Revalidation and Registration

Qualification Revalidation Form  |  Revalidation Process  |  Free Range Refresher Model  |  Qualification Revalidation Hierarchy

Putting Qualifications on Hold  |  Refresher Workshop  |   Refresher Workshop Calendar   |  Alternate Revalidation Options   |   Fees Policies       
                        

Revalidation and registration support the training and development of members, ensuring qualified instructors and guides are up to date and working to current accepted standards.

Revalidation:  NZOIA qualification holders are required every four years, to revalidate their skills and knowledge to maintain registration.

Registration:  By following NZOIA’s revalidation process and maintaining annual membership and registration, members and their current qualifications, appear on NZOIA’s Registration Database. This is publicly accessible through the NZOIA website for employers, auditors and clients.

 

A shared responsibility

Those with registered qualifications commit to keeping current and adhering to NZOIA’s Membership and Registration Terms and Conditions and NZOIA’s Code of Ethical Practice.

NZOIA will ensure that any leader, instructor or guide working on the basis of a NZOIA qualification, is currently competent and working to standards of accepted good practice. NZOIA will also ensure qualifications remain relevant, industry led and current through regular qualification review cycles.

NZOIA qualifications provide evidence of the ‘necessary training’ required by the Health and Safety at Work Act and are a measure of competence for auditors when they are auditing outdoor activities.

Annual membership and registration fees contribute to the maintenance, development and moderation of qualifications and the qualification scheme.

Employers play their part in supporting the scheme of qualifications, by encouraging and assisting their staff to become qualified, and by making opportunities available for continuing professional development.                  

 

The process

NZOIA qualifications are registered through annual membership renewal beginning the 1 July and ending 30 June.

Every fourth year, qualification holders must complete revalidation to remain registered. This can either be a Refresher Workshop, or one of the alternate revalidation options as outlined below.

Every eight years, qualification holders must attend a Refresher Workshop. This is to ensure the purpose of the Refresher Workshop is being achieved on a regular basis.            

 

Refresher Workshop

Facilitated by NZOIA Assessors, Refresher Workshops are the most common way to revalidate. You can find scheduled courses on the online Course Calendar, request a Custom Refresher Workshop or utilise the Free Range Refresher Model.

The purpose of a Refresher Workshop is to:

• Exchange knowledge and ideas with other course members
• Learn new skills and techniques, both from the Assessor and the other course members
• Be updated in terms of current good practice under the scope of the qualification

This is a workshop, not an assessment and the focus is on continued professional development.  The course will include:

• Any changes to the syllabus
• Any technical advances or developments in the discipline 

The course could include:

• New equipment and its uses and disadvantages
• Participants teaching topics related to the syllabus that expand the learning of all
• Tasks to perform that extend your skills and focus on development within the qualification
• Hot Tips

You will receive verbal feedback throughout the course.  Written feedback will follow the course containing a pathway of development to maintain competency and currency within the qualification, or recommendations to progress with further training for higher qualifications.

If during the course of the workshop naturally occurring evidence is observed that suggests below benchmark performance in any of the competencies within the qualification syllabus your report will include either:

• Recommendations to assist you to maintain competency and currency, or 
• If there are concerns about your ability to operate safely within the scope of the qualification then a professional development pathway will be agreed upon and achieved before the revalidation is complete.  The Assessor could recommend the qualification be put on hold until the development pathway is completed.            

 

Alternate Revalidation Options

Every second cycle a qualification holder can use an Alternate Revalidation to the Refresher Workshop as listed below.

1. Attend a NZOIA Training Course for a higher qualification

NZOIA encourages instructors and guides to work towards higher qualifications as they progress in their career in the outdoors. Attending an NZOIA training course towards a higher qualification satisfies the revalidation requirement.  Complete the Qualification Revalidation Form after attending the training course if you want to use this to revalidate and email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  We will not automatically revalidate your qualification unless you request us to do so.

2. Assessor Sign-Off 

An Assessor can observe and evaluate you in the field operating at the current standard of the qualification and confirm this by completing a Qualification Revalidation Form.  They will need to sight your logbook which contains evidence of recent activity in the discipline over the last four years.  This works well for those who:

• work regularly with a NZOIA Assessor, or
• if you are being audited and your Technical Expert is a NZOIA Assessor, or
• if an employer contracts an Assessor to train and/or revalidate their staff

3. Attend an approved course

Send the certificate through to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. as proof for processing

APPROVED COURSE	REVALIDATES
NZOIA/WWNZ River Rescue 1 – Kayak version	Kayak 1
NZOIA/WWNZ River Rescue 1 – Canoe version	Canoe 1
NZOIA/WWNZ River Rescue 2	Kayak 1, Kayak 2
Introductory Avalanche Risk Management (Level 5) or 4 day Back Country Avalanche Course	Alpine 1
Avalanche Risk Management (Level 5) or NZ Avalanche Stage 1	Alpine 1 and Alpine 2

4. Permanent overseas qualification holders only 

Members who are permanently overseas can revalidate by submitting the following to the Technical Sub-Committee every second cycle only:

• logbook of personal and instructional experience over the last four years
• two letters (one from an employer and one from a qualified practitioner) endorsing the revalidation and stating that they have observed safe practice
• current First Aid certificate uploaded to membership profile
• processing fee of $100.00 (Rock Leader and Abseil Leader can be combined under the $100 processing fee)

Exceptions

NZOIA Assessors who have maintained the Assessor revalidation requirements will automatically meet revalidation requirements for the qualifications they assess.      

            

Qualification Revalidation Hierarchy

When you revalidate a qualification, it also revalidates any lower level qualification/s you hold in the same discipline. View the Hierarchy here. 

 

Putting Qualifications on Hold

If you are not currently instructing or guiding in a discipline, or are temporarily out of the workforce (e.g. childcare, overseas trip etc), you may put your qualifications ‘on hold’ until you require them in the future.

Qualifications can be put on hold for a maximum of six years from the date you sat your assessment or last revalidated your qualification.

It is your responsibility to apply to NZOIA requesting that your qualification be put on hold. Please fill in the Qualification Revalidation Form and email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Your qualification will be put on hold for the maximum period.

Please Note: Full or Associate membership of NZOIA must be maintained while a qualification is on hold. These fees contribute toward qualification maintenance, development and moderation, and ensure you are kept informed on industry updates through the Quarterly and 4YA emails, should you choose to reactivate your qualification.

If you get offered work for a particular qualification that is on hold, contact NZOIA to register your qualification.

Within four years from your assessment or last revalidation your qualification can be registered immediately.

If four years has passed since your assessment or last revalidation, you will need to attend a Refresher Workshop to register your qualification.

After six years of being on hold, to register your qualification you can choose to either:

• Complete the RCC process or,
• Re-sit the assessment

 

NZOIA Trademark

Current NZOIA members with registered and revalidated qualifications are entitled to use the NZOIA logo as per the guidelines outlined on our website. It is fraudulent to promote or advertise yourself as holding a current NZOIA qualification if you are not registered with NZOIA.