National Raft Guide Awards
These awards are for people working in the outdoor recreation industry who wish to guide commercial rafting trips on New Zealand whitewater rivers.
To commercially guide in New Zealand, you need to hold the appropriate raft or riverboarding award. The New Zealand Rivers Association and Te Mahi Ako have jointly developed a qualification system that reflects the high quality of guiding required in New Zealand.
To enrol in this programme, you need to be working in outdoor recreation, in a paid job, self-employed, or as a volunteer with regular and consistent shifts.
If you don't have a role lined up, contact us to talk about how we can help.
These awards range from 15 to 28 credits.
You'll be trained, observed and assessed in the workplace.
You will complete one of five grade level electives:
Raft Guide Grade 2:
- Understanding and applying introductory raft guiding skills; and understanding river rescue techniques for Grade 2 rivers.
Raft Guide Grade 3:
- Demonstrating raft guiding skills for Grade 3 rivers; preparing and guiding a rafting trip; and applying river rescue techniques for Grade 3 rivers.
Senior Raft Guide Grade 3:
- Planning a guided rafting trip, managing multi raft trips as a senior raft guide for Grade 3 rivers, and applying serious incident management skills for Grade 3 rivers.
Raft Guide Grade 4/5:
- Demonstrating raft guiding skills for Grade 4/5 rivers; preparing and guiding a raft trip; and applying river rescue techniques for Grade 4/5 rivers.
Senior Raft Guide Grade 4/5:
- Planning a guided rafting trip, managing multi raft trips as a senior raft guide for Grade 4/5 rivers, and applying serious incident management skills for Grade 4/5 rivers.
The Raft Guide Award Pathway shows you what is required to progress through the pathway.