New Zealand Certificate in Apiculture (Level 3) - ONLINE

Could include:

• Commercial apicultural worker
• Beekeeper’s assistant
• Junior beekeeping position
• Starting up a small apicultural business

*All applicants to note that this is the last time this programme will be offered in its current form, so the programme will need to be completed within this intake.

Direct Material Costs include the following resources and equipment:

• Beesuit, smoker, gloves and hive tool
• Hive kitset (to be able to construct a hive)
• 3 prescribed textbooks 

Gear and equipment students must provide or have access to:

• At least a dozen established hives (that have been wintered) to be able to demonstrate all aspects required of the practical assessments
• Access to a camera/phone to take video evidence to demonstrate practical competency for assessment. Must be able to upload files to Blackboard along with personal identification
• Access to a commercial honey extraction facility
• Access to plants and flowers (for plant collection assessment)
• Sturdy footwear
• Wiring board, wax embedder, hammer, drill, drill bits and screw driver bits, paint and associated painting equipment or wax dipper and wax for boxes  
• Caged queen or queen cell (incubator if queen cell to be used)
• Trailer or ute and tiedowns
• Sugar syrup
• Box of capped honey, manual extractor, hot knife, buckets, filters, labels, pottles, capping scratches, wax processing
• Provide own transport at own cost to a venue where an AFB course this will be offered: https://afb.org.nz/beekeeping-course/ (the cost of the AFB course will be covered by SIT)

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),orTrinity 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.

Certificate at Level 3

IELTS test - General or Academic score of 5 with no band score lower than 5

TOEFL Paper based test (pBT) - Score of 500 (with an essay score of 4 TWE)

TOEFL Internet based test (iBT) - Score of 35 (with a writing score of 14)

Cambridge English Examination - B2 First or B2 First for schools with a score of 154.  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 3 (General) or (Workplace) b) Level 3 (General)

Pearson Test of English (Academic) – PTE (Academic) score of 36 with no band score lower than 36

Language Cert – B1 Achiever International ESOL Written (LRW) PASS with no less than 25/50 in each skill and Spoken (S) PASS

Trinity ISE - ISE I with no less than distinction in any band

*This programme is for returning students only. New students can enrol in our new programme NZ Cert Apiculture (Level 3) here.

We strongly recommend that you also connect with a local beekeeping club/group or buddy up with a local beekeeper. 

It is your responsibility to ensure that you are taking the necessary steps and precautions to keep yourself safe while studying this programme. 

Students must achieve a pass in each course and a total of 65 credits as noted in the programme of study to be awarded the New Zealand Certificate in Apiculture (Level 3).

*All applicants to note that this is the last time this programme will be offered in its current form, so the programme will need to be completed within this intake.

• Practical Beekeeping in New Zealand – Matheson & Reid
• Elimination of American Foulbrood Disease without the use of Drugs – Goodwin
• Control of Varroa – A guide for New Zealand Beekeepers – Goodwin & Taylor

Please note that textbooks need to be ordered at least 3-4 weeks prior to the commencement of your study