NZQA Expiring unit standard
20958 version 2
Page 1 of 4
Title
Demonstrate knowledge of water, and determine application rates,
for irrigation
Level
4
Credits
6
Purpose
People credited with this unit standard are able to: demonstrate
knowledge of the rationale for, and the regional use of,
irrigation, legislation governing water use for irrigation, water
volume, sources, and quality requirements for irrigation; and
determine the rate and amount of water to apply for a given
irrigation situation.
Classification
Water Industry > Irrigation
Available grade
Achieved
Explanatory notes
Legislation relevant to this unit standard includes but is not limited to the Resource
Management Act 1991.
Outcomes and evidence requirements
Outcome 1
This unit standard is
Evidence requirements
1.1
The application of water expiring
to replace evapo-transpiration is described in terms of
Demonstrate knowledge of the rationale for, and the regional use of, irrigation.
the benefits for the crop and the farmer.
Range
1.2
The application of water for uses unrelated to evapo-transpiration is described
in terms of the benefits for soil, herbicides, and the crop.
Range
1.3
evidence is required for at least five benefits.
evidence is required for at least three benefits.
Irrigation in New Zealand is described in terms of regional use.
Range
number of consents issued, area irrigated, amount of water used.
Outcome 2
Primary Industry Training Organisation
Code 101558
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016
NZQA Expiring unit standard
20958 version 2
Page 2 of 4
Demonstrate knowledge of legislation governing water use for irrigation.
Evidence requirements
2.1
The Resource Management Act 1991 is described in relation to when resource
consents are required for irrigation.
Range
2.2
the concept of ‘reasonable use’, assessment of environmental
effects.
The legal process for obtaining a resource consent to take water for irrigation is
described.
Range
consultation, timeframes, conditions.
Outcome 3
Demonstrate knowledge of water volume, sources, and quality requirements for irrigation.
Evidence requirements
3.1
The volume of water required for irrigation is identified in terms of the
influencing factors.
Range
3.2
Water sources are described in terms of their suitability for irrigation.
Range
3.3
climate, crop types, soil properties, irrigation method, irrigation
system management, drought risk.
surface, ground, stored, purpose built community owned
distribution scheme.
This unit standard is
Range
chemical contaminants
– pH, salinity, hardness, trace elements;
expiring
non-biological contaminants – sand, plastics, debris;
Water quality is described in terms of suitability for irrigation, and the nature and
sources of contaminants.
biological contaminants – algae, bacteria, fish.
3.4
Methods of treatment to make water suitable for irrigation are described.
Range
chemical injection, aeration, settling, precipitation, filtration.
Outcome 4
Determine the rate and amount of water to apply for a given irrigation situation.
Evidence requirements
4.1
The amount of water available for irrigation is described for a given situation.
Primary Industry Training Organisation
Code 101558
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016
NZQA Expiring unit standard
Range
4.2
local authority water allocation guidelines, water-source capacity,
system capacity.
Soil, crop, and system parameters are described in terms of those affecting
irrigation scheduling for a given situation.
Range
4.3
soil water holding capacity, crop factors, stress point, seasonable
crop coefficient, infiltration rate, topography, system uniformity,
system capacity.
The water demand and return interval on a given day and at statistical peak
demand is calculated for a given situation.
Range
4.4
7-day peak evapo-transpiration, maximum evapo-transpiration,
maximum application rate and depth.
The water demand on a given day, and time until next irrigation, is calculated for
a given situation.
Range
4.5
20958 version 2
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soil moisture deficit, predicted consumption, maximum application
rate and target application depth, system capacity, general block
layout.
The amount of water required to meet water demand is calculated accounting
for other factors.
Range
distribution system efficiency, system uniformity, leakages, runoff,
wind, soil effects, leaching.
This unit standard
and unit standard 20957
This unit
standard
is have been
replaced by unit standard 28935
expiring
Replacement information
This unit standard is expiring. Assessment against the standard must take place by
the last date for assessment set out below.
Status information and last date for assessment for superseded versions
Process
Version Date
Last Date for Assessment
Registration
1
19 August 2004
31 December 2020
Review
2
20 August 2015
31 December 2020
Consent and Moderation Requirements (CMR) reference
0179
This CMR can be accessed at http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/framework/search/index.do.
Primary Industry Training Organisation
Code 101558
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016
NZQA Expiring unit standard
20958 version 2
Page 4 of 4
Please note
Providers must be granted consent to assess against standards (accredited) by NZQA,
before they can report credits from assessment against unit standards or deliver courses
of study leading to that assessment.
Industry Training Organisations must be granted consent to assess against standards by
NZQA before they can register credits from assessment against unit standards.
Providers and Industry Training Organisations, which have been granted consent and
which are assessing against unit standards must engage with the moderation system that
applies to those standards.
Requirements for consent to assess and an outline of the moderation system that applies
to this standard are outlined in the Consent and Moderation Requirements (CMR). The
CMR also includes useful information about special requirements for organisations wishing
to develop education and training programmes, such as minimum qualifications for tutors
and assessors, and special resource requirements.
This unit standard is
expiring
Primary Industry Training Organisation
Code 101558
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016