Qualification details
Title
New Zealand Diploma in Water Treatment (Level 5) with strands in
Drinking-Water, and Wastewater
Version
1
Qualification type
Diploma
Level
5
Credits
120
NZSCED
030907
Engineering and Related Technologies > Civil Engineering >
Water and Sanitary Engineering
Qualification developer
Primary ITO
Next review
April 2018
Approval date
April 2014
Strategic purpose statement
The purpose of this qualification is to provide the water treatment
industry with individuals who can manage the operation of one or
more water treatment plants to ensure they are operating at an
optimum level, and maintaining compliance with regulatory
requirements.
The qualification is stranded to recognise the specialist skills
required to work in either drinking-water or wastewater treatment
plants.
The trainee will benefit from having a qualification within a
training pathway that recognises progression through the water
industry, as well as increased skills and knowledge acquisition to
improve job performance.
Graduates will be capable of working autonomously and maybe
in a leadership role.
Graduate profile
Graduates of this qualification will be able to:

Manage visitors, external contractors, and/or lead staff in a
water treatment plant environment.
Outcome Statement
Graduates of the Drinking-Water strand will also be able to:
Qualification Reference 2245
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2014

Manage and optimise drinking-water treatment plant
operations and ensure compliance with relevant legislation,
and current New Zealand drinking-water standards.

Manage risks to public health in a drinking-water treatment
plant environment.
Graduates of the Wastewater strand will also be able to:

Manage and optimise a wastewater treatment plant to ensure
compliance with regulatory requirements.
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
Education pathway
Manage risks in a wastewater treatment plant environment.
This qualification can build on the relevant strand of New
Zealand Certificate in Water Treatment (Level 4) with strands in
Drinking-Water, Wastewater, Drinking-Water Multistage
Processes, and Wastewater Multistage Processes [Ref: 2242].
If a relevant strand/s of the New Zealand Certificate in Water
Treatment (Level 4) has not been completed, candidates will
need to demonstrate equivalent skills and knowledge prior to
enrolment in this qualification.
Employment pathway
Graduates of this qualification may be employed as supervisors
of one or more drinking water or wastewater treatment plants.
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 samples
demonstrating the range of student performance within a
programme
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TEOs can also provide any other relevant evidence that
supports the consistency review.
Credit transfer and recognition of
prior learning arrangements
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
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 for this qualification.
Qualification conditions
Overarching conditions relating to the qualification
Conditions for programme
structure
None.
Conditions for programme
context
Competency for this qualification will typically be demonstrated in a
workplace environment.
Other conditions
All outcomes in this qualification require aspects of record keeping,
communication, and workplace health and safety, which should be
considered as part of the assessment process.
Specific conditions relating to the Graduate profile
Qualification outcomes
Conditions
Mandatory
or Optional
1
Programmes should include the following
topics:
Optional
Manage visitors, external
contractors, and/or lead staff in a
water treatment plant
environment.
Credit 10
Qualification Reference 2245
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2014

site induction

chain of custody

health and safety.
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Drinking-Water Treatment Strand
2
Manage and optimise drinkingwater treatment plant operations
and ensure compliance with
relevant legislation, and current
New Zealand drinking-water
standards.
Programmes must include the following
topics:
Credit 90

analysis and interpretation of plant
monitoring results

service delivery targets

asset management

Health (Drinking-Water) Amendment Act
2007.
Programmes should include the following
topic:

Mandatory
Optional
managing plant budgets.
Programmes may also include the following
topics relevant to the treatment plant:
3
Manage risks to public health in
a drinking-water treatment plant
environment.

preventative maintenance and monitoring
product standards

drinking water contaminants

process control, P and I drawings,
SCADA

reticulation systems

separation process of water and solids

pH, alkalinity, hardness and corrosion
control

catchment characteristics and raw water
quality management

processes - coagulation, flocculation,
filtration, chlorine and chlorine dioxide
disinfection, ozone disinfection, ultraviolet
disinfection, waste management,
abstraction and pre-treatment.
Programmes must include the following
topics:

Public Health Risk Management Plans
(PHRMPs)

drinking-water standards

Ministry of Health quality management
strategy.
Credit 20
Mandatory
Wastewater Treatment Strand
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4
Manage and optimise a
wastewater treatment plant to
ensure compliance with
regulatory requirements.
Assessment evidence must include a critical
report on a wastewater treatment plant topic
or problem and evidence of research to
recommend solutions and/or improvements.
Credit 80
Programmes must include the following
topics:

analysis and interpretation of plant
monitoring results

service delivery targets

asset management

emergency planning and response

effect of effluent discharge on the
environment.
Programmes should include the following
topics:

Mandatory
Optional
management of plant budget.
Programmes may also include any
combination of the following topics relevant to
the treatment system:
5

separation processes

activated sludge treatment

fixed growth reactor treatment

oxidation pond treatment

lagoon treatment

sludge & biosolids management

effluent disinfection

sources that affect wastewater

process control, P&I drawings, SCADA

quality management

effluent discharge and its impact on the
environment

reticulation systems.
Manage risks in a wastewater
treatment plant environment.
Programmes should include the following
topics:
Credit 30

application of the Resource Management
Act (1991)

trade waste

biohazards
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© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2014
Optional
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
toxic and hazardous substances.
Transition information
Replacement information
This qualification and the New Zealand Diploma in Drinking-Water
Assessment (Level 5) [Ref: 2244] replaced the National Diploma in
Drinking-Water (Level 5) with strands in Drinking-Water Assessment, and
Water Treatment [Ref: 1012].
This qualification also replaced the National Diploma in Wastewater
Treatment (Level 5) [Ref: 0966].
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 2018 at which time they will be
designated as discontinued.
Trainees currently enrolled in programmes leading to the replaced qualifications may either complete that
qualification or transfer their results to this replacement qualification.
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.
Republication information
Version 1 of this qualification was republished In February 2015 to update the Evidence requirements for
managing consistency
Qualification Reference 2245
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2014
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