Qualification details
Title
New Zealand Certificate in Agriculture (Milk Harvesting) (Level 3)
Version
1
Qualification type
Certificate
Level
3
Credits
70
NZSCED
050105
Agriculture, Environmental and Related Studies > Agriculture >
Animal Husbandry
Qualification developer
Primary ITO
Next review
December 2017
Approval date
November 2013
Strategic purpose statement
The purpose of this qualification is to provide the pastoral farming
sector with individuals with the skills and knowledge to harvest
milk while maintaining milk quality, assist with solving milk quality
problems, and assist with dairy effluent management.
Learners will benefit by having a qualification within a training
pathway that recognises progression through the industry, as
well as increased skills and knowledge acquisition to enable
improved job performance.
The dairy and dairy processing industries will benefit by having
people with the ability to maintain the high milk quality standards
which are a key factor in the high export value of New Zealand
dairy products.
This qualification is targeted at people with some experience in
the pastoral farming sector and who are, or will be, milking dairy
animals as an integral part of their job role.
Graduates will be capable of working under limited supervision.
Outcome Statement
Graduate profile
Education pathway
Qualification Reference 2216
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2013
Graduates of the qualification will be able:

milk animals, maintaining hygiene and animal welfare

clean the milking plant and farm dairy to maintain optimum
milk quality

assist with maintenance of the milking plant and equipment

assist with identifying milk quality problems and
implementing solutions

assist with dairy effluent management.
This qualification may build on the National Certificate of
Educational Achievement (Level 2) with Primary Industry
Vocational Pathway endorsement and may lead on to the New
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Zealand Certificate in Agriculture (Level 4) with strands in Arable
Farming, Dairy Farming, and Livestock Farming [Ref: 2212].
Employment pathway
Graduates of this qualification are likely to be employed as fulltime milk harvesters or perform this work as part of a wider farm
assistant role in the dairy sector.
Qualification specifications
Qualification award
This qualification may be awarded by the Primary ITO as the
qualification developer and the industry training organisation
arranging training leading to the qualification under section 5
of the Industry Training Act 1992.
This qualification may also be awarded by an education
organisation accredited under section 250 of the Education
Act 1989 to deliver an approved programme leading to this
qualification.
The formal document certifying the award of this qualification
will display the NZQF logo and may also include the name
and/or logo of the awarding education organisation.
Evidence requirements for managing
consistency
All education organisations offering programmes leading to
the qualification must engage with arrangements for
managing consistency, including covering actual and
reasonable related costs.
Each education organisation is responsible for deciding what
specific evidence it will provide to demonstrate how well its
graduates meet the graduate profile outcomes of the
qualification.
Evidence of the following must be provided:
• Student feedback on course delivery and qualification
achievement, their perception of the value of the training,
and suggestions for improvements
• Feedback from employers on the level of skills, knowledge
and behaviour demonstrated by graduates of the
qualification
• Evidence of effective internal quality assurance systems
• Portfolios of work and/or assessment
samplesdemonstrating the range of student performance
within a programme
TEOs can also provide any other relevant evidence that
supports the consistency review.
Credit transfer and recognition of
prior learning arrangements
Qualification Reference 2216
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2013
Education organisations must have policies and procedures
in place for managing credit transfer, and assessing
recognition of prior learning and recognition of current
competency. These policies and procedures, and
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information about associated fees, must be available to the
candidate prior to enrolment.
To facilitate credit transfer, education organisations must
clearly demonstrate the equivalency or comparability
between each of the outcomes in the graduate profile, and
the assessment components of their programmes.
Minimum standard of achievement
and standards for grade
endorsements
The minimum standard of achievement required for award of
the qualification will be the achievement of all graduate
outcomes in the graduate profile through successful
completion of an NZQA approved programme.
Entry requirements (including
prerequisites to meet regulatory body
or legislative requirements)
There are no mandatory prerequisites to meet regulatory
body, or legislative requirements for this qualification.
Qualification conditions
Overarching conditions relating to the qualification
Conditions for programme
structure
The milk harvesting process requires a holistic approach to the
operation of a farm dairy in order to ensure high quality milk and
animal welfare standards.
It is therefore recommended that programmes leading to the
qualification integrate learning of related topics and apply these to the
performance of outcomes 1 to 4.
Conditions for programme
context
Competency for this qualification must be demonstrated in a
workplace environment.
Learners must be actively engaged in milk harvesting in a farm dairy
that is producing milk for commercial supply.
Other conditions
All outcomes in this qualification require aspects of record keeping
and communication, which should be considered as part of the
assessment process.
Compliance with workplace health and safety requirements and
sustainable practices applies across all outcomes.
Specific conditions relating to the Graduate profile
Qualification outcomes
Indicative
Credits
Conditions
Mandatory
or
Optional
1
Milk animals, maintaining
hygiene and animal welfare
20
Assessment must include any animal
handling associated with the milk
harvesting process.
Mandatory
2
Clean the milking plant and
farm dairy to maintain
optimum milk quality
15
Programmes should include the
following topics:
Qualification Reference 2216
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2013
Optional
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3
4
5
Assist with maintenance of
the milking plant and
equipment
5
Assist with identifying milk
quality problems and
implementing solutions
10
Assist with dairy effluent
management
20

Milking techniques

Causes of contaminated/
downgraded milk

Implications of contaminated/
downgraded milk

Prevention, identification and
treatment of livestock health
issues associated with milk
production

Milking machine operation and
maintainence as it affects milk
harvesting

Cleaning procedures to ensure
quality milk

Milk grading system

Milk quality tests.
Programmes should include the
following topics:

Operation and maintenance of a
dairy effluent system

Methods to reduce dairy effluent

Handling and disposal of
contaminated milk
Optional
 Benefits and environmental risks
associated with effluent.
Transition information
Replacement information
This qualification replaced the National Certificate in On-farm Milk Quality
(Milk Harvester) [Ref: 1350] and the National Certificate in Dairy Farming
(Milking) (Level 3) [Ref: 1440].
This qualification and the New Zealand Certificate in Agriculture (Level 4)
with strands in Arable Farming, Dairy Farming, and Livestock Farming
[Ref: 2212] replaced the National Certificate in Dairy Farming (Managing
Dairy Farm Effluent) (Level 3) [Ref: 1507].
Trainees currently enrolled in programmes leading to the replaced qualifications may either complete the
requirements as specified below, or transfer their results to this replacement qualification.
The last date for entry into programmes leading to the replaced qualifications is 31 December 2016. The
last date for award of the replaced qualifications is 31 December 2017 at which time they will be
designated as discontinued.
It is the intention of Primary ITO that no existing trainee should be disadvantaged by these transition
arrangements. Any person who considers they have been disadvantaged may appeal to the Primary ITO.
Qualification Reference 2216
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2013
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Republication information
Version 1 of this qualification was republished in February 2015 to update the Evidence requirements for
managing consistency
Version 1 of this qualification was republished in June 2015 to update the last date for entry into
programmes leading to the replaced qualifications from 31 December 2015 to 31 December 2016 and the
last date for award of the replaced qualifications from 31 December 2016 to 31 December 2017.
Qualification Reference 2216
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2013
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