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.
New standard qualifications
The regulations set out three new 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 REINZ Industry Training Organisation (REINZ ITO).
Transition period
The regulations include a transition period from17 November 2009 to 30 June 2010.
The purpose of the transition period is to ensure that if the new qualifications are not available there is no barrier to obtaining a licence during this period. The transition period gives the REINZ ITO time to register the new qualifications and course providers time to prepare them.
Alternative qualifications
Schedule 3 of the Real Estate Agents (Licensing) Regulations 2009 lists the qualifications and assessment, if any, required by the industry training organisation (REINZ ITO) to demonstrate knowledge of real estate agency work, sufficient to achieve the prescribed qualifications for each class of licence.
Other qualifications
Two qualifications which currently meet the educational requirements under the 1976 Act are being phased out. These are:
- automatic recognition of registered valuers (along with an assessment set by the REINZ ITO)
- partial completion of the Graduate Diploma in Business Studies (Real Estate) at Massey University.
The regulations allow a person to apply to the Authority on the basis of registration as a valuer until 30 June 2010, and on the basis of partial completion of the Graduate Diploma until 30 December 2010.
Check for the right qualification
Because the regulations allow for a transition period, the qualification you will need to have before you apply for a licence can differ depending on the date you apply. Click here to check [PDF,46.1kb].
Recognition of prior learning
Information on recognition of prior learning is available from the REINZ ITO website or by calling the ITO on 09 356 1755.
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
REINZ ITO
09 356 1755
www.reinz.org.nz
The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand
0508 650 200
www.openpolytechnic.ac.nz
Unitec
0800 109 510
www.unitec.ac.nz
