Qualifications and standards

Business qualifications

NZQA’s Qualification Developer responsibilities have been transferred to Ringa Hora (Services) Workforce Development Council.

New versions of the NZ Business qualifications at Levels 3-6 were published on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework in August 2020, following a scheduled review in 2018-2020.

For a summary of the review and of the main changes, refer to the “2018-2020 review of NZ Business qualifications” section below.

Quality assurance of programmes leading to new versions of business qualifications

An underlying policy to guide provider programme approval and accreditation will be developed and consulted on later this year, in conjunction with provider peak bodies and student organisations.

The purpose of the policy is to address areas where poor education outcomes have been identified with the applicant organisation, or more widely across a number of providers in areas where poor education outcomes have been prevalent.

In the meantime, providers should continue to expect robust consideration of applications for approval and accreditation to deliver business programmes.

Find a NZ Business qualification

Browse the links below to find a New Zealand qualification.

2018-2020 review of NZ Business qualifications

In 2018-2020, NZQA National Qualifications Services facilitated the review of 11 New Zealand Business qualifications.

The review was conducted in collaboration with and on behalf of the business communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. Stakeholders were kept informed and invited to contribute at all stages of the review. Stakeholders included Business New Zealand and other key bodies, all programme owners, and individuals who expressed an interest in the qualifications and their review. Research indicated that the needs analysis (PDF, 621KB), which informed the initial development of these qualifications, remains current.

An advisory committee of key stakeholders met in December 2018 and January 2019 to offer guidance relevant to the entire suite of qualifications, including specific issues such as the requirement for a real or realistic context for programmes. The committee confirmed the ongoing relevance of the needs analysis and reviewed the outcomes in the core section of each diploma. Review panels were convened in February-April to address the certificates and/or strands.

The outcomes of these advisory committee and review panel meetings were circulated for comment to stakeholders, until consensus was achieved. A progress report was published in May 2019, and formal consultation in July/August resulted in further amendments.

The Human Resource Management and Marketing and Sales strands in both diplomas were not included in this review because they had not yet been used sufficiently to justify review. These strands will be reviewed by 2022.

Main changes resulting from the review

The requirement for a real or realistic context for programmes and assessment was reinterpreted to enable programmes to more flexibly meet the requirement.

Outcomes for People, Cognitive, and Affective skills, and for Business environment were reduced in number and included as relevant in other outcomes. The expectation that they should be embedded as relevant across all the graduate profile outcomes is articulated in the supporting material.

Credits were allocated to individual graduate profile outcomes.

The evidence requirements for assuring consistency were redrafted in light of consistency reviews that have been undertaken.

The credits for qualification 2453, New Zealand Certificate in Business (Introduction to Team Leadership) (Level 3), were reduced from 48 to 45.

Qualification 2463, New Zealand Certificate in Workplace Relations (Union Representative) (Level 3), was recommended to expire, as there is no approved programme or any application for one.

Changes to individual outcomes were made to clarify the intention. There were no changes of substance made to content.

Further detail is available from the Level 3-4 change report and the Level 5-6 change report for the review of New Zealand Business Qualifications.

Supporting Material

Reference was included to dedicated supporting material containing guidance and recommendations for programme development. The existing supporting document for these qualifications will be reviewed, to assist in understanding the intent of the qualifications with rationales and clarifications.

Suggestions for material to be included are welcome, to qualification.reviews@nzqa.govt.nz.

Support material for NZ qualifications

Support material for New Zealand qualifications is available in NZ Business qualifications support material v3 (PDF, 320KB).

Unit standards developed specifically for assessment towards New Zealand qualifications are available. Unit standards support material is also available (PDF, 168KB).

Assessment Support Material for Business Administration and Technology (BAT) unit standards is available on the Business Administration and Technology Assessment Support Material webpage.

All this support material will be updated to support the reviewed qualifications, and will be included on this page. Suggestions and comments are invited to qualification.reviews@nzqa.govt.nz.

Mandatory review of Business qualifications (2012-2014)

Qualifications in Business (at levels 1-6, excluding university qualifications) were reviewed from 2012 to 2014 as part of the nation-wide mandatory review of qualifications.

The mandatory review was to reduce the duplication and proliferation of qualifications on a national scale, and to ensure that qualifications are useful, relevant and valuable to current and future learners, employers and other stakeholders.

As a result of this review National Certificates and Diplomas, and local qualifications, were set to expire.

Contact

For information or enquiries about the qualifications please email: Qualifications@ringahora.nz.