MPTT helps Māori and Pasifika become leaders in the trades industry. As well as paying your course fees, we’ll give you one-on-one mentoring to grow your career, and help you find work in your chosen trade.
If you’re Māori or Pasifika and aged 16-40, you could qualify for our scholarships. Let us know you’re interested by filling out this form, and we’ll be in touch.
If you love nature and doing active, hands-on work outdoors, a career in horticulture and landscaping could be perfect for you. This industry is diverse in New Zealand and could see you creating gardens, parks and other outdoor spaces, producing food or flowers for export, or working in a plant nursery or garden centre.
To excel in this career you’ll need to be fit, reliable and hard working. It also helps if you’re comfortable with basic maths, to help you calculate quantities of plants, paving or mulch.
“Taking up horticulture, I see the world in a whole different way. I look at plants differently, I look at food differently – I look at a lot of things differently that before I would have taken for granted. I realised horticulture isn’t just about learning how to grow some potatoes. It actually opens up so many other doors.”
Camille McKewin
How do I train?
Trades training is flexible. You can:
Many people start with a pre-trades programme at a training institution. This will give you the hands-on experience and theory you need to prepare you for work. If you qualify for one of our scholarships, you can study for free – and we’ll help you find work when you finish.
If you already have experience in the trades or are ready for working life and happy to study while you work, you might look at going straight into an apprenticeship. We can help you make that decision, and we might even know someone who needs an apprentice like you.
How do I fund my training?
There are a few ways to get your fees paid – but they’re not all the same.
Only available to Māori and Pasifika learners, the MPTT scholarship doesn’t just cover your course fees, it gives you the most well-rounded support to get a job in the trades.
Find out how the MPTT scholarship compares to other funding options.
You can apply for the MPTT scholarship programme now, but make sure you enrol in your chosen course as well. Here’s what you need to do:
Find out which horticulture and landscaping course is right for you using the links below.
Apprenticeships are managed by Industry Training Organisations (ITOs), who make sure you get the training you need to earn your qualification. The ITO for horticulture and landscaping is Primary ITO.
Find out about a Primary ITO apprenticeship in horticulture and landscaping