What is REP's ?

REPs stands for "Register of Exercise Professionals". REPs operates a registration system that sets recognised standards for exercise professionals in New Zealand. This enables all those involved in the exercise industry (employers, exercise professionals, members of the public, and health professionals) to easily be able to verify that the individuals that are giving exercise related advise have suitable skills.

REPs is a non profit organisation, and was set up as a partnership between the industry (Fitness New Zealand) and the Government recognised standard setter for education and training in the fitness area (Sfrito).

Frequently Asked Questions

REP'S STRUCTURE
Who owns REPs ? Where will the money go ?
REPs is a charitable company owned by FitnessNZ (the industry association) and Sfrito (the government recognised standard setter). Both these organisations are non profit. All funds paid to REPs will only be used for running and promoting the system.

Does REPs have any affiliations to any education/training provider or exercise facilities ?
No. REPs is totally independent to any education/training providers and exercise facilities. All training providers and facilities have equal input into REPs through the various feedback processes we have in place. To ensure REPs remains totally independent, REPs will never undertake training of any kind, nor will it ever operate any exercise facilities.

GENERAL QUESTIONS
What are the fees ?
All fees are listed on the relevant application form. So for registered facilities, download the application to become a registered facility (fees here range from $195 to $495 per year plus GST, depending on the facility size). For individuals fees, download the application for individuals registration (fees here range form $45 to $295 plus GST, depending on the level of registration, and whether the individual is based at a registered facility).

Is the registration fee annual?
Yes

What are all the fees for ?
REPs is an independent organisation with the sole purpose of running and marketing the registration system. As such it needs money to do this, the fees reflects this. The various fees REPs charges are in direct proportion to the costs to REPs. As a non profit organisation REPs only charges what is needed to operate, no one makes a 'profit' from REPs activities. As REPs is not involved in training of any kind it has no vested interest in any particular training provider, nor in any facility.

SFRITO RELATED QUESTIONS
I have a Sfrito qualification - does that still mean I register ?
Yes. By having the full national certificate you will be able to use pathway one (automatic registration though a registered qualification), but you still need to register.

How is Sfrito involved in REPs ?
Sfrito is a part owner of REPs, and also has a representative on the board of REPs. Sfrito also partly funded the development of REPs. Sfrito receives no money from REPs. Sfrito also sets and administers various qualifications such as the National Certificate in Fitness (which is a qualification recognised by REPs). Many education providers use Sfrito qualifications and/or part of this qualification in their courses.

I am a Sfrito assessor - what difference does this make ?
Firstly, being an active Sfrito assessor means that you receive credit towards the ongoing education requirements of REPs (i.e. we recognise active assessors often upskill through this process). Secondly as an assessor you can assess others against Sfrito unit standards, once a person has completed sufficient units they are awarded the National Certificate, which means they can then register in their own right. It is the intention of REPs to all make it compulsory to be REPs registered before becoming a Sfrito assessor (discussion with Sfrito are being held on this).

FACILITY QUESTIONS
I/we own more than one club in the same city - do I have to pay to register each facility?
No, just one fee as long as you meet certain criteria. The REPs policy is that as all facilities in the same city AND with the ownership AND can provide us with one contact person for all facilities can register and pay as one facility (simply include the list of the facilities included in this). Facilities in different cities register separately.

Why register my facility now - why not wait ?
You can wait if you like, but then your facility would miss out on the ability to have your staff automatically provisionally registered, and also miss out on the personalised visit to assist you in explaining the process of registering to your staff. This will also mean your staff pay more to register in 2004.

What if an aerobics instructor works for more than one club ? Who's club are they included under for the REPs registered facility ?
As long as all staff at the facility are registered, then the facility can become a registered facility. Individuals working at more that one facility need only register once, and their registration is valid for all facilities they work at. The only thing the registered facility needs to ensure is that all the exercise professionals at the facility are registered.

What about instructors in training ? How do I deal with them obtaining registration?
We recognise that you may choose to training your own staff. In this case all we ask is that they register at the highest level they can and that when they operate at levels outside of this that they are under the direct supervision of an individual registered at that level. e.g. a 'trainee' may register at the lowest level (exercise assistant) but operate as a exercise consultant as long as they are being supervised while they are performing these duties. We can provide you with a process and log book so that this is documented.

