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11628 New Zealand Certificate in Organic Primary Production (Level 3) - Biological Husbandry Unit (BHU)

Qualification: Certificate
Level: 3
Dates:

2025 Semester 2: 21 July to 28 November

2026 Semester 2: 20 July to 13 November

Duration:

17 weeks full-time

Up to two years part-time

 

Location:
Credits: 50

Learn about the factors influencing organic production, the biotic interactions which occur in organic production ecosystems, soil and ground preparation for organic production, and how to control for weeds, animal pest, and disease in an organic production activity.

The aims of the qualification are as follows:

This programme is delivered onsite by the Biological Husbandry Unit Organics Trust (BHU). More information about the BHU can be found at  

Course Content

All papers are compulsory

ENVI3201 

Organic Production

 

Credits: 10

AimThe aim of this course is to develop the knowledge, skills, and attributes to apply organic principles, certification and organic compliance requirements.
LO1Describe the principles of organic production.
LO2Describe organic certification available in Aotearoa, New Zealand
LO3Apply inputs for a crop in an integrated organic production system.
 ENVI3202 

Organic System Health

 

Credits: 15

AimThe aim of this course is to develop the knowledge, skills, and attributes to carry out system health activities.
LO1Describe management techniques for common pests, diseases, disorders and weeds found in an organic production system.
LO2Apply integrated pest management techniques to an organic production system.
 ENVI3203 

Soils and Composting

 

Credits: 15

AimThe aim of this course is to develop the knowledge, skills, and attributes to understand basic soil properties and apply processes for soil health in an organic system.
LO1Describe soil properties and processes relevant to organic production.
LO2Describe soil management techniques in organic production.
LO3Apply soil amendments to support soil health in organic production.
 ENVI3204 

Biodiversity in Organic Production

 

Credits: 10

AimThe aim of this course is to develop the knowledge, skills, and attributes to understand and carry out biodiversity improvement practices. 
LO1Describe the methods and benefits of improving biodiversity in an organic production system.
LO2Support and enhance biodiversity in an organic production site.

 
     

Fees

SIT Zero Fees Scheme

(e.g. $700 for 100 credit course)

 

International Fees:

$12500

 

Unsure which one is for me? Check Fees Eligibility Check my options

Career Opportunities

Graduates of this qualification are likely to be employed, or self-employed as an:

 

Application Criteria

School Leavers

Applicants should be a minimum of 16 years of age, and have attained NCEA Level 2 as follows:

Mature Applicants

Applicants over the age of 20 years at 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 2 or above 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 - General or Academic score of 5 with no band score lower than 5 
TOEFL Paper based test (pBT) - Score of 500 (with an essay score of 4 TWE) 
TOEFL Internet based test (iBT) - Score of 35 (with a writing score of 14) 
Cambridge English Examination - B2 First or B2 First for schools with a score of 154. No less than 154 in each skill. 
OET - Minimum of Grade C or 200 in all sub-tests 
NZCEL - a) Expiring Level b) Current: a) Level 3 (General) or (Workplace) b) Level 3 (General) 
Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE (Academic) score of 36 with no band score lower than 36 
Language Cert - B1 Achiever International ESOL Written (LRW) PASS with no less than 25/50 in each skill and Spoken (S) PASS 
Trinity ISE - ISE I 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

Additional Information

This programme of study is supported by the Biological Husbandry Unit Organic Farm located in Lincoln. Information about the Biological Husbandry Unit can be found at:  or by calling their office at 03 325 3684

Application Checklist

Please use the following checklist to ensure that all relevant information and documentation has been included. Remember, your application will be assessed based on the information that you provide us with.  Processing of your application will be delayed if we need to come back to you for missing information.

What is the Zero Fees Scheme?

The Zero Fees Scheme means we do not charge tuition fees. However, there is a Student Direct Material Cost that you need to pay and a non-refundable administration fee. The administration fee is for processing your application and the Student Direct Material Cost gives you secure access to Blackboard® our online learning environment and to student support services throughout your study with us.

Who qualifies for the Zero Fees Scheme?

Instructions to help you with your application:

  1. Read the Programme Information on this page and the SIT2LRN Frequently Asked Questions and find out if you meet the application criteria for both the programme and the unit/s you wish to study.
  2. Check your eligibility for Zero Fees. If you are not eligible to study under this scheme, please call 
    0800 748 257 for further options.
  3. Complete your online enrolment checking that:

If you are a new student …

Attach supporting documents as required and outlined on the previous page.

  1. Please check that you have included all the required information and supporting documents.  Your application will be assessed based on the information that you provide.  Missing information will delay the processing of your application.
  2. Please scan and email all additional documentation to sit2lrn@sit.ac.nz.

What happens next?

Satisfactory Completion

To satisfactorily complete the New Zealand Certificate in Organic Primary Production (Level 3), and be awarded this qualification the student must successfully achieve:

Please Note: Ðãɫֱ²¥ failing to engage in study as per programme requirements may forfeit Zero Fees entitlement..

Important: To successfully complete this paper, students need to achieve an overall mark of at least 50%, achieving no less than 35% for each individual assessment. All assessments must be attempted.

Course Timetable

Tutorial times: Monday-Wednesday 9am-3pm

Assessments

Assessments are varied, and include practical activities, short paragraph questions, reports, multichoice tests, etc.

Important: To successfully complete this paper, students need to achieve an overall mark of at least 50%, achieving no less than 35% for each individual assessment. All assessments must be attempted.

Textbooks

For more information on required and recommended textbooks for this course please refer to the textbook list here