Healthcare

New Zealand's mental health and addiction workforce has been a long-standing area of high demand. The 2018–2020 government investment of $173 million to lift mental health and addiction support workers' pay to parity with other support workers, together with the ongoing rollout of the Government's mental health and wellbeing reforms, has expanded the number of community-based support roles available. Employers in this sector continue to report shortages, particularly for people with formal Level 4 qualifications and lived experience or cultural competency.

Upon graduating, you will be able to

• Engage and communicate with tangata, family and/or whānau accessing social and community services in a manner which respects their socio-cultural identity, experiences and self-knowledge
• Apply knowledge of Te Tiriti o Waitangi to honour the history and context of Māori as tangata whenua, and apply knowledge of person/whānau interconnectedness to your own role in a health and wellbeing setting
• Demonstrate self-awareness, reflective practice, personal leadership and self-care in a health and wellbeing setting
• Actively contribute to a culture of professionalism, safety and quality in a health and wellbeing organisation
• Use knowledge of the aims and purpose(s) of the wider health and wellbeing sectors to reflect on their impact on your own role
• Apply mental health and/or addiction tools and strategies when working alongside tangata whaiora, family and/or whānau to support autonomy, foster hope, and develop resilience

Roles you could move into

• Entry-level support roles: mental health support worker, addiction support worker, community support worker, residential support worker, peer support worker, whānau support worker, kaiāwhina
• With experience: senior support worker, team leader, key worker, case worker, coordinator roles in community mental health and addiction services
• Pathway roles (with further study): social worker (with recognised social work qualification), counsellor (with recognised counselling qualification), or registered nurse (with nursing qualification)

Salary Guide

Government careers service Tahatū (tahatu.govt.nz) publishes the following typical pay ranges for mental health support workers in Aotearoa New Zealand:

• Lower: around $50,000 per year
• Most common: $52,000 to $58,000 per year
• Upper: around $61,000 per year

Pay typically grows with experience, additional qualifications, the complexity of the service you work in, and any senior or specialist responsibilities you take on. (Source: tahatu.govt.nz, accessed May 2026; treat as a guide only.)

The programme is made up of seven courses totalling 120 credits. The first six courses build the core knowledge and skills required to work in mental health and addiction support. Course 7 is the workplace experience course, where you apply what you have learned in an authentic workplace setting.

Note: Courses 1 to 6 are pre-requisites for Course 7. The order in which courses run depends on the delivery mode and intake.

Full-time delivery (32 weeks)

• Face-to-face classes three days a week, 9:00 am to 3:30 pm on campus
• One 4.5 hour online discussion forum each week
• Self-directed study and workplace experience hours outside class time
• Total learning hours work out at around 37.5 hours per week across the 32-week programme

Part-time delivery (44 weeks)

• Fully online
• Evening classes — exact schedule TBC
• Self-directed study and workplace experience hours alongside class time.
• Total learning hours around 27 hours per week across the 44-week programme
• Part-time applicants are preferred to be already working part-time in the mental health or alcohol and other drug sector

Teaching and learning methods

A blend of methods is used across both delivery modes, including:

• Face-to-face teaching and tutorials (full-time)
• Online synchronous and asynchronous learning, including discussion forums
• Practical demonstrations and simulation activities
• Case studies, scenarios and group work
• Problem-solving and reflective practice
• Work experience and workplace-based learning
• Projects and presentations

Assessment is achievement-based. You build a portfolio of evidence for each course. There are no final exams. Assessment activities may include:

• Written assessments and short reports
• Case studies and scenarios
• Simulated demonstrations and observation of practice in the workplace
• Multiple-choice and short-answer tests
• Presentations (including PowerPoint and group presentations)
• Reflective journals
• Workplace attestations, photos and other evidence of practice

This programme is suited to:

• People wanting to start a career as a support worker in the mental health and addiction sector
• Support workers already working in mental health or addiction services who want their knowledge and skills formally recognised
• People returning to the workforce or moving from another sector who want a recognised pathway into mental health and addiction support work
• Working adults who need part-time, online evening study while continuing to work in a related role
• Anyone seeking a step up to higher-level study in health, social services, addiction studies or related fields

From this Level 4 certificate you may progress to:

• Level 5 and Level 6 qualifications in mental health and addiction, health and wellbeing, or social services
• Bachelor-level study in social work, counselling, nursing or related health and social science fields
• Specialist short courses in areas such as suicide prevention, AOD (alcohol and other drug) practice, peer support and cultural supervision

General admission for domestic learners:

• A New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing Level 3 qualification, or other relevant Level 3 health qualification, or NCEA Level 2; OR
• Mature applicants may be interviewed to assess their suitability and understanding of working in the mental health and addiction sectors, and their capacity to complete the programme.

Other requirements:

• Applicants may be interviewed to assess their suitability and capacity to relate well to, and work safely with, clients in the mental health and addiction sector.
• Sufficient literacy, numeracy and digital skills to complete assessments. These may be checked through interview or testing.
• International applicants whose first language is not English must provide proof of English language competency that meets NZQA requirements for Level 4 certificate programmes, and must meet Immigration New Zealand requirements for study.
• A Ministry of Justice check is completed at enrolment, and applicants must sign a declaration about any past or pending criminal convictions or proceedings. A full Police check, including disclosure under the Vulnerable Children Act, will be completed by Future Skills.
• Two references are required: one of character and one from an employer the applicant has worked for. If the applicant has not held a job, the second reference should be from someone who is not a relative or someone who lives in the same household.
• Part-time applicants are preferred to be working part time in the mental health or alcohol and other drug sector.

In-employment option:

Applicants who wish to study while in employment must provide a work contract or a letter from their employer confirming their employment in a person-centred care support role, where the employer can provide a range of duties, hours, supervision and observational assessment to meet the requirements of the qualification. This option is available full time or part time.

Selection: If there are more applications than places available, places are offered in the order applications were received. Final decisions on applicants' suitability are made by the Academic Manager (Health).

Special Admission and Discretionary Admission are also available for applicants aged 20 and over who do not meet the general admission requirements. Contact our enrolments team to discuss your situation.

Note: Workplace experience (practicum) must be completed in order to be awarded the qualification, even if completion is delayed by unforeseen circumstances.

Future Skills is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice. Student Success and Student Services staff support you across full-time and part-time modes, including academic and pastoral support tailored to individual and group needs. A programme handbook is provided on Moodle.

Because this is a programme where students often bring their own lived experience of mental health and addiction, additional emphasis is placed on self-care, reflective practice and personal wellbeing throughout the programme.

Entry Requirements*

All international students must hold a valid visa issued by Immigration New Zealand prior to commencing their studies in New Zealand. Students are responsible for ensuring their visa remains valid for the full duration of their programme and that they comply with all visa conditions at all times.

International applicants with English as an additional language are required to provide proof of their English language competency as specified in the NZQA English language requirements for Certificate programmes of study at Level 4, and also need to meet Immigration New Zealand requirements with respect to study hours, duration and mode of study.

Medical Insurance*

International students must also have suitable medical and travel insurance in place for the entire period of their studies. Insurance coverage should begin from the start of the student’s travel to New Zealand, where applicable, and remain valid until the completion of their studies and departure from New Zealand. Medical and travel insurance costs approximately $842 per year.