From South Auckland to NZQA: The Youth Programme Turning Pacific & Māori Rangatahi into Leaders
- 7 days ago
- 5 min read
A South Auckland-born entrepreneurship programme for rangatahi has reached a major milestone, with two new micro-credentials based on The Cause Collective’s Young Entrepreneur's BOSS programme now formally published on the NZQA framework.
The two micro-credentials – Introduction to Leadership (Micro-credential) and Communication and Problem Solving for Emerging Leaders (Micro-credential) – were developed through a partnership between community wellbeing agency The Cause Collective, workplace and community training provider Zeducation, PTE Life Skills, and Ringa Hora Workforce Development Council.
The Cause Collective entrusted the Auckland-based firm, Zeducation, to lead the project and turn the BOSS programme into a recognised NZQA pathway for Pacific and Māori youth.
A Community Programme with National Reach
The BOSS programme (Bridging, Opportunities, Skills and Success) targets Pacific and South Auckland rangatahi aged 16 to 30 who are considering, or already exploring, entrepreneurship.
Delivered through six theory-based modules and three pastoral modules, BOSS is designed to give young people practical tools to navigate the business world. Core themes include:
Dream big and hard
Boss mindset
Think like a BOSS (critical thinking)
Product = a solution to someone’s problem
Customer comes first – this brings the sale
Put more money in your pocket (work smarter, not harder)
Zeducation was initially engaged to take BOSS from a strong community programme to a structured, outcomes-based framework. The organisation rebuilt the programme design, created workbooks, lesson plans and presentation slides, and trained facilitators using its STAR teaching framework so learning could be clearly demonstrated and assessed.
By late 2024, the programme had reached 646 learners across Auckland.
Ethnicity data shows 35% of participants were Samoan and 24% Māori, with strong numbers of Tongan, Cook Islands Māori, Niuean, Fijian, Tokelauan, Tuvaluan and other Pacific learners taking part.
Learners were drawn largely from South and East Auckland suburbs such as Māngere, Manukau, Manurewa, Ōtara, Papatoetoe and Papakura.
Just under 60% of participants were male and just over 40% female, with a small number identifying as other or choosing not to disclose gender.
The programme was delivered across secondary schools, alternative education, NEET cohorts (young people not in education, employment or training), community groups, church communities, private training providers and tertiary providers. NEETs and secondary school students made up the largest share.
The strong uptake confirmed the demand – but young people and partner schools were asking for something more: credits and recognised pathways.
Indicative Timeline: Four Stages of Development
Behind the scenes, the micro-credentials followed an indicative four-stage development process running across 2024 and 2025:
Stage 1 – Background (Oct–Dec 2024): Early scoping, mapping existing BOSS content and clarifying where it could sit within the NZQA system.
Stage 2 – Draft micro-credentials (Dec 2024–Mar 2025): Initial drafts of learning outcomes, levels, credits and assessments.
Stage 3 – National consultation (Mar–May 2025):
Round 1 (Mar–Apr): Sector feedback gathered and analysed.
April: Drafts amended in response to feedback.
Round 2 (Apr–Sept): Further refinement and stakeholder engagement.
Stage 4 – Submission to NZQA (Sept 2025 onwards): Final applications lodged with NZQA for approval and publication on the national framework.
While dates were indicative and subject to change, the staged process allowed for extensive consultation and revision before the micro-credentials reached NZQA’s Register.
Building a Stackable Pathway
Since October 2024, the partners have met regularly to research, draft and refine the qualification design. The challenge was to balance the original intent, cultural values and stories of the BOSS programme with NZQA’s technical requirements, while also thinking strategically about where the learning could lead next.
Rather than simply pushing for a stand-alone micro-credential, the team focused on stackability – ensuring the micro-credentials could contribute towards a larger qualification.
That approach led to two key decisions:
Split the content into two micro-credentials. The BOSS curriculum is substantial, so it was divided into two components to match realistic learning hours and allow for more targeted and progressive achievement.
Reframe entrepreneurship as leadership. Instead of labelling the qualifications “entrepreneurship”, the partners agreed on a focus on leadership and business leadership. This better aligned with NZQA’s existing structures – in particular the Level 3 New Zealand Certificate in Leadership programme – and reflected a shared view that entrepreneurship is leadership in business: the ability to influence resources such as people and money to achieve impact and financial goals.
The result is two stackable micro-credentials which can pathway into the Level 3 New Zealand Certificate Leadership qualification (40 credits), giving young people a clearer route from community programme to a formal recognised qualification.
What are Micro-Credentials?
Micro-credentials are small, stand-alone credentials that recognise specific skills and knowledge. They are designed to:
respond quickly to the needs of employers, industry and communities
provide learners with targeted, meaningful recognition
offer “sub-qualification sized” learning that can sit alongside, or build into, larger programmes
Although they stand alone, some micro-credentials can form part of a wider programme leading to a full qualification – as is the case with the new leadership-focused micro-credentials emerging from BOSS.
A Milestone for Pacific and Māori Communities
For Zeducation, the project has been both a privilege and a serious undertaking, marking a significant milestone for Pacific and Māori communities.
The next phase of work will focus on detailed content and assessment design to align delivery with the approved micro-credentials, including navigating ongoing changes to Workforce Development Councils and the establishment of new Industry Skills Bodies.
Zeducation says it took on the role not only as a technical challenge, but as a matter of purpose: to help ensure community-designed programmes for Pacific and Māori communities are visible, credible and valued within Aotearoa’s national qualifications system.
Zeducation's CEO, Pasitaua Haufano, says that leading this project, coordinating multiple partners and working closely with Life Skills and Ringa Hora Workforce Development Council has strengthened its relationships, capability and confidence as it works towards its longer-term goal of becoming a PTE.
“It Really Does Take a Village”
Zeducation has acknowledged the trust placed in it by The Cause Collective and the support of its partners.
Zeducation would like to pay tribute to The Cause Collective for its vision in backing South Auckland rangatahi, to Ringa Hora Workforce Development Council for technical guidance and support, and to Life Skills for stepping in as PTE partner. It has also extended thanks to the many partners, community leaders and employers who endorsed the programme earlier this year, enabling Zeducation to present a strong case study to NZQA.
"It really does take a village to turn a local programme into a recognised pathway – and this village has done it for the next generation of Pacific and Māori leaders."