New Zealand Diploma in Agribusiness Management (Level 5)
SX1601
Course details
-
Ongoing
- Part-time
- $4390
- You may qualify for fee free study under Fees-Free Policy
- Level 5
- Morrinsville, Online delivery or Regional locations
Summary
This programme is designed for owners and managers in agricultural businesses, including those who have relevant industry experience and are ready to advance into a management capacity.
It is structured for people who are working; with face-to-face courses offered in rural locations, as well as block courses and online learning available to suit students’ work commitments.
Student in this programme will :- Be able to achieve business and career goals faster
- Gain the confidence to present accounts and plans to banks, accountants, and other rural professionals in the best way possible
- Make decisions based on sound judgement
- Work with their own agribusiness’ statistics
- Gain ideas and inspiration from colleagues
- Have a highly respected, industry-recognised qualification
- Be able to directly apply what they’ve learnt to their own agribusiness
Working in partnership
A number of key industry organisations are working in partnership to help keep students' skills relevant, take their career to the next level, and achieve their business goals. These organisations include Primary ITO, DairyNZ, Dairy Training Ltd and Wintec.
Within the partnership, Agribusiness students are enrolled and managed by Wintec, the Primary ITO is responsible for marketing, recruitment and on-farm support, and Dairy Training Limited, as a specialised provider of dairy farm training, is contracted to Wintec to deliver the diploma training.

What's involved
An assessor will visit students on farm and, through a professional conversation, assess their skills and knowledge. Students will be asked to produce naturally occurring evidence, like current budgets, business plans or lending proposals – these are the documents they use in their everyday management of the farm.
What you’ll learn
Students will study five key areas, with the final course being a report on their property. Each course is made up of unit standards. If students have completed any of the unit standards in previous study they can have them cross-credited.
1. Agribusiness planning and management
In this module students will learn how to:
- Prepare a business plan and monitor their business’ performance against objectives
- Accurately evaluate investment options and return on investment
- Make decisions about an ownership structure that will future-proof their business
- Manage risks such as volatility in market prices and unplanned weather events
- Understand the concepts of asset management, transfer and succession
- Understand the effects of market forces on their business and their neighbours
Unit standards in module one will be delivered in the following bundles:
Module | Delivery bundle | Unit standard | Module name |
---|---|---|---|
Agribusiness planning and management | 1a Business planning | 21385 | Ownership, tenure, and succession planning |
21388 | Business planning | ||
16655 | Manage capital | ||
1b Business Risk Management | 21386 | Market forces | |
16661 | Management of risk |
Courses for module 1 will be offered in the following locations:
February – July 2019: Morrinsville, Te Awamutu, Whakatane, Stratford
September – December 2019: Online, Stratford (TBC), Cambridge (TBC)
2. Financial planning and management
In this module students will learn how to:
- Develop annual cash flow forecasts
- Prepare budgets for their bank manager
- Plan a calendar with financial requirements by season
- Prepare a finance proposal to grow (extend or diversify) their agribusiness
- Identify taxation and compliance
Unit Standards in module 2 will be delivered in the following bundles:
Module | Delivery bundle | Unit standard | Module name |
---|---|---|---|
Agribusiness financial planning and management | 2a Financial planning | 21390 | Financial plans |
11853 | Prepare a case for obtaining finance | ||
2b Business Risk Management | 16653 | Taxation requirements | |
21394 | Performance and investment opportunities |
Courses for module 2 will be offered in the following locations:
February - July 2019: Morrinsville, Te Awamutu, Rotorua, Stratford
September – December 2019: Stratford (TBC)
3. Resource planning and management
In this module students will:
- Learn how to enhance the sustainability of physical resources
- Gain skills to develop a detailed action plan to meet specified objectives
- Learn how to analyse results and plan for contingencies
- Learn how to manage natural and physical resources
Unit Standards in module 3 are:
Module | Unit standard | Module name |
---|---|---|
Agribusiness resource planning and management | 21387 | Physical resources |
29542 | Develop a sustainable land and management plan for an agribusiness |
Courses for module 3 will be offered in the following locations:
February – July 2019: Online
September – December 2019: Morrinsville, Rotorua
4. Human resource planning and management
In this module students will learn how to:
- Understand their employment obligations, including termination rights and responsibilities
- Understand recruitment principles and selecting the right people
- Apply staff management techniques to improve staff retention
- Build a highly productive farm team
Unit standards in module 4 will be delivered in the following bundles:
Module | Delivery bundle | Unit standard | Module name |
---|---|---|---|
Agribusiness human resource planning and management | 4a Employment planning | 21395 | Employment requirement and procedures |
21396 | Recruitment, selection, and induction of staff | ||
4b Work, health and safety | 23543 | Health and safety planning | |
21397 | Work allocation, performance, and training |
Courses for module 4 will be offered in the following locations:
February – June 2019: Rotorua, Stratford, Cambridge, online
September – December 2019: Morrinsville, Te Awamutu, Whakatane, Pukekohe, Stratford.
5. Property report
The property report involves creating a detailed report on an agribusiness of the tutor's choosing that documents every aspect of the business – from an overview of the current operation to analysis of opportunities and threats.
The unit standard for module 5 is:
Module | Unit standard | Module name |
---|---|---|
Property report | 21392 | Agribusiness report |
Application process
New students
If you are new to this programme, you will need to complete two forms:
1. The student application form, which you can complete online here.
2. A module selection form. Primary ITO can assist with this form, which determines which courses you will do, when, and where.
Returning students
If you are returning to this programme, you will need to complete:
1. A returning student form, which you can do online here.
2. The module selection form.
Primary ITO can help you through the module selection process and any transfer of credits. You can contact them on:
0800 20 80 20
PO Box 10-383 The Terrace Wellington 6143
Graduate story
“I think it’s vital to upskill particularly the financial papers for doing cashflows and budgets. That way you can keep your bank and stakeholders up to date with the impact of lower payouts, and put some plans in place to help get through the tough times. It helps to have some control over your situation rather than a wait and see approach which may be too late!” Shona and Tony Pedersen, both Diploma graduates, Raglan.
Career/further opportunities
This programme may help graduates to move into roles such as agribusiness manager, farm owner or director. The programme may help those who are wanting to become owners of farms, or take on sharing milk contracting roles. Many graduates and students are moving towards self-employment opportunities.
Events
No events.
Disclaimers
Entry criteria
Candidates are required to have gained:
i) 48 credits at NCEA Level 2 including 12 credits in English or Māori; or
ii) A relevant qualification at NZQF Level 3 or above; or
iii) Equivalent; and
iv) Must be in a position to access financial and production performance information about a specific agribusiness.
Want to see full details of the entry criteria?
Don't meet the entry criteria?
Pathways
Your first day
Are you ready for your first day of class? Check out your start date and where you need to be. You can also find useful information about studying at Wintec on our Welcome page.
Prospectus (course guide)
The Wintec Prospectus (otherwise known as a course guide) outlines everything you need to know about Wintec. It contains information about the Wintec campuses, student life, and the programmes that are on offer.
Request an email or posted copy of the Prospectus.
The Prospectus (course guide) is available in both digital and physical formats. Click on the document below to download a copy or fill in the form below to receive a copy via either email or the post.
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