niue or Tokelau, you can also use a:

• Certificate of Naturalisation.
• Certificate of Registration.
• Letter of Confirmation.

When to request an unverified NSN#

If the parents/caregivers cannot provide an official identification document, contact us to request an unverified NSN.

When we have created the unverified NSN, you can select the NSN from the potential NSN matches in your Student Management System (SMS) or ELI Web.

Ask the parents or caregivers to provide an official identification document within the first 2 weeks of enrolment.

When you receive the official identification document you must:

• update and verify the child’s profile on your SMS or ELI Web matches the official document, and then
• email us a copy of the official identification document so we can verify the NSN.

Searching and allocating an NSN#

When enrolling a child, search in your SMS or ELI Web to see if the child already has an NSN. Always use the child’s full name (including middle names), date of birth and gender as recorded on the child’s official identification document.

If you have found a match, you can allocate this NSN.

If you are unsure whether the NSN belongs to the child, do not allocate it as it may belong to someone else. Contact us with the relevant information for further guidance.

Creating an NSN#

Only create a new NSN when you have reviewed all possible matches and the child does not have an existing NSN.

Do not create an NSN in advance, for example when you are adding a child to your waiting list, but only when the child is being enrolled at your service. You may create a profile for the child in your SMS or ELI Web without an NSN until the child is enrolled.

When you create an NSN, first enter the correct details for the child (official names, date of birth and gender) as per the official identification document into your SMS or ELI Web then create the NSN.

If the child has preferred names, enter these in the preferred or alternative names field of your SMS or ELI Web.

When you select the document you have sighted at the child’s enrolment, ensure you choose the correct official identification document.

When a child does not have a family name on their official identification document, enter their full name under the family name field, and enter a tilde (~) in the first/given name field.

If you have made a mistake in the child’s details when you created their NSN, update their details in your SMS or ELI Web, then email us the child’s NSN and copy of their official identification document so we can update the NSN record accordingly.

Name changes#

When a child has an official name change, update their existing enrolment and your SMS or ELI Web with the new name. Then contact us with a copy of the child’s birth certificate showing the name change. We will update the NSN record accordingly.

Keeping identification records#

We recommend keeping a record of which official identification documents have been sighted. We may require a copy of an official identification document to help with identity verification for data quality purposes.

You can keep a copy of the official identification document if this is your usual process. You must keep these copies in a secure location and only give access to staff who need to view them.