Qualifications and standards

Creative Arts qualifications

Qualifications in Creative Arts (at Levels 1-6, excluding university qualifications) include New Zealand certificates and diplomas in:

Arts and Design, Creativity, Jewellery, Watch and Clock Making, Fashion, Digital Media and Design, Animation, Graphic Design, User Interface Design, Web Design and Development, and Photography.

Creative Arts qualifications framework (PDF, 46KB)

To find out more, click on the blue arrows below.

Find a qualification

Browse the links below or search by qualification reference number or title.

Qualification	Developer
New Zealand Certificate in Arts and Design (Level 2) [Ref: 2625]	NZQA National Qualifications Services
New Zealand Certificate in Arts and Design (Level 3) [Ref: 2626]	NZQA National Qualifications Services
New Zealand Certificate in Arts and Design (Level 4) [Ref: 2627]	NZQA National Qualifications Services
New Zealand Certificate in Digital Media and Design (Level 3) [Ref: 2628]	NZQA National Qualifications Services
New Zealand Certificate in Digital Media and Design (Level 4) [Ref: 2629]	NZQA National Qualifications Services
New Zealand Certificate in Fashion (Level 4) [Ref: 2630]	NZQA National Qualifications Services
New Zealand Certificate in Jewellery (Level 4) [Ref: 2631]	NZQA National Qualifications Services
New Zealand Certificate in Manufacturing Jewellery (Level 4) [Ref: 2632]	Jewellery Industry Registration Board of New Zealand
New Zealand Certificate in Watch and Clock Making (Level 4) [Ref: 2633]	Jewellery Industry Registration Board of New Zealand
New Zealand Diploma in Animation (Level 5) [Ref: 2634]	NZQA National Qualifications Services
New Zealand Diploma in Animation (Level 6) [Ref: 2635]	NZQA National Qualifications Services
New Zealand Diploma in Arts and Design (Level 5) [Ref: 2636]	NZQA National Qualifications Services
New Zealand Diploma in Arts and Design (Level 6) [Ref: 2637]	NZQA National Qualifications Services
New Zealand Diploma in Digital Media and Design (Level 5) [Ref: 2638]	NZQA National Qualifications Services
New Zealand Diploma in Digital Media and Design (Level 6) [Ref: 2639]	NZQA National Qualifications Services
New Zealand Diploma in Fashion Design (Level 6) [Ref: 2640]	NZQA National Qualifications Services
New Zealand Diploma in Fashion (Level 5) [Ref: 2641]	NZQA National Qualifications Services
New Zealand Diploma in Graphic Design (Level 5) [Ref: 2642]	NZQA National Qualifications Services
New Zealand Diploma in Graphic Design (Level 6) [Ref: 2643]	NZQA National Qualifications Services
New Zealand Diploma in User Interface Design (Level 5) [Ref: 2644]	NZQA National Qualifications Services
New Zealand Diploma in Web Design and Production (Level 6) [Ref: 2645]	NZQA National Qualifications Services
New Zealand Diploma in Jewellery (Level 5) [Ref: 2646]	NZQA National Qualifications Services
New Zealand Diploma in Jewellery (Level 6) [Ref: 2647]	NZQA National Qualifications Services
New Zealand Diploma in Photography (Level 5) [Ref: 2648]	NZQA National Qualifications Services
New Zealand Diploma in Photography (Level 6) [Ref: 2649]	NZQA National Qualifications Services
New Zealand Diploma in Creativity (Level 5) [Ref: 2867]	NZQA National Qualifications Services
New Zealand Diploma in Creativity (Level 6) [Ref: 2868]	NZQA National Qualifications Services
New Zealand Certificate in Creativity (Level 4) [Ref: 2869]	NZQA National Qualifications Services

2020 review of NZ Creative Arts qualifications

In 2020, NZQA National Qualifications Services is facilitating the review of 23 New Zealand Creative Arts qualifications.

Consultation on reviewed New Zealand Creative Arts qualifications

Open for consultation until 28 September 2020

NZQA National Qualifications Services invites feedback on the 23 reviewed Creative Arts qualifications. Consultation drafts are available below.

Note: New Zealand Diplomas in Graphic Design (Level 5 and Level 6) and the New Zealand Diploma in User Interface Design (Level 5) have not been reviewed and will be proposed to expire as there are no approved programmes leading to these qualifications.

Please comment on the proposed amendments to the qualification(s) that relate to your education or industry sector by using online surveys, or send your feedback directly to creativeartsquals.review@nzqa.govt.nz.

We recommend you compare and consider the current and the draft reviewed qualifications listed below at the same time: across all the levels of a suite of qualifications to establish progression, and across the same level of other suites to establish consistency.

Current qualifications may be accessed via the Find a qualification section on this webpage or by searching for the qualification reference number or title.

New Zealand Creative Arts Qualifications – Consultation drafts

Notes:

These drafts are for consultation purposes only.
The general conditions in the draft reviewed qualifications include only those essential programme conditions that are necessitated by regulatory or legislative requirements. Specific conditions that relate to individual graduate outcomes are not included.

Animation qualifications

Arts and Design qualifications

Creativity qualifications

Digital Media and Design qualifications

Fashion qualifications

Jewellery qualifications

Photography qualifications

Web Design qualifications

2645 NZ Diploma in Web Design and Production (Level 6) – proposed draft (PDF, 259KB)

Review background

The review is being conducted in collaboration with and on behalf of Creative Arts programme owners, the alliance of New Zealand’s creative industries and individuals who expressed an interest in the qualifications and their review. Stakeholders are being kept informed and invited to contribute at all stages of the review.

An advisory group met in December 2019 to guide the process of the review and confirm the relevance and currency of the qualifications. Research indicated that the needs analysis (PDF, 1.9MB), which informed the initial development of these qualifications, remains current.

In February 2020, working groups met in Wellington to review the qualifications and develop revised drafts. These initial drafts have been further refined and are now ready for community consultation.

Contact

If you wish to receive email updates, and/or establish personal contact regarding the qualifications review, please email creativeartsquals.review@nzqa.govt.nz.

2018 Extension of planned review date

Feedback was sought in March and April 2018 on a proposal to extend the planned review date for 26 Creative Arts qualifications. Consultation closed on 16 April 2018, and versions 1 of the qualifications were republished in May to extend the qualification review date to 31 July 2020.

Mandatory review of Creative Arts 2015

To find out how Creative Arts qualifications were reviewed and developed, visit the Mandatory review of Creative Arts qualifications review page.

Contact

For enquiries or information about Creative Arts qualifications, where National Qualifications Services is the listed qualification developer, and/or to subscribe to receive email updates, please contact nqs@nzqa.govt.nz.