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New Zealand · Amateur radio exam

Studying for a ham radio licence online in NZ

The New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters (NZART) keeps its exam study material free on its website: a study book, the full question bank with and without answers, and a tool that makes sample papers. What people call a ham radio licence in NZ is really a certificate and a call sign, and you can study for both online from anywhere in the country. The exam isn’t online, though, and if you’d rather learn in a group, some clubs run Ham Cram weekends.

  • 30Topics in the exam syllabus
  • 2 daysLength of a Ham Cram weekend
  • 12 January 2026Date printed on NZART’s study book
Download the study book

Updated November 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

NZART’s free material, and Ham Cram weekends

OptionPriceFree to useLinks
Official
Exam Study Book, from NZARTNZART’s notes for all 30 exam topics, with every question in the bank, dated 12 January 2026It opens with how the exam is set and a suggested timetable for a two-day block course. A teachers’ edition is on the same page.
Free PDFThe whole book
See NZART’s study guides ↗
Question bank, from NZARTEvery exam question, in one file with answers and one withoutNZART says all 600 exam questions are in it. It also says the bank is its intellectual property, so it can only be copied with NZART’s permission or for an NZART branch Ham Cram.
Free PDFBoth versions
Download the bank without answers ↗
Examination Generation System, from NZARTOnline tool that makes sample exam papersNZART says it replaces all its earlier exam generators.
No charge shownOpen to anyone, NZART says
Open the exam generator page ↗
Amateur radio licence notice, from Radio Spectrum ManagementThe General User Radio Licence for Amateur Radio Operators Notice 2025: bands, power limits and conditionsIn force from 1 July 2025. Its spectrum table gives each band’s maximum power and any special conditions.
Free PDFThe whole notice
Download the licence notice ↗
Band plan, from NZARTNZART’s band plan, updated June 2026, plus a separate 2 m/70 cm plan and a 33 cm planNZART says band plans stop your signals causing problems for other operators, and theirs for you, and that every operator gains when they’re respected.
Free PDFAll of it
See NZART’s band plans ↗
In person
Ham Cram weekendsWeekend courses run by NZART branchesNZART’s guidelines leave the fee to the branch running it, and it may include the examiner’s charges.
Set by each branchNot stated
See Ham Cram events ↗

Prices and ratings checked November 2026.

Can you get a ham radio licence online in NZ?

You can do all the study online, but not the exam. NZART’s Examination Generation System makes sample tests. NZART says it’s meant for its examiners, but anyone can use it for practice or to study a single topic.

The exam itself is on paper and in person, at a time and place you agree with a branch. The overview explains how it runs and what to bring.

How the exam day runs →

Learning with a club or a Ham Cram

NZART has around 80 local branches. It says most branches can help you get your certificate and can hold the exam, and that its clubs and instructors are in most larger cities and towns.

A Ham Cram covers the syllabus over a weekend and ends with the exam. Under NZART’s guidelines, you study three topics on your own before the weekend: 1, 2 and 25, which are regulations, frequencies and Q signals. NZART lists Ham Cram weekends on its events calendar.

Find a branch near you ↗

Which way of studying suits you?

Pick by how you like to learn:

  • On your own: the study book and the question bank without answers, then sample papers from the generator.
  • With someone to ask: a branch with an instructor, from NZART’s branch map.
  • In one go: a Ham Cram weekend, if a branch near you is running one.

A study path on your own

Our suggested order, if you’re studying alone:

  1. Read the study book’s notes for one topic, then try that topic’s questions in the bank without answers.
  2. Check your answers against the bank with answers, and reread the notes for any you missed.
  3. Once you’ve covered all 30 topics, make sample tests with the generator and sit them under exam conditions.
  4. When your sample papers are passing, contact a branch to arrange the exam.
Sources: New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters · Radio Spectrum Management and 8 more. Checked November 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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