The Business Events Industry Aotearoa (BEIA) Conference 2025 opened today with the launch of Te Haeata – the New Zealand Certificate in Business Events – a new vocational learning programme.
New Zealand’s first online business events industry training programme was announced by Louise Upston, minister for tourism and hospitality, at Cordis Auckland.
Upston also announced government support for the new Level 4 Certification, with NZ$145,000 (US$82,077) funding from the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy for qualification design, industry engagement and online delivery over 12 months.
The programme aims to enrol 200 learners in the first 18 months, with 50 additional learners annually. The first module will be available from February/March 2026, with the other modules rolling out over the following months. The first module of the qualification will also be delivered in secondary schools in 2027, as a taster pathway into the sector.
Te Haeata has been verified by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, aligning it with the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework. It will be owned by BEIA.
BEIA’s chief executive, Lisa Hopkins, said: “Te Haeata is as a collaborative effort between BEIA, Ringa Hora, Service IQ, and Grow Tourism with important input from industry, and represents a major step forward in building the capability and confidence of our workforce.
“Te Haeata addresses workforce shortages and supports the Tourism Growth Roadmap’s long-term goal of building a skilled domestic workforce. It establishes an additional career pathway in the events sector for tourism and hospitality workers and supports the development of a higher-wage sector within the visitor economy.”
According to findings in a recent survey conducted by Ringa Hora in partnership with BEIA, over 70 per cent of organisations in the business events sector expected growth in event volume and an increase in recruitment to grow their teams in response, particularly for event coordinator-type roles, pointing to a strong demand for the proposed qualification and skill standards.
