This creative art programme is designed for ākonga (learners) who are ready to discover and grow their creative capabilities. Whether you’re a school leaver, returning to education, navigating a career change, or experiencing a major life transition, this is your opportunity to explore creativity in a meaningful, personal way.
New Zealand Certificate in Creativity
LEVEL 4
Begin your creative arts journey. Explore your identity, culture, and artistic potential.
Mā te kimi, ka kite — Seek and you will discover.
You’ll be supported to find and follow your unique creative path, selecting from a range of art forms and creative disciplines that match your interests and goals. Through guided learning, hands-on practice, and continuous feedback, you’ll build confidence, develop essential creative skills, and connect with your own motivations and inspirations.
New Zealand Certificate in Creativity
NZQA Level 4 | 60 credits
Delivery: Study From Home or On-Campus
Duration: 20 weeks (Full-time) | 40 weeks (Part-time)
Fees (2026): $3,913.00
Time Commitment:
This is a combination of Tutor (Kaiako) and self-directed study
- Full-time: 34 hours/week
- Part-time: 17 hours/week
NZ Certificate in Creativity (Level 4)
What you’ll learn
Our art programme is built around three interwoven components — because creativity isn’t a straight line. All three strands run alongside each other, encouraging constant exploration and growth.
1. Self
Explore your identity in relation to your whānau, whakapapa and kaupapa. Discover your intrinsic creative drivers, express your cultural background, and develop personal goals that shape your creative process.
2. Materials and Processes
Experiment across a range of materials and disciplines. Learn technical skills and explore tools and techniques through research and hands-on practice. This is where your ideas take shape.
3. Environment, Culture and Community
Learn how to present your work professionally and engage with your community and stakeholders. Develop communication skills, cultural sensitivity, and an understanding of what it means to work as a creative in the real world.
Creativity thrives on feedback. Reflecting, refining, and responding is at the heart of the learning journey.
The Creative Spiral,
Jonathan Milne (2008)
Jonathan Milne (2008)
NZ Certificate in Creativity (Level 4)
Learning approach
- This Certificate is delivered as one integrated course, with all components advancing simultaneously.
- Regular one-on-one mentoring and feedback sessions help keep you on track.
- Formal progress checkpoints at key stages: 10%, 50%, and 75% (pre-completion).
- You grow and evolve alongside your fellow ākonga with the support of experienced creativity Kaiako.
How you can study
Choose the learning mode that works best for you — all with access to a wide range of creative disciplines:
On-site
Come and study at the Learning Connexion campus where you are surrounded by artists and art.
Available practical classes:
Painting, Dry Media (Drawing), Illustration, Printmaking, Digital Art, Ceramics, Mixed Media Sculpture, Hot Arts, Jewellery
Study From Home
Our Distance Delivery art programmes are perfect for anyone who can’t make it to our campus in Taita, Lower Hutt.
Available subjects:
Any material or medium that sparks your interest and is accessible to you, eg.:
Painting, Drawing, Illustration, Printmaking, Photography, Digital Art, Ceramics, Mixed Media Sculpture, Jewellery, Whakairo (Carving), Raranga (Weaving).
Media covered
During a Level 4 Certificate in Creativity, you get to experiment in the creative arts across a wide range of media. The media that you can study are partly determined by how you choose to study, but they are not limited to the core subject areas we run classes on.
If you study on site, then you choose a subject to study during the Weekday Practical Classes in the following media: Painting, Dry Media (Drawing), Illustration, Printmaking, Digital Art, Ceramics, Mixed Media Sculpture, Hot Arts, Jewellery.
If you study from home, any media or subject that sparks your interest and is accessible to you can be part of your Level 4 Certificate.
Did you know?
Makers Week Classes are optional three-day intensive classes focused on developing technical skills and deepening your mastery in a chosen medium. The themes of Makers Week classes change from term to term.
Where this can take you
Graduates will have a strong foundation from which to move into higher-level creative art programmes and study or begin working on personal or community-based creative art projects.
At the completion of The New Zealand Certificate (Level 4) graduates are encouraged to enter into our The New Zealand Diploma in Creativity (Level 5).
Ready to begin?
Contact our Admissions team at admissions@tlc.ac.nz for more information or to start your enrolment in a TLC art programme.
