New Zealand Certificate in Hospitality (Level 3)**

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Locations and dates
No start dates are currently available. Register to be informed when new dates are added.
Study options

Full time
Length

17 teaching weeks plus 2 weeks of study break
Total credits

60
Fees

2027: Zero fees

A Student Service Fee applies (2026; $2.50 per credit).

Fees listed are for each year of the programme, indicative only and may vary with course selection.

View course details for individual fees.
National qualification code

NZ4366

Kick-start your career in Hospitality with real-world learning.

** Subject to NZQA approval.
Register your interest to start your hospitality study in February 2027.

Learn in NMIT’s café environments, commercial training kitchens, and restaurant as you build confidence in preparing food, making beverages, and delivering welcoming customer service.

Whether you’re leaving school, changing direction or already working in a junior hospitality role, this programme will help you develop practical skills and professional behaviours for working in the industry.

Practical learning and workplace experience

Right from the start, you’ll be learning about the logistics of great service both to the customers at your tables and to the team of chefs you’re supporting.

You’ll complete a minimum of 40 hours of work-based learning embedded across the programme. Activities may include restaurant and café service, catering, events, hospitality simulations and industry engagement, with external workplace experiences where available.

Throughout the programme, you’ll develop teamwork, communication, problem-solving and professional skills, alongside safe and sustainable hospitality practices.

What you'll learn

Across four compulsory courses, you’ll gain a broad foundation in hospitality service, café beverages and basic cookery, plus the teamwork and communication skills employers look for.

Hospitality Service Operations: Develop customer service, communication and teamwork skills. Learn to use hospitality workplace systems and technology, follow operating procedures and respond to everyday customer and workplace issues.
Food Service: Learn to prepare for and deliver food and beverage service, use table-service equipment and techniques, and apply food safety and workplace procedures. Build your product knowledge and confidence providing professional, welcoming service.
Café Beverage Service: Develop skills to prepare, present and serve espresso coffee and alternative café beverages. Learn to safely operate, clean and maintain café equipment, and apply product knowledge, customer service and manaakitanga.
Basic Cookery: Build foundation skills in food preparation and cookery within a commercial training kitchen. Learn safe knife techniques, ingredient preparation and portioning, basic cooking methods, food presentation, kitchen hygiene and safe equipment use.

Throughout the programme, you’ll be guided by the values of manaakitanga (care and hospitality towards others), whanaungatanga (building relationships and a sense of belonging) and kaitiakitanga (guardianship and care for people, place and resources).

Employment and further study

NMIT’s hospitality programmes are designed with our local industry in mind. Where your timetable allows, you may be able to fit paid hospitality work around your study and put the skills you’re building to use straight away.

Build skills for entry-level roles such as café assistant, food service assistant, front-of-house team member or kitchen hand. Hospitality skills can be applied across cafés, restaurants, catering operations, accommodation providers and other food service settings.

You can also explore further study in cookery, hospitality and related fields, including NMIT’s New Zealand Certificate in Cookery (Level 4)(external link), subject to meeting entry requirements.

Book a chat with one of our friendly study navigators(external link) today, and we’ll start you on your journey.

Entry requirements

Academic requirements

Be at least 16 years of age at the commencement of the programme; and have attained a minimum of:

10 NCEA Level 1 Literacy credits; and
10 NCEA Level 1 Numeracy credits; or Equivalent knowledge, skills and experience; and
Be able to safely participate in the practical learning and assessment activities required for the programme.

Alternative requirements

Applicants who are unable to evidence that they meet Academic Entry Requirements, but who can demonstrate acquired skills for tertiary study gained through study, work and/or life experience, may be approved for alternative entry. This may include Recognition of Prior Learning. Contact NMIT for advice.

Other requirements

Applicants must be able to confirm that they will have the physical capability to comply with relevant health and safety requirements and can safely withstand 4-8 hour sessions of working in the front of house/ commercial kitchen environment.

English language requirements

If English is not the applicant’s first language they will need to provide a result from a test or qualification on the acceptable alternatives English Proficiency Outcomes Chart(external link). Applicants who do not have evidence of English Language skills and are a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident, may contact NMIT for an assessment.

IELTS 5.0 Academic or General (no lower than 5.0 in any subtest)

IELTS scores used must be taken from a single IELTS Test Report Form and are valid for two years from the date of the test

Note: If the applicant been granted a Manaaki Short Term Training Scholarship, prior schooling (completion of 5 years of secondary education or of all primary education and at least 3 years of secondary education) from any country, with English as the language of instruction, then English language requirements are deemed to have been met.