Tē tōia, tē haumatiaWhakataukī/Māori proverb
Nothing can be achieved without a plan, workforce and way of doing things
Nau mai, haere mai!
Hello, Kia ora, Talofa, Kumusta, Malo’etau lava, Kia Orana.
Nĭ hăo, Fakalofa Atu, Namaste, Bula, Sata srī akāla, Marhaba.
Welcome to the exciting world of landscape designing and building! We hope you have a wonderful time studying with NZMA.
Before beginning, we acknowledge Māori as tangata whenua (the people of this land). We give thanks for their careful kaitiakitanga (guardianship) of the waterways, land, plants, and animals.
In this programme we’ll look to Māori history of the area you’re working in and use this to guide our design. We’ll also explore how te ao Māori and tikanga Māori can help inform our design and construction approaches to best respect and care for Papatūānuku (the earth mother/nature). Te ao Māori (Māori world view) understands that all living things are connected, and tikanga Māori (Māori customs and protocols) respects these relationships and works with, instead of against, them.
When you finish this programme you will be awarded the New Zealand Certificate in Horticulture (Landscape Construction) (Level 3). There is no landscape design qualification at Level 3, so even though this programme incorporates landscape design, the qualification you’ll get at the end is a landscape construction one.
Throughout this course, you will develop the knowledge and skills of landscape construction which will enable you to:
- assist with a range of core landscape design and build tasks under limited supervision
- perform the basic garden design and landscape construction skills needed to enter an entry-level role in either landscape design or landscape construction.
- further develop skills and knowledge already acquired from industry experience.
- Work as an effective member of a team, including communication and interaction with team members and colleagues relevant to a role in the horticulture sector.
- Apply knowledge of site requirements, and hard and soft landscaping to carry out routine tasks associated with the implementation of a landscape design.
Put more simply, this means that you can construct landscaping surfaces and structures and plant trees, shrubs and other plants by using the knowledge and skills you’ve developed.
The programme consists of six courses. Each course builds on the previous one and follows the design and build process, starting with determining your client requirements and concluding with the installation of soft and hard landscape features.
The learning of knowledge and skills is progressive with content and activities and tasks contextualised to the landscape construction sector in Aotearoa. Throughout the programme, your learning from previous courses is revisited and reinforced through applied activities, building your knowledge and skill capability alongside growing confidence and interpersonal skills.
Courses 6 provides you with greater flexibility in order to respond to seasonal constraints, such as the ground being too wet to dig, or the weather being too cold to plant new plants.
| Module Number | Module Name | Assessment | Learning Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| M1 | Landscaping – Getting Started | LDB01A1 | 50 |
| M2 | Site Analysis | LDB02A1 LDB02A2 |
100 |
| M3 | Garden Design 1 | LDB03A1 LDB03A2 |
120 |
| M4 | Garden Design 2 | LDB04A1 | 150 |
| M5 | Setting Out | LDB05A1 LDB05A2 |
80 |
| M6 | Hard Landscaping | LDB06A1 LDB06A2 |
170 |
| M6 | Soft Landscaping | LDB07A1 | 80 |
How will you learn?
Learning hours are asynchronous. This means you complete them in your own time. There is no set class time, and learning takes place at different times for students/ākonga enrolled in the programme. You are encouraged to interact with other students/ākonga through forums and group messaging. Keep in mind that not everyone likes to study when you do, so you may need to wait for a response.
Total learning hours are 750 hours. That is about 19 hours of part-time study per week, including self-directed learning and completing assessments.
The learning hours include:
- online learning – which introduces you to new information
- small practical activities to get you to practice landscape design and construction skills
- working on garden designs
- interviewing your client, measuring up, and later on setting out and installing new landscape features at your chosen site.
Assessments/Aromatawai
A total of 75 credits are awarded for the programme.
There are 11 assessments to complete, which is either one or two assessments for each of the 6 modules that make up this course. Assessments will be awarded an achieved or not-achieved result. All learning outcomes must be met to obtain an achieved result. All assessments must be completed in full, with all answers correct, for an achieved result.
Assessments are recorded as follows:
- Achieved – all work/unit has been achieved to the standards set in the assessment and performance criteria.
- Not Achieved – the student/ākonga has yet to complete the relevant work to be awarded the assessment or unit.
Assessment Submission
To ensure a smooth learning experience, we suggest starting this module at specific weeks.
Use the following key to navigate through the progression charts.
The coloured blocks indicate the recommended weeks that you should spend working through each module and when each assessment is due. For example, M1 should be completed over the first 3 weeks, with assessment 01A1 being due in week 3. Then M2 should be started in week 4.
Equipment
In the first half of this programme, you’ll be focused on landscape design. During these first courses, the following equipment is strongly recommended:
- General: Camera or camera phone app
- Tape measures: Surveyor’s tape measure (50m), optional: Builder’s tape measure (5-8m)
- Stationery: pack of sketching pencils, coloured pencils, black liner pens, pencil sharpener and eraser, clipboard
- Paper: A2 or A3 drawing paper, A4 graph paper, lined notepad, tracing paper (see below for details)
- Tools: drawing compass, Circle template, masking tape
- Drawing board and rulers
Please see further equipment details in Module 1.1: Introducing Landscape Design and Build.
Studying at Level 3
Graduates of this qualification will be able to:
- Work as an effective member of a team, including communication and interaction with team members and colleagues relevant to a role in the horticulture sector.
Graduates of the Landscape Construction strand will also be able to:
- Apply knowledge of site requirements, and hard and soft landscaping to carry out routine tasks associated with the implementation of a landscape design.
A graduate of a level 3 certificate is able to:
- demonstrate some operational and theoretical knowledge in a field of work or study
- select from and apply a range of known solutions to familiar problems
- apply a range of standard processes relevant to the field of work or study
- apply a range of communication skills relevant to the role in the field of work or study
- apply literacy and numeracy skills relevant to the role in the field of work or study
- work under limited supervision
- demonstrate major responsibility for own learning and performance
- adapt own behaviour when interacting with others
- contribute to group performance
We’re here to help
If you're ever unsure about something or need assistance, please don't hesitate to contact your tutor. You can send them a message via email or via the 💬 messages feature on the top right corner of the online campus.