Study to become a florist for free*
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Duration and study methods
Full-time for 17 teaching weeks, 3 days per week.
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Start dates
February, July
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Qualification
New Zealand Certificate in Floristry (Level 2)Programme code: NZ2671 -
Credits
60 -
Locations
MIT Ōtara
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Entry requirements
Open entry
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Domestic fees
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International fees
NZD $13,000 (approx.)
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Free* study
Programme highlights
Take the first step towards a career in the floristry industry.
You will learn the beauty of caring for fresh flowers and plants.
Express your creative vision in arranging and presenting floral arrangements.
At MIT, you will gain real-world experience working in our professional floristry training centre.
Our friendly tutors will be on hand every step of the way to help you succeed in your studies.
We'll also support you to find your first floristry job.
You will be required to complete literacy and numeracy assessments as part of this programme.
Entry requirements
Applicants must meet the following entry criteria
Open entry
English language requirements
Applicants must have sufficient competence in the English language to undertake this programme, which is taught and assessed in English. Any applicant whose first language is not English may be required to provide evidence of their English language competency.
International students: English language entry requirements
International students will generally be required to provide evidence of English language proficiency, for this programme an IELTS General or Academic score of 5 with no band score lower than 5 is required. Equivalent acceptable evidence can be seen at the following NZQA link: https://www.nzqa.govt.nz/about-us/our-role/legislation/nzqa-rules/nzqf-related-rules/the-table/
Preferred skills required
At the school of floristry, we operate in a professional industry standard floristry environment that reflects what you will find in the real world.
Practical hands-on activities in the classroom can require a level of physical mobility. While not essential the following skills are an advantage.
- Physical - performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as:
- Lifting
- Walking
- Stooping
- Standing.
- Handling of materials - the ability to make simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
Give yourself credit with Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
Did you know you can use the knowledge and experience you already have to your advantage?
Your previous work experience and on-the-job skills, volunteering, professional development, and other providers’ qualifications can be recognised as prior learning, matched against credits in our courses, and put towards your qualification – potentially saving you money and possibly helping you to complete your qualification faster Learn more.
Programme structure
You will need to complete the four courses below (60 credits):
861.294 Working in the floristry industry (15 credits)
- Prepare simple floristry items for a customer.
- Converse and interact with customers and other floristry team members.
- Apply safe work practices in a floristry workplace.
861.295 Design elements and principles of floristry (15 credits)
- Using the elements and principles of floral design to assemble simple floristry items.
- Using the elements and principles of floral design to assemble floristry displays in a range of settings.
861.296 Merchandising floristry products (15 credits)
- Prepare and maintain floristry displays for retail purposes.
- Care and maintain floristry stock and merchandise.
861.297 Simple floristry creations (15 credits)
- Select flowers and plant materials for simple floristry items.
- Prepare flowers and plant materials for simple floristry items.
- Assemble and prepare simple floristry items.
Do you want to study a single course, without enrolling into the full programme?
Courses within some of our programmes may be offered as an individual Certificate of Proficiency (COP). Programme entry requirements and course fees apply. For more information, please speak to our friendly Ask Me! team.
Further training or study
New Zealand Certificate in Floristry (Level 3)
Career opportunities
Positions in various areas of the floristry industry.
"Kia ora, I’m one of the floristry teachers here at MIT School of Floristry. Come and study floristry at MIT, you can explore your creativity and you'll find yourself in a room full of like-minded people, you'll learn and grow together. We've got really good connections for the industry. Some of that is our own graduates who are out in business running their own businesses now."
Lisa Gilmour
MIT lecturer
Our MIT students gained invaluable hands-on experience working with the Silver Scroll Awards. Here’s what our industry partner had to say:
"When the APRA Silver Scroll Awards was looking for a partner to work with on the table centrepieces for our annual award ceremony, it was suggested that we get in touch with the floristry course at MIT, which had a reputation for encouraging creativity and innovation in their students’ work.
We loved the enthusiasm that Lisa and her team had for the project, and the opportunity to work on a real-life job seemed to fit nicely with the desire we had to collaborate with floristry students who had fresh ideas and new approaches to centrepieces.
The group we worked with were super professional – we gave them a pretty loose brief, and were very impressed with the prototypes they came up with. We were also impressed with the flexibility shown is using a variety of styles and options to create an overall vibe which fit perfectly with a music awards show. The pieces they produced were beautiful – appropriately celebratory and colourful, perfectly arranged, the right size for our event, and much admired by the guests.
Their efficiency on the event day was also notable – they managed themselves entirely, delivered the centrepieces and laid them all out in very quick time, which was greatly appreciated in the midst of a very busy event day schedule.
