Qualification details
Title
New Zealand Certificate in Pest Operations (Level 3) with strands in Rural Pest
Control, Rural Pest Monitoring, and Urban Pest Control
Version
2
Qualification type
Certificate
Level
3
Credits
40-60
NZSCED
059901 - Agriculture, Environmental and Related Studies>Other
Agriculture, Environmental and Related Studies>Pest and Weed
Control
Qualification developer
Primary ITO
Next review
December 2020
Approval date
August 2015
Strategic purpose statement
The purpose of this qualification is to recognise the skills and
knowledge of individuals who can either carry out pest control or pest
monitoring in a rural environment, or pest control in and/or around
built environments.
This qualification is targeted at individuals who have recently begun
working in the pest operations industry or who wish to enter the pest
operations industry.
The qualification has strands to recognise the distinct skills and
knowledge required to carry out pest operations in either rural, or in
and/or around built environments.
Learners will benefit from having the skills and knowledge to remain
safe while undertaking an essential and valued task.
The community will benefit from having people who are able to carry
out pest control for the purposes of biosecurity, conservation, and
public health and enjoyment.
Graduates will be capable of working under limited supervision.
Graduate profile
Graduates of this qualification will be able to:
Outcome Statement



maintain health and safety in a range of conditions
communicate, report and record information for workplace
requirements
identify the purpose and impacts of pest operation activities.
Graduates of the strand in Rural Pest Control will also be able to:


operate vehicles in a rural environment
identify and control a pest type in a rural environment.
Graduates of the strand in Rural Pest Monitoring will also be able to:
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 operate vehicles in a rural environment
 monitor a pest type in a rural environment.
Graduates of the strand in Urban Pest Control will also be able to:
 identify, control and monitor pests commonly found in an urban
environment.
Education pathway
This certificate may build on the National Certificate in Educational
Achievement (Level 2) and may lead on to the New Zealand
Certificate in Pest Management (Level 4) with strands in Pest Animal
and Pest Plant [Ref: 2444].
Employment
pathway
Holders of this certificate will have the skills and knowledge to carry
out pest operations and may be employed as pest monitors, pest
control contractors, Department of Conservation rangers, regional
council biosecurity officers or urban pest control technicians.
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 and Apprenticeships Act 1992.
This qualification may also be awarded by an education
organisation which has, under section 249 of the Education
Act 1989 a programme approved by the New Zealand
Qualifications Authority (NZQA) or which has been
accredited, under section 250, to provide an approved
programme.
The formal document certifying the award of this qualification
will display the New Zealand Qualifications Framework 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
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• 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.
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 for the
qualification (including regulatory
body or legislative requirements)
There are no mandatory prerequisites for this qualification.
General conditions for the programme leading to the qualification
General conditions for
programme
For the purposes of this qualification, ‘urban’ covers the control of pest
animals and/or plants which is carried out in an area characterised by
higher human population density, smaller land holdings (less than .04
ha) and where land is used normally for residential, commercial or
industrial purposes. Pest control in this context is likely to be carried
out in and around built environments.
For the purposes of this qualification, ‘rural’ covers the
control/monitoring of pest animals and/or plants which is carried out in
an area used for primary production, conservation and outdoor
recreation. Pest control/monitoring in this context is likely to be carried
out away from built environments.
Compliance with relevant legislation, industry best practice and
workplace procedures applies across all outcomes.
Candidates may need to meet the requirements to hold a firearms
license and/or controlled substance license, and where relevant, any
vehicle licenses.
Some of the appropriate unit standards from the Agriculture Vehicles
and Machinery domain at level 3 have prerequisites at Level 2.
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Specific conditions relating to the Graduate profile
Qualification outcomes
Conditions
1
Programmes may include:
Maintain health and
safety in a range of
conditions.
Credit 12



hazard awareness and mitigation
first aid
requirements under relevant legislation.
Programmes for the Rural strand may also include the following:





hydration and nutrition
weather monitoring and interpretation
knowledge of basic survival skills
navigation
on-farm practices and protocol.
Programmes for the Urban strand may also include the following:



