Training

This qualification is designed to provide the horticulture industry with individuals who have the skills and knowledge to assist with a range of core tasks relevant to the horticulture industry sector of sports turf.

This qualification is designed to prepare people for roles such as: bowls greenkeeper, golf course labourer, grounds person, racetrack labourer, school grounds person, or turf contractor.

This qualification is ideal for people who may have some general experience, or have a desire to work, in the horticulture industry and want to develop their skills and knowledge in the specific horticulture industry sector of sports turf.

NZSTI programme towards NZ Certificate in Horticulture (Sports Turf) Level 3:

• 1.0 MAI: Maintain and Prepare sports turf surfaces
• 1.1 SAF: Sports Turf Safety and Teamwork
• 1.2 PLA: Sports Turf Plants
• 1.3 MOW: Mow Sports Turf
• 1.4 NUT: Nutrients and Fertilisers for Sports Turf
• 1.5 PDD: Sports Turf Pests, Diseases and Disorders
• 1.6 AGR: Apply Agrichemicals to Sports Turf
• 1.7 IRR: Sports Turf Irrigation Systems

Graduates of the Sports Turf strand will be able to:

• Work as an effective member of a team including communication and interaction with team members and colleagues relevant to their role in the sports turf sector.
• Carry out routine maintenance of sports surfaces consistent with enterprise and sports code specifications.
• Work under limited supervision with responsibility for their work outcomes.

This qualification also provides graduates a pathway to higher supervisory roles through the New Zealand Certificate in Horticulture Services (Sports Turf), Level 4.

This qualification is to provide the horticulture service industry with individuals who have the skills and knowledge to take responsibility for the daily operations in the sports turf sector or an area within that sector.

This qualification is designed to prepare people for roles such as: golf course 2IC, greenkeeper, racecourse manager, school head grounds person, or turf management contractor.

This qualification is ideally suited to people who are experienced workers in the sports turf industry.

NZSTI programme towards the New Zealand Certificate in Horticulture Services (Sports Turf) Level 4:

• 4.1 MAC: Use Sports Turf Machinery and Equipment
• 4.2 SOI: Understand Sports Turf Soils
• 4.3 SUR: Manage Sports Surfaces
• 4.4 RTZ: Improve Sports Turf Rootzones
• 4.5 DRA: Drain Sports Turf Areas
• 4.6 IRR: Irrigate Sports Turf
• 4.7 EST: Establish Sports Turf
• 4.8 PWD: Control Sports Turf Pests, Weeds and Diseases
• 4.9 FER: Fertilise Sports Turf
• 4.10 OPS: Manage Sports Turf Operations

Graduates of the Sports Turf strand will be able to:

• Work as an effective member of a team including communication and interaction with team members and colleagues relevant to their role in the sports turf sector.
• Carry out routine maintenance of sports surfaces consistent with enterprise and sports code specifications.
• Work in a self-managed capacity and may have some responsibility for the performance of others.

This qualification also provides graduates with a pathway to higher supervisory roles through the New Zealand Certificate in Sports Turf Level 5.

This qualification is to provide the horticulture industry with individuals who have the technical skills and knowledge to manage sports turf operations to maximise effectiveness.

This qualification is designed to prepare people for roles such as: golf course superintendent, head grounds person, operations supervisor, parks supervisor, sports turf manager, or racetrack manager.

This qualification is ideally suited to people who have significant operational experience in the sports turf industry, or who are capable of transferring their prior skills and knowledge, and wish to develop their technical skills and knowledge to be able to manage sports turf operations.

NZSTI programme towards the New Zealand Certificate in Sports Turf Level 5:

• 5.1 AGR: Sports Turf Agronomy
• 5.2 LEA: Team Leadership
• 5.3 REL: Relationship Management
• 5.4 ALS: Agronomic Performance and Operations Analysis
• 5.5 PLN: Operations Planning
• 5.6 MGT: Operations Management 

Graduates of this programme will be able to:

• Demonstrate leadership and relationship management with team members and clients using a range of effective interpersonal skills relevant to the sports turf sector.
• Plan and manage sports turf operations to achieve business objectives.
• Work autonomously within established parameters of a sports turf business and may be managing others.

This qualification also provides graduates a pathway to higher technical roles through the New Zealand Certificate in Sports Turf, Level 6.

This qualification is to provide the sports turf industry with experienced individuals who have advanced technical skills and knowledge in sports turf operations to operate as technical specialists in sports turf surface development.

This qualification is designed to prepare people for roles such as: asset manager, sports turf advisor/agronomist, or sports turf consultant.

This qualification is ideally suited to people who have significant operational experience in the sports turf industry, and wish to develop their technical skills and knowledge to be able to manage sports turf developments.

Graduates of this programme will be able to:

• • Apply in-depth sports turf knowledge and skills to inform strategic business decisions on sports turf performance.
  • Evaluate sports turf surfaces for a new development or remedial works and recommend cost effective solutions to improve sports turf performance.

The following diagram describes the sports turf qualifications available.