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.

1 August 2025

Following the success of its pilot in Pukekohe, Primary ITO’s Horticulture Cadetship Programme is now available to growers in the Bay of Plenty.

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.

13 May 2025

Primary ITO has introduced a new micro-credential (bite-sized learning) to equip horticulture operators with knowledge on how to assess and manage risks to freshwater sources on a production site.

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 February 2025

From jobseeker benefit to discovering a passion for growing fruit, Primary ITO learner Mitchell Rush has just ticked off his apprenticeship and a job promotion.