2
Communicate, report
and record
information for
workplace
requirements.
Credit 5
3
Identify the purpose
and impacts of pest
operations.
Credit 3
working at heights
confined spaces
industry advisory standards.
Programme may include the following:







information technology
personal digital assistants (PDAs)
radio telephones (RTs)
dealing with stakeholders
statutory requirements
exception and incident reporting
global positioning systems (GPS).
Programmes may include the following:





incursion/pathway management
public health
biodiversity
environmental impacts
economic impacts.
Rural Pest Control strand
4
Operate vehicles in a
rural environment.
To meet the requirements of this graduate outcome, programmes
must assess at least two vehicle types from the following four:
Credit 20
Light utility vehicles (LUVs), motorcycles, quad bikes, four-wheel
drive vehicles (4WDs).
For light utility vehicles (LUVs), motorcycles, and quad bikes
programmes must assess using appropriate unit standards from the
domain Agriculture Vehicles and Machinery.
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5
Identify and control a
pest type in a rural
environment.
Pest types may include, but are not limited to: possums, predators,
rabbits, and plant pests.
Credit 20

Programmes may include the following:







equipment, materials, devices and methods of pest plant
control and pest animal control
an understanding of monitoring techniques used to monitor
control of pest type and why monitoring is necessary
personal protective equipment (PPE)
survey and control techniques
animal welfare requirements
animal biology, physiology and anatomy
plant biology and physiology
identification of national and regionally significant pest plant
species.
Rural Pest Monitoring strand
6
Operate vehicles in a
rural environment
To meet the requirements of this graduate outcome, programmes
must assess at least two vehicle types from the following four:
Credit 20
Light utility vehicles (LUVs), motorcycles, quad bikes, four-wheel
drive vehicles (4WDs).
For light utility vehicles (LUVs), motorcycles, and quad bikes
programmes must assess using appropriate unit standards from the
domain Agriculture Vehicles and Machinery.
7
Monitor a pest type in
a rural environment.
Pest types may include, but are not limited to: possums, predators,
rabbits, and plant pests.
Credit 20
Programmes may include the following:

equipment, materials, devices, and methods of pest plant
monitoring and/or pest animal monitoring

an understanding of the control techniques used to control a
pest type

personal protective equipment (PPE)

survey and monitoring techniques

animal welfare requirements

animal biology, physiology, and anatomy

plant biology and physiology

identification of national and regionally significant pest plant
species

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Urban Pest Control strand
8
Identify, control and
monitor pests
commonly found in an
urban environment.
Credit 20
Pests may include, but are not limited to: insects, plants, stored
product and textile pests, structural pests, rodents, and other
vertebrate and invertebrate pests.
Programmes may include the following:
 animal welfare requirements
 relevant pest biology, including life cycles, habits and
harbourages
 equipment, materials, devices and methods for urban pest
control
 personal protective equipment (PPE)
 survey and monitoring techniques.
Transition information
Replacement information
This qualification replaces the National Certificate in Pest Management
with strands in Avian Pest Control, Mustelid Pest Control, Possum Pest
Control, Rabbit Pest Control, and Rodent Pest Control [Ref: 1138], the
National Certificate in Pest Monitoring (Possum Monitoring - Field
Operative) (Level 3) [Ref: 1224], and the National Certificate in Urban Pest
Management with optional strands in Fumigation, Vertebrate Pests, Wood
Borer, Shooting, Bird Control, Textile Pests, Bedbug Control, and Ant
Control [Ref: 0256].
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 2018 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, PO Box 10383, The Terrace, Wellington 6143. Email standards@primaryito.ac.nz.
Publication information
Version 2 was republished in March 2016 to clarify the unit standards that may be used to meet the
outcomes, and to change the next review date to 2020.
Version 2 of this qualification was published in August 2015 to include a new strand. Changes were made
to:
Qualification title to include the new strand
Strategic purpose statement information was provided for the new strand
Educational pathway amended to reflect new strand
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