Qualification details
Title
New Zealand Diploma in Field Hydrology
Version
1
Qualification type
Diploma
Level
5
Credits
140
NZSCED
010711
Natural and Physical Sciences> Earth Sciences > Hydrology
Qualification developer
Primary ITO
Next review
December 2018
Approval date
17 April 2014
Strategic purpose statement
The purpose of this qualification is to recognise the skills and
knowledge required to collect and manage hydrometric
information from a range of field situations, and to interpret and
make the data available to key stakeholders.
Learners will benefit by having formal recognition of these
specialist skills and knowledge, a pathway for further training,
and enhanced employment options.
The wider community and the economy as a whole will benefit
from having publicly available hydrometric data that is accurate
and standardised nationally, for a variety of uses such as design
of engineering infrastructure, resource consents and compliance,
water supply, flood warning, drought management, energy
planning, national water audit and freshwater ecology.
Outcome Statement
Graduate profile
Graduates of this qualification will be able to:

Design, install, verify operation of, and maintain a
hydrometric monitoring station.

Select and implement hydrometric techniques to measure
and calculate open channel flow for a range of requirements.

Retrieve, verify, process, and archive hydrometric data.

Analyse hydrometric data to provide quality assured
information for users.
Education pathway
On completion of this qualification, graduates may pathway to
further qualifications in management or science.
Employment pathway
Graduates of this qualification can be employed as hydrology
technicians or as environmental monitoring officers with regional
councils, crown research agencies or other private sector
organisations involved in management of fresh water.
Qualification Reference 2344
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2014
Once experienced in this role, graduates may progress on to a
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team leader role within a hydrology team or a wider
environmental monitoring group.
Other career pathways include hydrology scientists and other
senior management positions within organisations employing
environmental monitoring teams.
Additional information regarding employment pathways may be
found at www.hydrologynz.org.nz.
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
TEOs can also provide any other relevant evidence that
supports the consistency review.
Credit transfer and recognition of
prior learning arrangements
Qualification Reference 2344
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2014
Education organisations must have policies and procedures
in place for managing credit transfer, and assessing
recognition of prior learning and recognition of current
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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)
Candidates for this qualification should be able to meet the
following entry criteria or demonstrate equivalent skills and
knowledge:

12 credits in English at Level 2 or above from
achievement standards

12 credits in Mathematics at Level 2 or above from
achievement standards

12 credits in Physics at Level 2 or above from
achievement standards.
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
Health and safety practices apply across all outcomes.
Specific conditions relating to the Graduate profile
Qualification outcomes
Conditions
Mandatory
or
Optional
1
Programmes must include:
Mandatory
Design, install, verify operation of, and
maintain a hydrometric monitoring station.

hydrometric instruments and
equipment

levelling equipment, processes
and requirements.
Credit 30
Qualification Reference 2344
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2014
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2
Select and implement hydrometric
techniques to measure and calculate open
channel flow for a range of requirements.
Programmes must include:

velocity area flow gaugings and
flow measurement principles
with weirs, flumes, and culverts

alternate flow gauging methods

calculation methodology for
gaugings

acoustic doppler current profiler
(ADCP) techniques and
principles.
Credit 40
Programmes may also include:
Qualification Reference 2344
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2014

sediment transport systems,
measurement and sediment
sampling

ADCP field procedures.
Mandatory
Optional
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3
4
Retrieve, verify, process, and archive
hydrometric data.
Programmes must include:

rating curves
Credit 40

verification of levelling, time
series and flow data

data security and integrity.
Analyse hydrometric data to provide quality
assured information for users.
Programmes must include:

mathematical relationships and
hydraulic properties relating to
river processes

quality management systems

variability in environmental data

statistical methods for analysis of
environmental data.
Credit 30
Mandatory
Mandatory
Republication information
Version 1 of this qualification was republished In February 2015 to update the Evidence requirements for
managing consistency
Qualification Reference 2344
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2014
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