Programme overview
The New Zealand Diploma in Sport, Recreation, and Exercise is a contemporary and career-focused programme that provides a mix of practical sessions, classroom-based activities, and in-industry learning. You’ll enjoy interactions with a variety of organisations within the sector who have been key employers of our graduates for over twenty years. You may even work with some of them through organised work placements.
You can choose to focus on Exercise, Coaching, or Community Sport and Recreation, and there’s plenty of flexibility to fit your study around your work and whānau commitments.
Exercise: Design great personalised exercise programmes to improve lives
You’ll learn how to create personalised exercise programmes, tailored to suit individual needs, then deliver them to clients to help them achieve their health and fitness goals. You'll gain an understanding of how to design and deliver small group programmes, and you'll also be able to turn your passion into a business by utilizing key marketing and business skills.
By completing this stream, be eligible to apply for a listing on to the NZ Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs).
Coaching: Learn to get the best out of an athlete or sports team
You’ll learn about best practice coaching techniques and strategies. From here, you’ll put them into practice by coaching individuals and teams, and use this experience to reflect and improve upon your own coaching style within your chosen sports code.
Community Sport and Recreation: Implement strategies to improve the health and wellness of your community
You’ll learn about how community sport and recreation currently operates in New Zealand, and develop the skills required to engage with people and groups to meet their community sport and recreation goals. From there, you’ll have the opportunity to integrate and facilitate the implementation of a wide range of initiatives for community wellbeing.
What you'll learn
- Hauora (health and wellbeing)
- Strength and conditioning
- Sport psychology
- Physical activity
- Sport leadership
- Skills coaching
- School sport
Highlights
- Flexibility in how you complete this programme, with both full-time (1 year) and part-time (2 years) options available both during the day and in evenings
- You’ll learn really practical skills like designing and delivering personalised exercise programmes, or coaching a sports team so that you can get going immediately once you graduate
- You’ll develop transferable skills like event management, leadership, and digital skills, so you’ll be able to work in many different areas of the fitness industry, as well as other industries
- You’ll be taught by knowledgeable and passionate staff who are highly connected to the industry
- We’ll help you find an organisation with whom you’ll have the opportunity to complete at least 55 hours of facilitated work experience
- You’ll have access to a range of sport and gym facilities while you study
- If you graduate from the Exercise stream, you'll be eligible to apply for a listing on to the NZ Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs).
Want More Information?
Feel free to contact the team with any further questions!
Admission requirements
This is a very popular programme, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid missing out.
1. Have at least 48 credits at NCEA Level 2 (or equivalent) in your 4 best subjects, and
2. Consent to a Safety Check which meets the requirements of the Children Act 2014 including:
- Provide two forms of verified ID and evidence of any name changes
- Consent to a police vet check
- Complete a self-declaration of criminal convictions and medical conditions form
If you do not meet the admission requirements and are over the age of 20 before the first day of the semester, you may also gain entry by providing sufficient evidence of aptitude or appropriate work or other life experience that would indicate a successful outcome in the programme.
If English isn't your first language, you'll need at least one of the following:
- Have achieved NCEA Level 3 and New Zealand University entrance
- Be able to provide evidence you satisfy our criteria for existing English proficiency
- Have achieved at least one English proficiency outcome in the last two years
For more information download the programme regulations:
Courses and timetables
For more details on the courses, please click on the course names below. Please note that our systems are updating with new course timetable information for 2025; please check back again soon.
| Courses | Credits | Aim |
|---|---|---|
| Contemporary Learning Options (SPOR5100) | 15.0 credits (0.125 EFTS) | To equip students with a range of practical skills that will enable them to operate effectively as a professional in a variety of sport, recreation, and exercise settings. |
| Coaching in Action (SPOR5101) | 15.0 credits (0.125 EFTS) | The course will introduce students to the principles and concepts of coaching and allow opportunities to apply these in a practical learning environment. |
| Applied Digital Skills (SPOR5102) | 15.0 credits (0.125 EFTS) | This course will develop digital literacy and the skills required to create content and lead and manage tasks in a range of sport and exercise contexts. Students will be able to apply these skills utilising a range of current and emerging technologies. |
| Community Sport and Recreation (SPOR5103) | 15.0 credits (0.125 EFTS) | This course will explore how sport and recreation can contribute to holistic health and social development within local and national communities. Students will have the opportunity to critically evaluate the impact of socio-cultural factors on human development and wellbeing and gain a basic understanding of effective population level approaches that use physical activity. |
| Concepts of Sport and Exercise Science (SPOR5104) | 15.0 credits (0.125 EFTS) | This course will introduce underlying principles of sport and exercise science as and allow students to apply them in a variety of contexts related to health, well-being, physical activity, and performance. |
| Event Leadership (SPOR5105) | 15.0 credits (0.125 EFTS) | This course develops students’ knowledge and understanding of principles and concepts of sport event management. Students will also have an opportunity to develop foundational knowledge and skills needed to plan and implement community-based sport events. |
| Initiatives for Health and Fitness (SPOR5106) | 15.0 credits (0.125 EFTS) | This course will develop students’ knowledge and understanding of the factors that contribute to general health and fitness in order to design, implement, and evaluate initiatives and programmes for improving health and/or fitness outcomes. |
| Introduction to Exercise (SPOR5107) | 15.0 credits (0.125 EFTS) | This course equips students to design safe and effective personalised exercise programmes. The student will be equipped to engage with clients in a professional and culturally appropriate manner This course also gives students the opportunity to develop skills in, and knowledge of, cultural-competence and professional communication. |
| Developing Athletes (SPOR5108) | 15.0 credits (0.125 EFTS) | This course will introduce students to the principles and concepts of athlete development. It will enable students to develop a contemporary understanding of athlete development and provide opportunities for students to apply learning to authentic contexts. |
| Professional Practice (SPOR5109) | 15.0 credits (0.125 EFTS) | The purpose of this course is to explore contemporary practice in a range of sport, recreation and exercise contexts to develop the learners’ professional capabilities for this sector. |
