New Zealand Diploma in Business

The New Zealand Diploma in Business (NZDipBus) is a nationally recognised qualification that allows students to gain a broad range of general business skills and knowledge followed by an opportunity to focus on career related options such as accountancy, banking, management, marketing and tourism.

The publication Assessment Rules and Procedures for granting of the New Zealand Diploma in Business 2009 provides detailed information about the qualification.

NZQA and NZDipBus
The National Advisory Committee for Business Studies (NACBS)
The Business Co-ordination Forum
NZDipBus programmes
Credit recognition and transfer
NZDipBus results and certification
NZDipBus providers
Further information

NZQA and NZDipBus

The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) is the owner of the NZDipBus. The roles of NZQA in relation to the NZDipBus are to:

establish and maintain the regulations for the qualification
maintain a national database of results for NZDipBus papers, and to issue result notices to students on request
maintain national records relating to NZDipBus graduates and to issue NZDipBus certificates as requested
develop and maintain prescriptions for NZDipBus subjects
manage the national external moderation system
service the NACBS.

The National Advisory Committee for Business Studies (NACBS)

The NACBS consists of nominees from national business, industry or professional organisations that recognise and support NZDipBus as a qualification (the "user groups") and nominees from national organisations of educational institutions that are accredited to offer NZDipBus courses ("provider groups"). Members may also be co-opted to the committee.

The NACBS advises NZQA on all matters relating to the qualification. It meets, typically, three times a year.

View the NACBS Terms of Reference and Membership.

The Business Co-ordination Forum

The Business Co-ordination Forum (BCF) discusses matters relating to business education, including the NZDipBus, from the perspective of providers, and meets two or three times a year.

Specific activities of the BCF include:

acting as a national forum on NZDipBus matters
undertaking projects in relation to business education which have national significance
preparing reports for presentation to the NACBS on matters relating to NZDipBus.

The Chair of the BCF is John West, who can be contacted on BCF matters at westj@cpit.ac.nz

NZDipBus programmes

A NZDipBus can be completed in two years full-time study. However, a significant number of NZDipBus students enrol part-time. The teaching programme for a NZDipBus paper usually takes one semester (half year) and is typically delivered in four hours per week for 15 weeks, although there are some minor variations on this.

Credit recognition and transfer

The NZDipBus regulations allow for credit recognition and transfer from other qualifications.

In addition, people with the required knowledge and skills (gained through workplace experience, for example) may be credited with NZDipBus papers as a result of an assessment of prior learning. Contact your local NZDipBus accredited provider for more details.

Credit transfer schedules for version one of the NZDipBus

Credit transfer schedules for version two of the NZDipBus.

Credit transfer to degrees

A number of providers offer exemptions from the initial stage(s) of a business degree to the holder of a NZDipBus. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of New Zealand recognises the NZDipBus as fulfilling the academic requirements for admission to the College of Accounting Technicians provided that an applicant has included specified papers.

NZDipBus results and certification

For information about NZDipBus results and certification, send your inquiry to the NZQA Records team or phone 04 463 3000.

You can apply for the issue of a New Zealand Diploma in Business
You can apply for a reprint of a New Zealand Diploma in Business

NZDipBus providers

You can view the latest list of accredited NZDipBus providers.

Not all providers offer the full range of papers, and not all papers offered by a particular provider are offered every semester. Information on the papers offered by an individual provider should be obtained from that provider.

Further information

Further information on the NZDipBus can be obtained from Tertiary Assessment and Moderation or from NZDipBus accredited providers.

Page updated: 15 May 2007