New Zealand (NZ), a small country of 4.3 million people, has a single national education system. Local authorities have no role in education in NZ, nor are there any school districts. There are four national government education agencies: (1) The Ministry of Education (MOE), established under the Education Act of 1989, is responsible for education policy advice to the government and implementation of government policy, including regulating the New Zealand Curriculum and the National Education Guidelines within which schools operate. The MOE allocates funding and resources; (2) The Education Review Office (ERO) undertakes independent evaluations of school and early childhood education center performance; (3) The New Zealand Qualifications Authority sets and regularly reviews standards as they relate to school and post-school qualifications; administers national student examinations; accredits schools to assess against standards; and approves and accredits post-school courses; and (4) The New Zealand Teachers Council registers (i.e., certifies) teachers, renews their practicing certificates, and approves teacher education programs that lead to registration. New Zealand has the most decentralized system of school self-management in the developed world. Each school has its own board of trustees, primarily composed of parents elected by other parents to a governance role that oversees the principal and the school staff. Each school is accountable to the MOE and to its school community through the school charter it develops, which includes the school's vision, values, and strategic plan for the next three to five years.