New Zealand Diploma in Business (Level 5) (Leadership and Management)

Summary

Become an effective leader by building the right managerial skills.

All business organisations need skilled and competent members of a team who demonstrate the potential to lead staff, ensure targets align with strategic objectives, manage projects, and contribute to business planning to achieve high performance and productivity.

This programme will give you the tools to motivate, engage, make a change, achieve objectives, manage workflows and ensure you meet all your necessary legal and organisational requirements as a manager while understanding the New Zealand business environment.

The knowledge you build will give you the skills you need to make you a valued employee who can contribute from day one in an organisation.

Once you qualify, this programme is also an excellent springboard for further study. Graduates of this programme are eligible to enter the second year of our Bachelor of Commerce degree. You could also enter other relevant industry or professional qualifications at Level 6 or above.

Flexible learning options for Marlborough students

From 2026, Marlborough learners will have the option to learn remotely. This means you can join your Nelson-based classes from home, or, if you prefer, come onto the Marlborough campus and use the dedicated room to connect in with your own device and headphones.

Key details:

• You can join classes remotely from home via Webex.
• A dedicated space will be available on the Marlborough campus for those who prefer to learn on-site.
• All tests and exams will still be held on campus.
• IT support will ensure you have what you need to access classes through Moodle.

This flexible delivery model ensures Marlborough learners stay connected, supported, and fully included in the Nelson learning environment – while choosing the study setup that works best for them.

Delivered fully online by Open Polytechnic

This programme is also delivered fully online by Open Polytechnic.

Programme delivery

This programme is delivered over the first two semesters, full-time students can expect to study four courses per semester.

Full-time students can expect to attend eight two-hour classes each week (two, two-hour classes per course). Classes are held between 8 am - 7 pm.

Each semester you should allow time to study.

As a general indication, for all level 5-7 (15 credit) courses, you can expect:

• 60 hours of teaching (4 hours per week for 17 weeks) in a classroom
• 90 self-directed learning (averaging 6 hours per week), working through course material and assignments in your own time
• Totalling 10-12 hours of study per course per week

Study and career opportunities