| Qualification: | Diploma |
| Level: | 6 |
| Dates: | 2026 Semester 1: 09 February to 03 July 2026 Semester 2: 06 July to 13 November |
| Duration: | Two years, full-time |
| Location: | |
| Credits: | 240 |
Through the NZ Diploma in Construction program you’ll learn about construction principles and methods, building legislation, conflict management, contract conditions and administration, environmental sustainability and how to quantify and estimate material and labour costs.
This two-year qualification will give you the knowledge, understanding and skills to work with limited supervision as a Quantity Surveyor.
Learn how to:
With more training, this qualification could be a starting point, leading to a career as a senior quantity surveyor, registered quantity surveyor or contracts manager.
Year One Papers
DCON510 Construction Economics and Environment
ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will be introduced to the built environment, construction economics and measurement systems in the construction industry.
DCON520 Construction Estimation
ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will gain an understanding of the processes involved in preparing a tender submission for construction of a small building.
DCON530 Construction Measurement
ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will be introduced to measurement of building works and to quantity surveying documentation.
DCON540 Construction Technology 1
ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will be introduced to construction methodology and inherent risks with construction methods for residential buildings.
DCON550 Health and Safety Management
ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will develop a working knowledge of health and safety management in a construction context.
DCON560 Information Communication
ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will develop oral, written and interpersonal communication skills that are focused on delivering effective advice and recommendations in a construction context.
DCON570 Legislation and the Construction Industry
ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will gain an understanding of the New Zealand legal system and the application of specific laws to the construction industry.
DCON580 Materials Science
ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will develop knowledge of the use and application of materials, and their properties across a range of applications in construction and building contexts.
Year Two Papers
DCON600 Level 6 Project
ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will research, plan and present a report on a focused area of study in construction management or project management or quantity surveying.
DCON610 Arbitration, Mediation and Negotiation
ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will develop skills in the fundamentals of dispute resolution in the construction industry using techniques of negotiation, mediation and arbitration.
DCON620 Building Services
This paper will enable students to expand and build on their knowledge of the principles of services and facilities contained within residential and commercial buildings.
DCON630 Construction Technology 2
ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will develop knowledge of construction technology and methodologies from establishment through to completion of commercial projects
DCON640 Economics of Construction
ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will develop knowledge and skills required to apply financial concepts to early stages of construction projects.
DCON650 Project Management
ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will develop a working knowledge of project management in a construction context.
DCON680 Measurement and Estimation 1
ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will develop skills in measurement and scheduling of commercial construction works utilising standard systems of measurement and software packages.
DCON685 Design Economics and Cost Planning
ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will develop knowledge and skills required to apply advanced financial concepts to early stages of construction projects.
This programme is eligible for the Zero Fees Scheme.
Graduates of the New Zealand Diploma in Construction with the strand in Quantity Surveying (Level 6) will be able to work as a:
With further training and/or experience graduates of this Diploma may be able to work as a:
Please refer to the graduate profiles at /Courses/Construction?campusId=1 (bottom of page)
Refer to List published by Immigration NZ for relevant occupations.
School Leavers
Applicants should have one or more of the following:
Mature Applicants
Applicants over the age of 20 years at the time of enrolment will be considered where they can demonstrate the ability to succeed in a programme. Examples of demonstration of ability to succeed are the provision of evidence of successful completion of a programme of study at Level 3 or above in a related discipline and/or employment in the related sector for one or more years. They may be admitted subject to programme regulations approved by the Head of Faculty in consultation with the Programme Manager as appropriate. Personal commitment and a belief in one’s own ability to succeed are important personal traits and will always be taken into consideration during the selection process.
English Language Requirements
Applicants, whose first language is not English, or who come from a country where the language of instruction in schools is not English, are required to provide evidence of having achieved one of the following
NCEA Level 3 with University Entrance, or
an International Baccalaureate Diploma or Cambridge A- level qualification for which the teaching and assessment was conducted in English; or
Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA),or Trinity College London Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CertTESOL);or
Successful completion of all primary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand primary school years 1 to 8) and at least three years of secondary education (being the equivalent of three years from New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in either New Zealand,,Australia,Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States one of the countries listed in Rule 18.5 where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction; or
Successful completion of at least five years of secondary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in either New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction; or
Successful completion of a Bachelor's Degree, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Bachelor Honours degree, Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, Masters' Degree or Doctoral Degree, the language of instruction of which must be in English and which must be from a tertiary education provider from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom or the United States or
Successful completion of one of the following internationally recognised proficiency tests listed below to the level required of the programme of study and with all scores achieved in a single test during the two years preceding the proposed date of enrolment
IELTS test - Academic score of 6 with no band score lower than 5.5
TOEFL Paper based test (pBT) - Score of 550 (with an essay score 5 TWE)
TOEFL Internet based test (iBT) - Score of 60 (with a writing score of 18)
Cambridge English Examination - B2 First or B2 First for schools or C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency with a score of 169. No less than 162 in each skill.
OET - Minimum of Grade C or 200 in all sub-tests
NZCEL - a) Expiring Level b) Current: a) Level 4 (Academic) b) Level 4 (Academic)
Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE (Academic) score of 50 with no band score lower than 42
Language Cert - C1 Expert International ESOL Written (LRW) PASS with no less than 25/50 in each skill and Spoken (S) PASS
Trinity ISE - ISE II with no less than distinction in any band
* New versions of some NZCEL qualifications, and in some cases new qualifications, were published on 13 June 2017. These are intended to replace pre-existing versions and qualifications, which have been given expiring status until discontinued on 31 December 2019. (a) denotes expiring (b) denotes current
To satisfactorily complete the New Zealand Diploma in Construction (Quantity Surveying) (Level 6), and be awarded this qualification the student must :
Please Note: ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ failing to attend for 80% of the timetabled programme hours will forfeit Zero Fees entitlement.
Graduates of the New Zealand Diploma in Construction (Quantity Surveying) (Level 6) may be interested in further qualifications applicable to the industry such as the Bachelor of Construction with Specialisation in Quantity Surveying, Construction Management or Project Management
Some of the papers in the New Zealand Diploma in Construction (Quantity Surveying) (Level 6) also cross-credit to the New Zealand Diploma in Architectural Technology.