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Te Manu Arataki Leadership Project

Building the pathway for the next generation of leaders

New leadership qualifications submitted to NZQA

We are pleased to announce that the Level 3, Level 4, and Level 6 leadership qualifications have been submitted to the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) for evaluation.

It will take 20 working days for the application to be picked up and assigned to an evaluator at NZQA and another 20 working days for the evaluation to be returned for more information.

Separate strands for Leadership and Management have been proposed as part of the Level 5 New Zealand Diploma in Business. This will be submitted to NZQA once the review of all strands of this Diploma is complete.

How we got here:

  • From November 2023 to January 2025, Ringa Hora Services Workforce Development Council engaged widely with industry, Māori organisations, and education providers to form Working Groups that informed the review and development of new qualifications and recommended changes.
  • Between 1 October 2024 and 8 November 2024, Ringa Hora invited feedback on the proposed changes to the suite of leadership qualifications.
  • Over the holiday period of December to January, the amended drafts were available on the Ringa Hora website to collect in any further feedback. Further feedback was incorporated into the qualifications before submission to NZQA.
  • Stakeholder attestation forms were collected as part of supporting evidence.

Please click on the link to Te Manu Arataki | Leadership Project Qualification Review and Development for more information on the qualifications submitted.

Why Te Manu Arataki | Leadership Project was launched

Te Manu Arataki Leadership project, led by Ringa Hora, is supported by Ohu Ahumahi Workforce Development Councils. “Te Manu Arataki i te kāhui” is a Māori metaphor that acknowledges one’s leadership qualities and compares them to a bird leading a flock, often seen when birds fly in a ‘Skein’ or ‘V’ formation. 

Improving leadership capability provides an opportunity to drive further growth in New Zealand’s productivity, and to positively impact businesses and the economy. 

Our focus as a workforce development council is to review existing leadership credentials across the vocational education sector, develop new products where appropriate, and facilitate career pathways into leadership. 

 

The project is being carried out in four stages: 

  • Conduct an environmental scan of how leadership qualifications are being used, by whom, across which industries, and delivered by which training providers
  • Collaborate with other WDCs to better understand industry and community needs and barriers
  • Understand existing research and analysis, including both western and indigenous approaches, to help inform future engagements.

Read the findings from the Environmental Scan here

  • Review outcomes of leadership qualification suite and any other levers within the WDCs’ coverage to align with and respond to identified needs
  • Consult with industry, providers, and communities to gather feedback.

Thanks very much to everyone who attended our leadership webinars and hui. We appreciate everyone’s input very much.

To learn more about what our public consultation revealed, please click here.

If you are interested in joining a working group or consultation group to review leadership credentials following these webinars, please email [email protected].

To find out more about working groups and consultations groups, click here.

  • Refine/adjust/develop qualifications and associated skill standards
  • Co-design/consolidate existing products
  • Identify opportunities to affect change beyond qualifications.

The working groups set up to work on the generic offering of products on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework have released draft qualifications for national consultation.

The suggestions of the group put out for consultation include:

  • The Level 3 New Zealand Certificate in Business (Introduction to Team Leadership) has been reviewed and will be renamed the New Zealand Certificate in Leadership (Level 3)
  • The Level 4 New Zealand Certificate in Business (First Line Management) has been reviewed and will be renamed the New Zealand Certificate in Leadership (Level 4)
  • Splitting Leadership and Management in the Level 5 Diploma so they will each be their own strand in the Diploma
  • Removing the leadership strand from the Level 6 Diploma to have its own Diploma – the New Zealand Diploma in Strategic Leadership (Level 6).

More details can be found at Te Manu Arataki | Leadership Project Qualification Review and Development page. 

For more information on the process or the project, please contact [email protected].

  • Report back to external project contributors with findings and actions
  • Present the outcome and/or products produced to internal and external stakeholders.
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Industry professionals and education providers have responded in style to the challenge to find ways to improve leadership in Aotearoa. 

As part of the second stage of our Te Manu Arataki Leadership Project, Ringa Hora held 10 webinars and an in-person hui for rangatahi. The feedback has been tremendous, and we have learned a great deal about leadership needs. 

This feedback came after Ringa Hora’s research team carried out an extensive environmental scan of New Zealand leadership, which helped inform discussions at the webinars. 

If you want to be part of this exciting project, don’t hesitate to join now.

Together, we can make a difference and lead our businesses and the New Zealand economy towards a brighter future. Sign up to be involved and stay informed about the project.

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