Course details

Certificate in Financial Advice – CertFinAdvice
NZQF Level 5

About the course

The Massey University Certificate in Financial Advice is delivered in conjunction with Kaplan Professional, Australia’s leading and largest provider of financial services education. It combines introductory specialist knowledge with financial advice skills to prepare you for entry into the financial advice industry.

The qualification is mapped to the New Zealand Certificate in Financial Services (Level 5), Version 3 and meets the standard required by the Code of Professional Conduct for Financial Advice Services in New Zealand.

In addition to the core subject, Introduction to Financial Advice, you can choose to focus on a particular knowledge area by tailoring your study to specialise in a specific area of interest, or to align with your career aspirations. You can choose from 4 areas of focus:

  • Investment
  • Life, disability and health insurance
  • General insurance
  • Residential property lending.

You must complete a total of 60 credits in order to successfully meet the completion requirements of this qualification.

Recognition for prior learning (RPL) is not permitted for this qualification.

Duration

The Certificate in Financial Advice consists of 2 courses worth 30 credits each. The duration of each 30 credit course is 12 weeks. If you choose to study full-time you can complete the certificate in 12 weeks by studying 2 courses at the same time. If you choose to study part-time, will have up to 12 months from your initial enrolment date to complete the certificate but the assessment for each course will be completed within the specified 12 week period for that course.

Further study

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) of ongoing competence and knowledge to deliver advice is essential for practising Financial Advisers (FAs) and Nominated Representatives (NRs) under The Code of Professional Conduct for Financial Advice Services – Standard 9.

Kaplan Professional, with the support of Massey University, has designed a purpose-built content library specifically for financial services professionals in New Zealand. Delivered via Kaplan Professional’s market-leading, purpose-built Ontrack platform, the Financial Services New Zealand library provides digital modules and content on an ongoing basis. Comprehensive individual and group reporting and tracking functionalities provides a clear and distinguishable way for Financial Advice Representatives (FAPs) and their employees to demonstrate how they’re meeting their CPD requirements under the new regime and regulatory framework.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

Admission to Massey

All students must meet university entrance requirements to be admitted to the University.

Specific requirements

There are no specific entry requirements for this qualification, outside of university admission regulations. 

Start dates

This qualification can be started in January, April, June, August, October or December.

All the courses in this qualification are offered 6 times each year.

Please note, if you enrol into a course within this qualification early, you will get access to Kaplearn (the learning platform) up to 2 weeks prior to the official start date for that course. This allows you to complete your pre-reading and prepare for your assessments.

2026 Offerings Closing date Start date
S1B1: Semester One (early) 18 Jan 2026 26 Jan 2026
S1B2: Semester One (late) 29 March 6 April
S2B1: Semester Two (early) 24 May 1 June
S2B2: Semester Two (late) 26 July 3 Aug
SSB1: Summer School (early) 27 Sept 5 Oct
SSB2: Summer School (late) 29 Nov 7 Dec

English language requirements

To study this qualification you must meet Massey's English language competency requirements.

Official regulations

To understand what you need to study and must complete to graduate read the official rules and regulations for this qualification.

You should read these together with all other relevant Statutes and Regulations of the University including the General Regulations for Undergraduate Degrees, Undergraduate Diplomas, Undergraduate Certificates, Graduate Diplomas and Graduate Certificates.

*This course is not available to international students.

About the provider

Massey University - Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa is a leading New Zealand university, world-renowned for unique practical qualifications, ground-breaking research, and online courses. 

Each year over 5,000 international students from more than 100 countries find a warm welcome at Massey. We are ranked in the top 250 universities in the world by QS World Rankings and have a well-established reputation for academic leadership, research excellence and innovative teaching.


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