Gateway & Star Programmes

Recognising the need to educate and inform the younger members of our communities about the horse and the harness racing industry, Harness Racing New Zealand offers equine training for high school students.


Gateway and Star programmes are offered at most high schools throughout New Zealand and senior students that have an interest in the horse now have the opportunity to add equine unit standards to their NCEA Record of Learning.


Harness Racing New Zealand has a broad range of unit standards available for high school students. The students have access to first class workbooks, resources and assessments that were developed by industry professionals.


The Gateway programme strengthens pathways for students from school to further education and training or employment.


Senior secondary students (Year 11 to Year 13+) in the Gateway programme undertake structured workplace learning across a range of industries and businesses around New Zealand, while continuing to study at school.


All state and integrated secondary schools are eligible to apply for Gateway.


Gateway delivery involves arranging structured workplace learning with the following characteristics:

  • A formalised learning arrangement set in the workplace.
  • Clear understandings about the knowledge and skills to be attained by learners.
  • Clear understandings about the assessment method used (workplace learning).

Working with schools

As a provider for the NZ Equine Education Trust, Harness Racing NZ will work with each individual school to:

  1. Provide suitable workplace placement for students.
  2. Provide each student with a clear guide to the requirements they must meet to achieve each unit standard.
  3. Provide tutors, workbooks, resource materials, assessors and assessments for each individual student in their chosen unit standard.
  4. Provide reports with each individual students’ achievements to the school so credits can be registered with NZ.

For more information on Gateway, view this brochure here

Industry Information