Fight Pests. Protect Aotearoa.
Learn practical pest control skills you can use in the field. Study part-time online while you work or volunteer.
STUDY FOR FREE: This course is completely FREE* for all 2026 online intakes and August on-campus intakes. Secure your spot while places last.
This isn’t just another course - it’s practical, real-world training that opens doors to meaningful work across Aotearoa.
Learn how to identify and control common pests (animal, insect, and plant), create real-world pest control plans, and safely operate farm vehicles - all through flexible, online part-time study.
You’ll explore how the industry works, the laws you need to follow, and why pest control is vital for protecting our environment, health, and way of life.
To study this online: You must arrange access to an environment that allows for rural pest control operations to be performed such as a farm, lifestyle block or a natural non-urban area with access to a supervisor/observer with experience in pest operations. This may also be a work place or a volunteer role. For more details, please refer to our entry requirements.
* Rural Pest Control (Level 3) online is offered at Zero Fees for 2026 intakes and Rural Pest Control - On Campus (Level 3) for August 2026 intakes. Available to domestic students only.
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Pest Ops courses starting soon
Rural Pest Control - Online
Learn the essentials of rural pest control in Aotearoa, including pest identification, how to create real-world pest control plans for animals, insects, and plants and how to use farm vehicles safely – all while gaining hands-on experience in the field.
Rural Pest Control – On Campus
Kickstart your career with our on-campus Pest Operations Level 3 programme. This hands-on course puts you straight into the action - learning how to identify, track and manage pests in real environments. You’ll train with industry tools, work through live field scenarios, and build the practical skills needed to protect Aotearoa’s landscapes, ecosystems, and communities.
“Learning the proper, ethical methods for dealing with them has really strengthened my knowledge and improved my practice. I’m really proud of the skills I’ve gained, especially being able to identify different pests and knowing the correct ways to manage them.”
– Casey Learmond, Pest Operations L3 Student