HITO (NZ Hair and Beauty Industry Training Organisation)

What HITO (NZ Hair and Beauty Industry Training Organisation) does

HITO (Hair Industries Support Opportunities Charitable Trust, trading as HITO) is New Zealand's leading industry training organisation for the hairdressing, barbering, and beauty therapy sectors, operating as a charitable trust and Crown-affiliated training body since 1990. Its core offering is a workplace-based apprenticeship system leading to NZQA Level 4 qualifications across three trades — hairdressing, barbering, and beauty therapy — supplemented by a Qualification by Experience pathway for experienced but uncredentialed workers and a Gateway Programme feeding secondary school students into the trades. The organisation operates a B2B2C model in which Sales and Training Advisors visit employer workplaces (hair salons, barbershops, beauty clinics) to onboard apprentices, while prospective learners can also self-register via the website.

The technology layer consists of two proprietary digital platforms: HITO VUE, a WordPress-based e-learning environment providing how-to videos, reading materials, and quizzes across Easy, Medium, and Hard difficulty tiers for hairdressing apprentices; and myHITO, a separate platform extending similar functionality to beauty therapy apprentices. Supporting services include the HITO Job Hub marketplace for apprentice-employer matching, the Headstart mentoring programme, and Vitae, a free 24/7 confidential counselling service for apprentices. Pivot Point learning resources are integrated into the member login area as supplementary curriculum.

The revenue model combines recurring apprenticeship training fees (Beauty Therapy Level 4 priced at NZ$1,715 per apprentice per year; hairdressing and barbering fees not publicly disclosed) with government funding channelled through the Tertiary Education Commission and NZQA, consistent with its ITO status. Marketing runs through the HITO website, Instagram (@nzhito), email newsletters, industry event sponsorship (Gold sponsor of NZ Hair Awards), and the annual HITO Awards programme. All training delivery is domestic to New Zealand, with headquarters at 107 Customhouse Quay, Wellington.

Name

HITO (NZ Hair and Beauty Industry Training Organisation)

Legal name

Hair Industries Support Opportunities Charitable Trust trading as HITO

Website

https://hito.org.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Short description

HITO is a New Zealand charitable trust delivering NZQA-accredited workplace apprenticeships in hairdressing, barbering, and beauty therapy, serving apprentices and SMB salons nationwide through in-person training, the HITO VUE and myHITO digital learning platforms, and government-supported funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Industry Training

NAICS

Cosmetology and Barber Schools (611511), Apprenticeship Training (611513), Employment Placement Agencies (561311)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Hair Styling & Cutting (EDAOALAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Career Coaching, Mentoring & Placement Support Services (EDAAAKAO)

Keywords

• Vocational apprenticeship training
• Hairdressing apprenticeships
• Beauty therapy training
• Barbering apprenticeships
• Workplace-based learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Apprenticeship Training Fees: HITO charges fees for apprenticeship training programmes. The Beauty Therapy apprenticeship is priced at $1,715 per year at Level 4. As a Crown entity and industry training organisation, HITO receives government funding through the Tertiary Education Commission to support its training activities.
2. Government Funding: As an industry training organisation, HITO receives funding from the New Zealand Government through NZQA and the Tertiary Education Commission to deliver vocational education and workplace training programmes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

HITO is New Zealand's industry training organisation delivering workplace-based apprenticeships in hairdressing, barbering, and beauty therapy, leading to NZQA Level 4 qualifications. The organisation supplements on-job training with digital learning platforms (HITO VUE for hairdressing, myHITO for beauty), connects apprentices with employers via the HITO Job Hub, and provides learner support through Headstart mentoring and Vitae 24/7 counselling.

Product overview

HITO is a vocational training organization offering industry-approved, internationally recognised apprenticeships and on-job qualifications across three core trade areas: hairdressing, barbering, and beauty therapy. The portfolio comprises a single integrated training system built around workplace-based apprenticeships supplemented by multiple digital learning platforms (HITO VUE for hairdressing with videos, reading materials and quizzes; myHITO for beauty apprentices), a Job Hub for employment matching, and learner support services including Headstart mentoring and Vitae 24/7 counselling. Additional pathways include Qualification by Experience for experienced workers seeking formal credentials, and a Gateway Programme for secondary school students. The organization operates primarily in New Zealand, with qualifications aligned to NZQA Level 4 standards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hairdressing Apprenticeship

Quantifiable outcome

• Internationally recognised NZQA Level 4 qualifications

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• GHDminorGTM or Marketing PartnerKelvin Nguyen, a HITO apprentice from Buoy Salon Wellington, was selected as one of only 5 members of the GHD Style Squad for Australia & New Zealand. The ghd Style Squad is an emerging talent development programme that sharpens hairdressing skills and builds confidence in social networking and content creation. HITO apprentices are encouraged to apply when applications open.
• New Zealand Hair AwardsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHITO is a Gold sponsor of the NZ Hair Awards, specifically the Professional Hairdresser Next Generation Award category, demonstrating commitment to supporting emerging talent in the industry.
• Vitae (Counselling Service)coreOthersHITO provides free, confidential 24/7 counselling service called Vitae to all apprentices, offering pastoral support throughout their apprenticeship journey.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Aveda Institutes: Network of accredited cosmetology and beauty therapy schools owned by Estée Lauder, delivering structured vocational training internationally — comparable as a brand-driven, employer-aligned beauty education provider.
• L'Oréal Beauty Academy: L'Oréal's professional beauty education programme training hairdressers and therapists globally — comparable as a brand-backed, employer-aligned vocational beauty training programme.
• Waihanga Ara Rau: New Zealand's Workforce Development Council for manufacturing, engineering, and logistics — a direct analogue as a reformed NZ WDC that now plays a similar industry-training-coordination role, making it the most structurally comparable peer.
• Te Pūkenga: New Zealand's network of polytechnics and institutes of technology, providing vocational and trade education including beauty therapy; competes for the same NZ apprentice and tertiary learner audience under a government-funded model.

Direct peers

• Empire Beauty Schools: US-based chain of cosmetology and beauty therapy schools offering accredited vocational programmes — directly comparable in model (learner fees + employer partnerships) and trade focus to HITO's beauty apprenticeship.
• Pivot Point International: A global leader in cosmetology education content and learning systems; already integrated with HITO via its website login area — a direct peer in hairdressing and beauty curriculum delivery and platform provision.
• Milady (RISE): A leading provider of cosmetology, barbering, and beauty therapy curriculum, learning resources, and certification — directly comparable as a content/credential provider to HITO's training platform business.

Regional players

• TAFE Queensland: Australia's largest vocational training provider, offering hairdressing, barbering, and beauty therapy programmes under a government-funded model — comparable as a regional vocational peer delivering the same trades.
• Barbering Academy Australia: Australia-based accredited barbering training provider — a regional peer offering structured trade apprenticeships in barbering, a core service vertical for HITO.

Others

• Skills NZ (Te Whatu Ora / NZQA-aligned providers): NZ government-run skills and vocational training infrastructure — relevant as the broader ecosystem of government-funded training providers and frameworks that HITO operates within.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/nzhito
• Instagraminstagram.com/nzhito

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HITO (NZ Hair and Beauty Industry Training Organisation)