Can an unqualified exercise staff continue working ?
Yes, under certain circumstances. We recognise that certain individuals working in the industry at present may not meet the standards. As long as the facility and the individual concerned is committed to upskilling and meeting the standards, REPs will work with these individuals to assist them in meeting the standards (by putting them in contact with registered education providers and so on). If you recognise someone presently doesn't meet the standards, they should operate under the supervision of someone who does.

Do aqua instructors need to register if they offer classes at a pool which is not part of our complex ?
Yes. Our policy on all such questions of "what about xxx instructors" is that if they demonstrate or advise on exercise then they should register. In the case of many group activities, this falls under the Group Exercise level.

My Personal Trainers are employees, and not independent contractors, so they are covered by our workplace insurance, to they get a lower registration fee ?
Yes, we have a special "PT-Employee" registration. ($50 less)

Our facility is in a rural location, we have difficulty to up-skill, how will REPs help with this ?
We recognise the difficulty some areas have with little or no providers in the area. Part of the benefit of being apart of REPs is that we can assist in facilitating groups of registered professionals, and training providers to bring them together. It may be that collectively in your area you have 20 or 30 registered individuals, we can approach training providers and see if they will come to your area to run a course (just as an example).

I am the only exercise professional/owner at my club. Do I have to pay to be a registered facility and a registered individual. How does this all work ?
We have a special "sole operator pack" that is designed just for you. It includes all the elements required for registration of your facility, and you personally. You receive an associate membership to Fitness New Zealand, become listed as a registered facility and also registered at the PT level individually (naturally you still need to met the registration standards for the last step). The combined value of this is over $700, and as a single pack is $495.

What about Pilates and Yoga - are they included ?
Yes. All activities that involve exercise demonstration and/or advice are included. The only exception is sports coaching where no exercise demonstration is provided, other than the skills specific to the sport (e.g. teaching someone how to kick a soccer ball is not covered by REPs, but if they give exercise advice about "getting fit" then they should register). So in the case of Pilates, they fall under the "Group Exercise" level. We will be working with REPs registered facilities that provide Pilates and professionals to establish specific standards around Pilates, and this will form part of the REPs requirements to be registered at this level and teach Pilates.

QUESTIONS FROM EXERCISE PROFESSIONALS
I work for a registered facility and also do work outside of this in my own capacity, do I still get to register at the reduced rate through my exercise facility ?
Yes, you pay the discounted rate. This registration covers you for both your activities at the facility and outside it.

I don't have any formal qualifications, but I do know what I am doing - where do I fit in ?
We recognise that the industry is presently made up of individuals with a mix of qualifications and hands on experience and skills learnt on the job. We have a registration pathway that allows for individuals with little or no qualifications to be assessed and confirmed as competent. This can either be through a Sfrito assessor, or through a registered education provider (a process called RPL). If you apply for registration under this pathway we will provide you with a list of such organisations.

I have a qualification from ABC Institution, does that enable me to register ?
Qualifications from a REPs Registered Education provider will enable you to register through pathway one (this is an very simple process). A list of Registered Education providers is listed on the REPs web site. Qualifications from non Registered qualifications can still enable you to register, but through a different process (pathway three on the application form) - you will need to provide REPs with detailed descriptors of the courses/modules you have completed and these will be reviewed against the REPs standards (there is an additional fee for this). If your not sure exactly where you fit in, then apply for registration, and once you have done this we can point you in the right direction.

I am already registered with NetfitPro (Network)- do I need to register with REPs ?
Yes. Registering with NetFitPro (Network) is a process that ensures you met NetFitPro's standards for qualifications, and ongoing education. Registering with REPs means you meet the industry recognised standards. NetFitPro have indicated that they intend to have their courses registered with REPs, like all many other education providers. In addition doing things such as the national conference will enable you gain credit towards the REPs ongoing education process.

I work at a registered exercise facility, can I get provisionally registered at the advanced level ?
No. Provisional registration is in place to recognise the fact that many individuals may well meet the standards, though a mixture of qualifications and experience, but that this will take time to verify -in the mean time provisional registration allows the individuals to continue to work in the industry. As no one requires registration at the advanced level to continue to work, and advanced levels are a far more

Here's my CV - can u tell me if I meet the standards ?
There is normally far more to this question than may appear. For this reason in all cases we ask that you apply for registration and we will then tell you where you fit in and what you may need to do to gain registration (if anything). If you want to know what level you should register for, you can download the help sheet for registration, they outline the basic requirements for each level, and will give you a good idea of where you are likely to fit in.

If you are currently working in the industry you can download the Frequently asked Questions Info Sheet.