EDUCATION

It is estimated the industry will need another 2,000 permanent employees and 4,000 seasonal employees within the next few years. This future growth is dependent on the ability to attract and retain young people who are highly skilled and enthusiastic and develop them to become our industry’s future leaders.

Horticulture is a rapidly expanding industry with ambitious targets for growth. However, a persistent challenge facing the industry is finding an skilled workforce to support this growth.

To address this workforce shortage, the NZKGI Education Portfolio focuses on promoting careers and education within the horticulture industry. Our efforts involve reaching out to school students to raise awareness about the career opportunities available in horticulture and the different pathways to enter the industry. We collaborate with industry professionals to identify the educational and training needs required for upskilling and career advancement. Furthermore, we aim to attract individuals who are considering a career change to join the thriving horticulture industry in New Zealand.

Horticulture Training and Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships and Traineeships
Primary Industry Training Organisation (ITO) primaryito.ac.nz/apprenticeships
Eastern Institute of Technology eit.ac.nz/subject-areas/horticulture/eit.ac.nz
Polytechnics
Eastern Institute of Technology eit.ac.nz/subject-areas/horticulture/eit.ac.nz
North Tec northtec.ac.nz/programmes/new-zealand-certificate-in-horticulture-general-level-3northtec.ac.nz
Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi wananga.ac.nz/study/certificates/kai-oranga-l3
NZMA nzma.ac.nz/courses/horticulture-overview 
Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology toiohomai.ac.nz/study/subject/horticulturewww.toiohomai.ac.nz
Southern Institute of Technology sit.ac.nz/Courses/Agriculture-Horticulture
Nelson & Marlborough Institute of Technology nmit.ac.nz/study/study-areas/horticulture 
Wintec wintec.ac.nz/study-at-wintec/courses/horticulture
Private Training Organisations
Fruition Horticulture fruition.net.nz
Pacific Coast Technical Institute pcti.co.nz
Start a Fresh startafresh.co.nz/educationandtraining/
Valley Education & Training Enterprises Ltd valleyeducation.co.nz
Training.co.nz Training.co.nz
National Trade Academy nta.co.nz/courses/horticulture/
University Diplomas and Degrees
Massey University massey.ac.nz
Lincoln University lincoln.ac.nz
Waikato University waikato.ac.nz
Scholarships 
Hawkes Bay Fruitgrowers’ Association hbfa.co.nz/hbfa-charitable-trust
HortNZ Industry Training Scholarships hortnz.co.nz/people-jobs-and-labour/scholarships
Zespri Scholarships zespri.com
Horticentre Trust Undergraduate Scholarship  
Leadership Programmes
HortNZ Leadership Programme hortnz.co.nz/people-jobs-and-labour/2025-hortnz-leadership-programme
Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme ruralleaders.co.nz/Kellogg
Nuffield New Zealand ruralleaders.co.nz/Nuffield
Sir Peter Blake Leadership Award sirpeterblaketrust.org
PMA A-NZ Produce Development Program: Business Skills for Emerging Leaders www.pma.com/global-pma/anz
Women & Leadership New Zealand www.womenandleadership.co.nz