Beginning in January 2025, the Irrigation Qualification Development Project is a combined review of three existing Irrigation qualifications and 10 unit standards.
Industry feedback suggests further micro-credential development and a collective review of qualifications to ensure relevance. Irrigation NZ supports a comprehensive review and development of new education products to align with industry needs.
The qualifications and standards in review are:
We will work together with the Irrigation industry to review the three qualifications. The review will also assess what other products, such as micro-credentials and skill standards, may be needed to support the qualification.
The review and potential development of new educational products will be achieved through consultation and engagement with key stakeholders, including Māori iwi and businesses, Irrigation NZ as the leading industry body, farmers, NZQA, and Primary ITO.
Key milestones:
The New Zealand Diploma in Field Hydrology (Level 5) is currently under review. This review is essential for assessing whether the qualification continues to meet the needs of the hydrology workforce and aligns with industry standards.
The review also considers the related unit standards and potential micro-credentials in the Field Hydrology domain.
Project scope:
For additional information or to arrange a meeting with our team please email [email protected] and we will be in touch.
Through our engagement with Irrigation NZ, we identified the need for credentials that recognise people with skills in commissioning and verification of full water pipe measurement systems, and the installation and commissioning of water measurement telemetry systems. The development of these micro-credentials will support the growth of these numbers as the need for accredited workers increases.
The Level 5 micro-credentials will make up part of the accreditation for Irrigation NZ’s Blue Tick.
Blue Tick is a water measurement accreditation programme, set up by Irrigation NZ around 2013, to give accreditation to companies that work in the water measurement space. The programme is used by most regional councils to help them ensure consent holders have access to quality providers to undertake water metering requirements under the Resource Management (Measurement and Reporting of Water Takes) Regulations (2010).
Milestones:
December 2023: Three proposed micro-credentials were submitted to NZQA.
January 2024: Two reviewed unit standards and one new unit standard have been evaluated, approved and published by NZQA.
Three proposed micro-credentials on these topics were submitted to NZQA in December 2023. Now that the unit standards have been approved, evaluation can begin for the micro-credentials.
27 February 2024: New irrigation micro-credentials approved by NZQA and published on the New Zealand Qualifications and Certificates Framework (NZQCF).
These micro-credentials are available on the NZQCF here. Search keyword ‘irrigation’.
Industry identified qualification gaps for spreading fertiliser. We worked with Groundspread NZ, and alongside Hanga-Aro-Rau which has responsibility for other parts of the fertiliser sub-industries, to identify primary sector skills/fertiliser unit standards to build micro-credentials.
Timeline:
25 July 2023: Initial micro-credential development hui with industry, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and Ministry for Primary Industries
10 August: Second (final) development meeting
18 August: Submission of micro-credential to NZQA
4 September: Unit standard eequest for information received
25 September: Unit standard outcome letter received
26 September: Micro-credential Request For Information received
28 September: Associated unit standards approved and listed on the Directory of Assessment and Skill Standards
25 October: Micro-credential outcome letter received
October 2023: Nutrient application micro-credential approved by NZQA and listed on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework
Completed milestones:
The nutrient application micro-credential has been approved by NZQA and has been listed on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework.
Groundspread Nutrient Application for Primary Industries
The nutrient application micro-credential, developed in collaboration with Groundspread NZ, provides a further opportunity for industry professionals to have their skills recognised, and also enables those entering the industry to have a clear pathway to acquire the skills they need in order to succeed.
Read: Spreading success with new micro-credentials for the fertiliser application industry
