To work in the real estate industry you must have a licence. Before you can become licensed, you must hold the appropriate qualification as prescribed in the Real Estate Agents (Licensing) Regulations 2009.
What are the standard qualifications?
The Licensing Regulations 2009 (regulation 12) set out three standard qualifications as the educational requirements for each class of licence, agent, branch manager and salesperson.
These qualifications are:
- National Certificate in Real Estate (Salesperson) Level 4
- National Certificate in Real Estate (Branch Manager) Level 5, version 3 or later
- National Diploma in Real Estate (Agent) Level 5.
These qualifications will be registered on the National Qualifications Framework, which is administered by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. They will consist of unit standards that will be developed by the REAL Industry Training Organisation (REAL ITO).
Are there any alternative qualifications?
Schedule 3 of the Licensing Regulations 2009 lists the qualifications and assessment, if any, required by the industry training organisation (REAL ITO) to demonstrate knowledge of real estate agency work, sufficient to achieve the prescribed qualifications for each class of licence.
Were any qualifications phased out?
Two qualifications that met the educational requirements under the 1976 Act have been phased out. These were:
- automatic recognition of registered valuers (along with an assessment set by the REAL ITO)
- partial completion of the Graduate Diploma in Business Studies (Real Estate) at Massey University.
The Licensing Regulations 2009 (regulation 11) allow a person to apply to the Authority on the basis of partial completion of the Graduate Diploma until 30 December 2010.
Is there any recognition of prior learning?
Information on recognition of prior learning is available from the REAL ITO website , by calling the ITO on 09 353 2257 or by emailing them at info@realito.co.nz
Who are the training providers?
The following organisations offer real estate training courses. Each training provider offers a range of programmes, so contact them directly for information on their qualifications and study options.
Bay of Plenty Polytechnic
0800 BOP POLY (0800 267 7659)
www.boppoly.ac.nz
REAL ITO
09 353 2257
www.realito.co.nz
Open Polytechnic
0508 650 200
www.openpolytechnic.ac.nz
Unitec
0800 109 510
www.unitec.ac.nz
TAFE College NZ Ltd
09 522 1940
