Everyone who enrols with the Institute is subject to terms and conditions.
In order to be considered for any qualification or programme of study at the New Zealand Sports Turf Institute (the Institute), an applicant must be an eligible person under section 224 of the Education Act 1989.

School Leavers

No domestic applicant under the school leaving age (that is, less than 16 years of age) may be admitted for any qualification or programme of study at the Institute unless:

(a) The applicant has been granted an exemption from attending school by a person designated under section 21 or 26 of the Education Act 1989; or

(b) The applicant has been granted an exemption from attending school by the Chief Executive of the Ministry of Education; or

(c) The Principal of the registered school at which the applicant is enrolled has given permission for the applicant to enrol in the Institutes programme of study.

International

(a) Must, prior to enrolment, provide evidence to the Institute of meeting the requirements of NZQA’s acceptable evidence of English language proficiency (Recognised English Proficiency Outcomes for International Students).

(b) May only be enrolled in programmes which are approved for international enrolments or are less than the equivalent of three months of full-time study.

(c) Shall not be, or continue to be, enrolled in any course unless there has been paid to the Institute in respect of the student a fee calculated in accordance with the formula set out in Section 228 of the Education Act.

(d) Where there is a compulsory practical workplace component of the qualification, specified programmes may restrict the enrolment of international (foreign) students resident in New Zealand.

Enrolment Period

The Institute offers courses in two different ways.

Open Enrolment: This means you can enrol in these courses at any time.

Your confirmation of enrolment letter will show the official ‘start’ and ‘end’ dates of your enrolment.

Fixed Duration Enrolment. These courses have specified start and end dates for your enrolment.

Your enrolment will expire:

at the end of the fixed period for which you have enrolled, OR
when you complete all the summative assessments required for the course

whichever comes first.

Your enrolment cannot be transferred to another person; it is a legal contract between you and the Institute.

Course fees

Course enrolment fees depend on the qualification you are enrolling in and whether you are a New Zealand domestic student or an international student. For specific course fees, you need to refer to the course information.

All fees are in New Zealand dollars and include Goods and Services Tax (GST). If you are studying with us while living outside New Zealand, your fees are exempt from GST. The fees shown on this website are correct at time of publication and may be subject to change. Fees will be confirmed as part of your enrolment.

Withdrawing From Your Course

Applications to withdraw must be received in writing. We count the date we get your application as the date of withdrawal.

Academic Withdrawal

If you are enrolled in a course and do not submit any work, you will be academically withdrawn from your course. Your academic records will show your result as ‘Academic Withdrawal’ and this will have implications for future enrolment applications.

In all circumstances the Institute will meet its obligations under section 253 of the Education Act 1989. Student Fee Protection Rules 2013.

The Institute refund policy is contingent on the date of withdrawal, and is determined by the confirmed start date for any course or programme of study.

For further information refer to NZSTI Student Withdrawals and Fees Refund Policy.

The Institute provides student fee protection via a standard trust which is administered by the Public Trust. All student fees are held within the standard trust and only released on the appropriate drawdown criteria.

This arrangement has been accepted by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority as meeting the requirements of the Education Act 1989 and the Student Fee Protection Rules 2013.

Assessment Due Dates

It is important that you make every attempt to complete your assessments on time and meet any deadline dates you have. If you are not able to meet a due date, contact us as soon as possible – don’t wait until after the due date has passed.

You will be advised of assessment due dates once you are enrolled. These dates are compulsory.

Assessment extensions

Assessment extensions of up to 2 weeks can be applied for through the Training Co-ordinator and may be approved by the Training Manager. You must contact them before the assessment due date. Any extension approved will not exceed the date that marked work and/or summative assessment answers or marking schedules are released to students.

Assessment extensions of more than two weeks will only be granted where there are exceptional circumstances which have affected your ability to study for a significant part of the period during which the assessment was to be done and the Special Consideration process applies.

Assessments received after any time extension granted will be returned to you unmarked and you will be awarded zero marks.

Special Consideration

Special Consideration may be approved and is intended to assist a student who, due to exceptional circumstances beyond their control, has been disadvantaged in comparison to other students. This process applies to all enrolment options – fixed period and open. The possible outcomes which may be approved are an extended period of time to complete an assessment or enrolment, or a re-enrolment in the next available offering.

The maximum extension period we can grant is thirteen weeks.

Eligibility

The reasons for applying for Special Consideration must be classified under one of the following categories:

• Medical – to cover conditions of a serious nature e.g. hospitalisation, serious injury or serious illness

Note: temporary minor ailments such as headaches, colds, minor gastric upsets are not considered serious medical conditions and are unlikely to be accepted.

• Bereavement – e.g. death of a close family member.
• Trauma – e.g. sudden loss of employment, severe disruption to domestic arrangements, victim of crime.

You must provide evidence to support the reasons for your application.

Note: pressures of work are not considered to be exceptional circumstances.

Plagiarism

Refer to NZSTI Plagiarism policy.