Qualification details
Title
New Zealand Certificate in Horticulture Services (Level 4) with strands in
Amenity, Arboriculture, Cemetery, Landscape Design, Landscape
Construction, and Sports Turf
Version
1
Qualification type
Certificate
Level
4
Credits
60-185
NZSCED
050301 - Agriculture, Environmental and Related
Studies>Horticulture and Viticulture>Horticulture
Qualification developer
Primary ITO
Next review
December 2019
Approval date
July 2015
Strategic purpose statement
The purpose of this qualification is to provide the horticulture
service industry with individuals who have the skills and
knowledge to supervise day to day operations in a horticulture
subsector or area within a subsector.
The qualification is stranded to recognise the specific skills and
knowledge required to take responsibility for the daily operations
in the amenity, arboriculture, cemetery, landscape design,
landscape construction, or sports turf sector.
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 horticulture industry will benefit by having staff with the skills
and knowledge to contribute to more efficient and effective
operations.
This qualification is ideally suited to people who are experienced
workers in the horticulture industry.
Graduates will be capable of working in a self-managed capacity
and may have some responsibility for the performance of others.
Outcome Statement
Graduate profile
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© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2015
Graduates of the qualification will be able to:
Core Outcome

supervise and provide instruction to team members
using a range of effective communication and
interpersonal skills relevant to a horticulture sector.
(10 credits)
Graduates of the Amenity strand will also be able to:
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
implement and monitor a management plan for the care
of parks and open spaces
(50 credits)

implement and monitor a seasonal management plan to
achieve functional and aesthetic effects of plants, and
management of their health and vigour.
(70 credits)
Graduates of the Arboriculture strand will also be able to:

carry out routine tree maintenance and management
activities at heights and around hazards
(50 credits)

carry out tree removal.
(30 credits)
Graduates of the Cemetery strand will also be able to:

carry out and oversee cremations, interments, and disinterments of caskets and ash
(110 credits)

carry out and oversee the installation and maintenance
of features and infrastructure in the cemetery
environment.
(10 credits)
Graduates of the Landscape Design strand will also be able to:

create a garden design.
(50 credits)
Graduates of the Landscape Construction strand will also be able
to:

construct a landscape design from drawings.
(60 credits)
Graduates of the Sports Turf strand will also be able to:

implement a sports turf management programme
consistent with enterprise and sports turf specifications.
(175 credits)
Education pathway
This qualification may build on the relevant strand of the New
Zealand Certificate in Horticulture (Level 3) [Ref: 2678].
The Amenity, Landscape Construction, and Sports Turf strands
may lead on to the relevant strand of the New Zealand Certificate
in Horticulture Services (Level 5) [Ref: 2675].
The Landscape Design strand may lead on to the Design strand
New Zealand Diploma in Landscape (Level 5) with strands in
Design and Construction [Ref: 2888].
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The Arboriculture strand may lead on to the New Zealand
Certificate in Arboriculture (Level 5) with strands in Supervisory
Operations, and Technical Operations [Ref: 2670].
Employment pathway
Graduates of this qualification are likely to be employed as:
Amenity – amenity gardener, collection curator, grounds person,
amenity contractor.
Arboriculture - arborist, climbing arborist, practitioner arborist,
utility arborist.
Cemetery – burial technician, sexton.
Landscape Design – garden or small scale designers.
Landscape Construction – landscape leading hand.
Sports turf – greenkeeper, groundsman, turf manager, racetrack
supervisor.
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
assuring 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:
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© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2015

