Bay of Plenty students are among 1600 nationwide affected by education provider Agribusiness Training Limited going into liquidation.

The liquidator, Iain Nellies, says it is unclear if students will be able to complete their tuition through the school.

Some 1600 students across New Zealand have been affected Agribusiness Training Limited's liquidation. Photo: File.

Nellies is working with education authorities in the hope of finding ways for the six other businesses contracted to deliver courses in agriculture, horticulture, equine safety and apiculture to continue teaching.

Apiculture students in Tauranga were recently informed of the company's liquidation and are among those now wondering how to complete their qualifications.

The liquidation follows the Tertiary Education Commission instructing Agribusiness Training to repay $6.24 million after an independent investigation found it had failed to deliver some vocational education programmes in line with its funding agreement.

TEC Chief Executive Tim Fowler said TEC's monitoring prompted it to take a closer look at Agribusiness in 2014, primarily because of significant sub-contracting arrangements it undertook on behalf of other institutions.

Agribusiness Training Limited was one of six tertiary education organisations selected for a focused review by the TEC in November 2014.

That review led to a fuller independent investigation on the TEC's behalf by Deloitte. No significant concerns were found with the other five organisations.

The Deloitte investigation found five Agribusiness programmes delivered fewer teaching hours than its NZQA programme approvals specified, and two in particular – the Certificate in Land Based Skills and the Certificate in Horticultural Industry Practice – were significantly under-delivered.

Agribusiness is a Southland-based private training establishment which offers education and training in agriculture, horticulture, equine, safety and apiculture.

A spokesperson said: 'The TEC has found in some cases Agribusiness has not provided the teaching it was funded to deliver.

'This effectively means that between 2009–2014, Agribusiness received $6.24 million (GST-exclusive) more than it was entitled to for the education services it provides.”

NZQA is confident that Agribusiness has conducted student assessments correctly and that student qualifications are valid.

The situation had been complicated by Agribusiness's decision to go into liquidation on October 21.

'The liquidation may affect our ability to recover the funding due to us. However we are obviously most concerned at this point about what the liquidation might mean for current students."

NZQA says the agencies' priority is ensuring students are supported at this time and that there is as little disruption as possible to studies.