In short, they nailed it. We were delighted with the results, and we hope it was a helpful experience for the students to have the opportunity to work on a real-world large-scale event with high-quality materials and a brief that gave them the opportunity to think outside the box."
Lydia Jenkin
Industry partner
As master-crafters in the art of floral arrangements, see below to view the stunning creations the students at MIT produced for the Silver Scroll Awards.
"MIT was a great starting point for me, I've been a florist for around seven years now and it all started there. I learned from a really supportive bunch of professional tutors and made a large number of industry connections that got me working in some of the best florists in Auckland.
The tutors were all incredible people with a lot of experience and I made a really cool bunch of friends, some of whom I'm still connected with today. I have dabbled in other professions over the last few years but have always liked to keep in practice and get involved during the wedding season. I now have my own business, Lady of the Meadow, which I'm really excited about. If you are a creative and you're willing to work hard, I would suggest giving MIT a go."
Jazz Wilson
MIT graduate
Jazz Wilson has built a business around her love for crafting luxury bouquets and flower arrangements and is proud to introduce it to Marlborough. She had founded 'Lady of the Meadow', an upmarket wedding and events florist business.
To further see how Jazz turned her life-long passion into a business, you can read the article below.
"I love painting, drawing, and anything with art, so I chose to study floristry at MIT. We have small class sizes, so you get more one-on-one time with the lecturer, which is amazing. MIT is a really good school. It's given me the techniques, the talent, and the way of doing things in the right way."
Shakera Fleet
MIT student
"I feel encouraged by the lecturers which has given me the confidence I didn’t have at the beginning. The people here make me feel comfortable and I feel like I am at home, as I came to New Zealand five years ago. MIT is a very cultural place with lots of different cultural backgrounds. I personally like cultural things very much and when I see MIT promoting a lot about it, I feel very connected to New Zealand's culture."
Fiona Yuan
MIT student
"I came in late last year and I met one of the tutors, I got an idea about where I'd be studying, what I’d be learning and that really helped me make the decision because it was quite a hard decision to retrain. The tutors are lovely, I can’t recommend them highly enough."
Celeste Sterling
MIT student
"It’s a great Institute to train at because the classes are really small, the lecturers give you lots of one-to-one time and the curriculums are really varied and cover all aspects of floristry really well. The friendliness at this place is quite incredible. If you've got a dream and you want to do it, follow it because it’s really worthwhile. It doesn't matter how old you are, they accept you which is great."
Bettina Renwick
MIT graduate
"We do everything hands-on which has been the best part of this course because I'm definitely more a hands-on learner. My lecturers have been great. They've been really good at helping me with my disability, it's been really good. I only really have one functioning hand. So it's been really good to have that sort of help to figure things out in a way that I can physically do them."
Dee Louise Cosford
MIT student
As a student at MIT, while you study you will gain experience working on floral projects for real-life customers, from weddings to corporate events. Emma asked our School of Floristry to make her wedding flowers – from the bride and bridesmaids bouquets to the groom and groomsmen corsages and ceremony and reception bouquets – and this is what she had to say:
“Just wanted to say a huge thank you once again to you and the students. I absolutely loved the flowers and they were exactly what I had envisaged (and better!). Such a big part of the day and really bought the theme I wanted to life so thank you so much.”
Emma Cavanagh
Bride
Photos supplied by: Mikayla Bollen
Ready to put your plans in place?
*This Level 2 programme will be free in 2024 for New Zealand citizens, residents entitled to reside in New Zealand indefinitely, and refugees and protected persons (under the Immigration Act 2009), of all ages, and dependent children of people eligible for the 2021 Resident Visa, that are eligible for tertiary study. If you are aged 16 to 24 years old you may be eligible for a transport allowance under the Youth Guarantee fund. All free study is subject to funding confirmation. Proof of residency status required. Entry criteria, and some costs, may also apply. Eligibility for student allowances or student loans may vary. Contact StudyLink for more information.
Information is correct as at 4 December 2024. Programme fees are based on a full-time student and may vary depending on your final selection of courses that make up your programme. Where the fees are indicative, the approximate fees quoted in this publication are based on the indicative 2025 fee structure. The indicative programme fees for 2025 do not include the Compulsory Student Services Fee (CSSF). The CSSF is an additional levy to your 2025 programme or course fees. Further information about the CSSF can be found here www.manukau.ac.nz/cssf. Programmes stated as eligible for free study in 2025 are based on the 2024 fee structure and subject to funding confirmation for 2025. All fees are in New Zealand Dollars. You will be advised of the current fees at the time of enrolment. All courses and programmes will proceed subject to numbers and academic approval. Manukau Institute of Technology is part of Te Pūkenga – New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology. Te Pūkenga is accredited under the provisions of the Education and Training Act 2020. International students must study in class and will not be able to enrol for online study options.