News

2 December 2025

After fifty years in horticulture and vocational education, Primary ITO Training Adviser Dom ‘the dominator’ Steenstra is retiring on 5 December to pursue retirement, or possibly a new career pathway.

14 November 2025

Primary ITO vehicle and chainsaw micro-credentials are now available for self-employed owner-operators and people working in industries not related to the primary sector.

13 November 2025

Primary ITO learners and graduates featured strongly at the 2025 Young Horticulturalist of the Year Competition in Auckland on 6 November, with Canterbury nursery manager Jake Linklater winning the supreme title.

15 October 2025

This Rural Women’s Day, we turn the spotlight on Primary ITO executive director, Andrea Leslie.

23 June 2025

Primary ITO-qualified amenity horticulture apprentice River Foster gets to “explore the whole city through its gardens” in his role with the Wellington City Council parks team.

28 May 2025

Growing trusted relationships with industry is a vital part of the role for Primary ITO Sector Manager Mark Orr, who joined the team 17 years ago after running his own successful landscaping business.

19 May 2025

Primary ITO has launched a horticulture cadetship pilot in Pukekohe that will provide extra support to learners and free up employers to spend more time on their businesses.

4 April 2025

Adapting to life in another country is something Training Adviser Martina knows all about. After arriving in New Zealand on a working holiday visa over ten years ago, she has come full circle, now supporting work visa learners studying with Primary ITO.

27 March 2025

From tractors to chainsaws and everything in between. Get yourself or your team trained with our hugely popular vehicle and machinery courses.

11 March 2025

Ninety-four percent of Primary ITO learners are satisfied with their experience of training with us, according to results from the most recent learner experience survey in late 2024.