By Launchmasters course I think you may be referring to a Commercial qualification such as the ILM (In Shore Launchmaster) which has recently been replaced by the new SRL (Skipper Restricted Limits) qualification.

In short, you could sign up and complete a course to set you on the path to obtain a SRL without a Boatmaster qual. Probably best to talk to someone like Mahurangi Tech who specialise more in the commercial qualification area.

Here at Coastguard Northern Region's Maritime School, we focus on the recreational qualifications and the Boatmaster (or equivalent) is a requirement before the next level which is Coastal Skipper.

Day Skipper is not a requirement for a Boatmaster but is something we sometimes recommend if you're a little light on boating experience and haven't done any other courses. 

 before being allowed to sit them. Anyway the LLO & ILM have been superceded by the SRL ticket (Skipper Resticted Limits). So unless you working in this field commercially, you are best to stick with the Boatmasters course. It will cost a whole lot less to do too as the others courses were 2 or 3 weeks long fulltime (ie 8 hrs a day).

If you're located in the Northern Region we can probably help: