1982 - Glennie Oborn, the founder of Kindercare Learning Centres New Zealand, establishes Kindercare Early Childhood Teachers College after identifying a need for high-quality teacher education programs to support the teachers working in her centres.

1984 - The college becomes the first private training institution to gain government approval for an early childhood program. After receiving 150 applications for just 25 places, the college’s first graduates are honoured at an inaugural graduation ceremony.

1988 - Recognising a need for a more flexible Field-Based mode of learning to support students working in centres, the college accepts a pilot group to test the notion. Student intake trebles and the college begins providing Field-Based training.

1995 - The college is accredited to deliver a three-year Diploma of Teaching (ECE) after challenging NZQA and the Ministry of Education on the grounds of student choice, discrimination and human rights as they previously did not allow private training establishments to deliver this program.

1997 - Kindercare Early Childhood Teachers College is renamed New Zealand Tertiary College (NZTC).

1998 - A distance learning mode of study is introduced, paving the way for student-teacher enrolments outside of Auckland.

2003 - College leadership is passed to Selena Fox, a former academic staff member.

2004 - The NZTC Chocolate Fish becomes a college icon, acknowledging student and staff success, milestones and special memories.

2006 - NZTC launches He Kupu (The Word), a specialist early childhood education online journal that quickly evolves into one of the foremost open access ECE journals with an established global readership.

2007 - The college becomes the first private training establishment in New Zealand to gain approval to offer a specialist early childhood degree, the Bachelor of Teaching (ECE).

2009 - The vision of Selena Fox and international distance learning expert Dr Chip Donohue is realised with the launch of online learning platform NZTC Online. NZTC India is established, supporting Indian students to gain qualifications through NZTC Online.

2010 - Student numbers are now over 1500 as the college introduces a Bachelor of Education (ECE) degree. NZQA rates NZTC as a Category One education provider.

2011 - NZTC begins delivering specialist postgraduate qualifications – the Master of Education (ECE) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (ECE), becoming the first private ECE training provider in New Zealand to do so.

2014 - NZTC collaborates with the Fujian Preschool Education College to support early childhood teacher education in China through the Sino-NZ Cooperation Program.

2015 - Jagriti Academy opens to support hundreds of first-generation learners in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh, in India, with the college as a key supporter.

2016 - The college produces M?ori language learning resource Te Reo M?ori: He taonga m? ? t?tou mokopuna (He Taonga) to help nurture te Reo M?ori learning and teaching in the sector.

2017 - NZTC moves beyond early childhood teacher education for the first time, extending support to the healthcare sector with NZQA approved Health and Wellbeing programs.

2018 - NZTC continues to expand its global reach, becoming the first New Zealand tertiary education provider to have a degree accredited by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency and the Malaysia Ministry of Higher Education.

2019 - A historic milestone is achieved as the college celebrates its tenth annual graduation ceremony in India. In response to the healthcare sector’s need, NZTC begins delivering specialist dementia care study programs.