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
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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.
Other requirements for the
qualification (including regulatory
body or legislative requirements)
There are no regulatory body or legislative requirements.
General conditions for the programme leading to the qualification
General conditions for
programme
TEOs offering programmes leading to this qualification must
maintain currency with amendments to, and replacements of,
relevant legislation, regulations, and Codes of Practice.
Health and safety, sustainable practices, and reporting apply
across all outcomes and must be considered as part of the
assessment process.
The landscape construction strand outcome must include
relevant aspects of The Building Order 2011 (RBW Order) in the
assessment process where landscape construction is carried out
in the residential landscape sector.
The behaviours that contribute to compliance with workplace
procedures, and commercial standards and timeframes are
inherent in the performance of the qualification’s outcomes and
must be considered as part of the assessment process.
For the arboriculture strand, a tree is defined as a long-lived
woody plant usually with a single trunk and many side branches.
Conditions relating to the Graduate profile
Qualification outcomes
Conditions
1
Programmes may include the following topics:
Supervise and provide
instruction to team members
using a range of effective
communication and
interpersonal skills relevant to
a horticulture sector.
 Practical skills instruction
 Supervision styles and techniques
 Giving and receiving feedback
 Motivation
 Delegation
Programmes may also include supervision of contractors, clients,
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and the public when required for the role.
2
Amenity Strand
Programmes must include the following topics:
Implement and monitor a
management plan for the care
of parks and open spaces
 Inputs for plant health and appearance
 Plant – care, growth patterns, propagation
 Weed, and amenity plant pest and disease management and
IPM practices
 Grounds maintenance schedules
 Amenity turf establishment and care
 Tree monitoring and assessment
 Plant collection management
 Asset monitoring and inspection
3
Implement and monitor a
seasonal management plan to
achieve functional and
aesthetic effects of plants, and
management of their health
and vigour
Programmes must include the following topics:
 Plant –nomenclature, taxonomy, physiology, biology
 Regeneration plantings
 Function of plants within the landscape
 Environmental considerations
4
Arboriculture Strand
Programmes may include the following topics:
Carry out routine tree
maintenance and management
activities at heights and around
hazards
 Hazards and hazard management - site, electrical (overhead)
 Utilities protection
 Use and maintenance of tools, machinery, vehicles
 Tree – climbing, rigging, identification, biology, health,
appearance, pest & disease control, surgery, pruning,
transplanting
 Rescue techniques when working at height
 Work practices around heavy machinery
 Soil science and botany
 Biosecurity
5
Carry out tree removal
Programmes may include the following topics:
 Considerations for – utilities, power lines
 Felling and sectional felling
6
Cemetery Strand
Programmes may include the following topics:
Carry out and oversee
cremations, interments, and
 Grave collapse consolidation
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8
dis-interments of caskets and
ash
 Biohazard safety
Carry out and oversee the
installation and maintenance of
features and infrastructure in
the cemetery environment
Programmes may include the following topics:
Landscape Design Strand
Create a garden design
 Confined space entry
 Plaques
 Monuments and strength testing
Programmes may include the following topics:
 Site analysis including site survey
 Graphics
 Plant identification
 Planting plans
 Design principles
 History of garden design
 Statutory requirements
9
Landscape Construction
Strand
Programmes may include the following topics:
 Coordination of clients, subcontractors, team members
 Site set out
Construct a landscape design
from plans
 Local bylaws, regulatory requirements
 Existing utilities
 Hard landscaping
 Soft landscaping
 Irrigation
 Drainage
 Maintenance
 Design principles
10
Sports Turf Strand
Programmes must include the following topics:
Implement a sports turf
management programme
consistent with enterprise and
sports turf specifications

Turf – botany, taxonomy, health, establishment and
renovation practices; pest, weed, disease identification and
control

Soil - health and organic matter, amendment

Specialised turf equipment – use, calibration

Risk management

Influence of weather

Environmental impacts
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
Irrigation and drainage

Surveying practices and interpretations

Fertiliser programme and application

Codes requirements – turf performance, maintenance

Financial considerations
Programmes may include the following topics:

Sports facilities

Procedures before, during, and after sports events
Transition information
Replacement information
This qualification replaced:
-
the National Certificate in Horticulture (Arboriculture) (Level 4)
[Ref: 1534],
-
the National Certificate in Horticulture (Level 4) [Ref: 1014],
-
the National Certificate in Horticulture (Advanced) (Level 4)
[Ref: 1015], and
-
the National Certificate in Sports Turf Management (Level 4)
[Ref: 0203], and
-
the National Certificate in Equine (Racecourse Management)
(Level 4) [Ref: 0653].
Learners 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 2017 and
the last date for award of the replaced qualifications is 31 December 2019. The National Certificate in
Equine (Racecourse Management) (Level 4) [Ref: 0653] has been discontinued with effect from 20 April
2016.
Republication information
Version 1 of this qualification was republished in April 2016 to indicate that this qualification replaced the
National Certificate in Equine (Racecourse Management) (Level 4) [Ref: 0653] which was discontinued
with effect from 20 April 2016.
Version 1 of this qualification was republished in June 2016 to reduce the minimum credits required to
achieve the qualification from 70 credits to 60 credits. This aligned the total with the graduate profile
outcome credit totals.
Qualification Reference 2674
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2015
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