The New Zealand Diploma in Wellness and Relaxation Massage teaches you the skills and knowledge needed to enter the Massage industry or progress to further training or advanced studies. You will learn about anatomy, health and nutrition and professional massage techniques.
One year full-time
This programme is eligible for the Zero Fees Scheme.
International Fees can be found here.
The New Zealand Diploma in Wellness and Relaxation Massage is the entry level qualification required to start your career in the massage industry or to progress to a higher qualification.
You will develop a base knowledge and develop professional skills required. This qualification is well regarded by employers in the Massage Industry.
Students will learn to:
MT5110 Surface Anatomy
Demonstrate knowledge and skills of basic concepts of anatomy and surface anatomy, that provide a sound theoretical and practical foundation for therapeutic and sports massage knowledge.
MT5120 Physiology for Massage Therapy
Learn basic concepts of physiology as they relate to the human body. Be able to describe the biology and chemistry of the cell and tissues, and the systemic and inter-systemic functions, and the physiological underpinnings of massage therapy practice.
MT5140 Foundations of Therapeutic and Sports Massage
Learn principles and concepts of wellness, relaxation, therapeutic and sports massage; health philosophies; history of massage; contraindications, ethics, legalities, boundaries and scope of practice and how they are applied in a wellness and relaxation and sports massage setting; and identify research findings on the effects of relaxation, therapeutic and sports massage.
MT5160 Professional Studies
Develop knowledge and skills in a range of professional areas: academic skills, reflection, scientific enquiry, critical thinking, personal growth, caring skills, and professional and ethical behaviour. Professional skills will be applied in a clinical practice setting.
MT5170 Therapeutics I
Learn wellness/ relaxation and therapeutic/remedial massage interventions to meet individual clients’ needs for a range of healthy populations.
SE5101 Health Aspects of Exercise and Nutrition
The paper will develop an understanding of the relationship between physical activity, health and nutrition across the lifespan. Nutritional aspects related to health and exercise for the general population and special population groups will be investigated. The paper will further examine body composition, sound nutrition, weight control and nutrition for exercise performance.
Graduates of this diploma will be qualified to enter the Massage Industry as wellness and relaxation massage therapists in a broad range of wellness and relaxation massage settings.
School Leavers
NCEA Level 2 - 60 credits at Level 2 or above plus 20 credits from any level. In addition the literacy and numeracy requirements for NCEA Level 1 must be met as follows:
Literacy requirementMinimum of 10 credits through either:
Numeracy requirementMinimum of 10 credits through either:
Mature ApplicantsApplicants in this category will have achieved the age of 20 by March 1 of the first year of enrolment in the programme. Preference will be given to those mature aged applicants who can demonstrate evidence of successful completion of a programme of study to NZQA Level 4.
Special Admission Mature aged applicants who do not fit the above entry criteria may be considered for entry if they can demonstrate likelihood of success in the programme: For example two years or more voluntary or paid work experience in the health industry or in business, coupled with an academic record of achievement to NZQA Level 3, and/or the ability to demonstrate achievement at NZQA Level 4 through literacy testing prior to acceptance into the programme.
Additional CriteriaSuccessful applicants will be required to complete a New Zealand Police Consent to Disclosure of Information form. The form will be sent by SIT to the Police Licensing and Vetting Service, and returned in confidence to the Head of Department/Programme Manager delegate. Information on the NZ Police Vetting Service is available from the New Zealand Police website. Applicants are asked to make a confidential declaration as to whether or not they have prior criminal convictions. They are advised at the time of the request for information that a prior conviction may not necessarily exclude them from admission.
In addition, the following requirements also apply to applicants in all admissions and categories.
English Language Requirements
Applicants, whose first language is not English, or who come from a country where the language of instruction in schools is not English, are required to provide evidence of having achieved one of the following
NCEA Level 3 with University Entrance, or
an International Baccalaureate Diploma or Cambridge A- level qualification for which the teaching and assessment was conducted in English; or
Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA),or Trinity College London Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CertTESOL);or
Successful completion of all primary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand primary school years 1 to 8) and at least three years of secondary education (being the equivalent of three years from New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in either New Zealand,,Australia,Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States one of the countries listed in Rule 18.5 where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction; or
Successful completion of at least five years of secondary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in either New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction; or
Successful completion of a Bachelor's Degree, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Bachelor Honours degree, Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, Masters' Degree or Doctoral Degree, the language of instruction of which must be in English and which must be from a tertiary education provider from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom or the United States or
Successful completion of one of the following internationally recognised proficiency tests listed below to the level required of the programme of study and with all scores achieved in a single test during the two years preceding the proposed date of enrolment
IELTS test - Academic score of 5.5 with no band score lower than 5 TOEFL Paper based test (pBT) - Score of 550 (with an essay score of 5 TWE) TOEFL Internet based test (iBT) - Score of 46 (with a writing score of 14) Cambridge English Examination - B2 First or B2 First for schools with a score of 162. No less than 154 in each skill OET - Minimum of Grade C or 200 in all sub-tests NZCEL - a) Expiring Level b) Current: a) Level 4 (General) or (Workplace) b) Level 4 (General) or (Employment) Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE (Academic) score of 42 with no band score lower than 36 Language Cert - B2 Communicator International ESOL Written (LRW) HIGH PASS with no less than 25/50 in each skill and Spoken (S) PASS Trinity ISE - ISE II with no less than merit in any band
* New versions of some NZCEL qualifications, and in some cases new qualifications, were published on 13 June 2017. These are intended to replace pre-existing versions and qualifications, which have been given expiring status until discontinued on 31 December 2019. (a) denotes expiring (b) denotes current
To satisfactorily complete the New Zealand Diploma in Wellness and Relaxation Massage (Level 5) and be awarded this qualification the student must successfully achieve:
Please Note: Students failing to attend for 80% of the timetabled programme hours may forfeit Zero Fees entitlement.
Graduates of this qualification are able to continue their studies in :New Zealand Diploma in Remedial Massage (Level 6) or Bachelor of Therapeutic and Sports Massage (Year 2)
Classes are held Monday to Friday, 9.00am-4.00pm at SIT's main Invercargill campus. The timetable varies each semester and is confirmed about two weeks before the semester begins.
Students operate the SIT massage clinic on clinic days and sometimes this can go until 6pm at the latest.