News

27 July 2026

Primary ITO is introducing short modular training for the horticulture industry, to support new staff to gain introductory knowledge and existing staff to grow their skills.

8 July 2026

An Interim Establishment Board has been appointed to guide the organisation as it establishes an industry-owned Private Training Establishment (PTE).

2 July 2026

Growing healthy plants for ecological restoration and landscaping projects is all in a day’s work for Signature Plants Ltd. The Auckland-based business are firm believers in the power of education and upskilling staff with training through Primary ITO.

22 June 2026

Fresh off a flight from the United States, Primary ITO graduate Meg Spittal took out the title of 2026 Young Amenity Horticulturalist of the Year in May.

19 February 2026

Industry employers have an exciting opportunity to help shape the future of work-based learning in the food and fibre industry over the next few months.

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.

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.