New Zealand Certificate in Apiculture (Level 3)
Course details
| NZQF Level | 3 |
|---|
About the course
The international demand for manuka honey and other beehive products has prompted Apiculture to become one of our fastest-growing primary industries.
The impact of this is a shortage of skilled workers which has led the Apiculture industry to be listed on New Zealand's Immediate Skills Shortage List.
Graduates of this new programme will be able to work as assistant beekeepers for commercial operators, as independent beekeepers with few beehives or even develop their own businesses.
Alternatively, you can pathway into Level 4 Apiculture training as a Leading Hand or specialising in queen bee rearing.
During this programme, you will gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence to manage your own beehives throughout a beekeeping season and be exposed to commercial apiarists in your local area. You will also complete an American Foulbrood (AFB) disease recognition course as part of this programme.
This programme is delivered with blended learning, with two Saturday block courses per month at the Marlborough Campus and two Sunday block courses at the Richmond Campus. Please see the programme delivery block for more information.
Heavy lifting alert
Lifting a hive can be heavy, up to or more than 40kgs; please take this into consideration before enrolling.
Entry requirements
Open Entry to persons capable of the 'additional requirements'.
Additional requirements
Ākonga (students) must be physically capable of meeting the demands of the programme. Any medical conditions that may affect the ability of ākonga to participate must be disclosed at the time of application, and the delegated authority must be able to provide assurance concerning health and safety.
English language requirements
All applicants (international and domestic) for whom English or te reo Māori is not a first language need to provide evidence that they have the English language proficiency required for the programme.
International applicants are required to have an IELTS (general or academic) score of 5 with no individual band lower than five from one test taken in the preceding two years or an equivalent as described in the NZQA English Language Rules.
Programme delivery
This blended delivery will include reading textbooks, online modules, and two block course deliveries per month, over eight months.
Marlborough Campus delivery
- Two Saturdays per month, 9am - 5pm daily
Richmond Campus delivery
- Two Sundays per month, 9am - 5pm daily
This programme will involve
- 12 assessments, a mixture of theory and practical
- A one-day, industry-recognised bee disease workshop, including a short test to complete at end of the workshop
- Reading three provided textbooks
- The completion of a logbook documenting fieldwork undertaken
- 5-10 additional hours per week for extra reading (online and books), undertaking assessments and doing practical work on your own beehives/course hives.
Learning tools
You will need to have access to a computer and the internet.
Course material will be made available online through Moodle, our education online platform.
Meetings, theory classes, and assignments may be carried out online via Microsoft Teams.
Included topics
Each Apiculture tutor will develop their own course timetable and will supply you with the appropriate information. This information will include the dates of each workshop, their content, and what will be assessed.
All students will undertake the following topics
- Bee behaviour and life cycle
- Suitable bee forage plants
- Beekeeping equipment
- Building a beehive
- How to feed bees
- Beehive products
- Manipulating beehives, including swarm control and dividing hives
- Re-queening beehives
- Harvesting and extracting honey
- Identifying and managing pests and diseases
- Shifting beehives
- Wintering beehives
At the end of this programme, you will have the knowledge and skills to manage your own beehives throughout a beekeeping season.
The New Zealand Certificate in Apiculture (Level 3) can also be completed through an apprenticeship scheme.
Additional costs
On the first day of your programme, we will discuss what you need to purchase and recommend local suppliers.
You will need to purchase
- your own Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), which includes a beekeeping suit (overalls and veil), gloves, smoker, and hive tool (approximately $250)
- a nucleus of four frames of bees, honey, and a queen bee (approximately $250)
It is preferable that you wear steel-capped boots or gumboots.
You will be supplied, free of charge
- three textbooks (worth $130)
- an industry-recognised American Foulbrood disease recognition course (worth $100)
- the woodware to build your own beehive
Please note
At the end of this programme, you will own a fully functioning beehive and be able to manage it at a location that suits your needs.
As this programme is part-time, students are not eligible for student loans or allowances to cover course-related or living costs.
About the provider
At NMIT, our goal is to ensure you graduate work-ready and confident in your knowledge and skills to step into a successful career. Our wrap-around support services guide you through the process of learning, teaching you skills for life and ensuring your well-being is supported so you can focus on achieving your goals.
NMIT strives to make meaningful and positive change to the businesses and members in our community. For nearly 120 years, we have stood strong as a cornerstone for high-quality tertiary education and community engagement Te Tauihu (the Top of the South).
This means when you join NMIT, you become connected to a network of industry partners and employment opportunities that can open doors for you. Our passionate tutors across multiple study areas are highly regarded and influential in their chosen fields.
Whatever path you wish to pursue, we'll do what we can to help you reach your goal. Our internationally recognised qualifications are yours for the taking, and the journey to get them can be a rewarding and uplifting experience.