The Government has decided to disestablish the six Workforce Development Councils and establish new Industry Skills Boards (ISBs).

There will be differences between WDCs and ISBs. ISBs will have a role strongly focused on their standards setting function, with a lower level of government funding available. ISBs will likely charge training providers for some of their quality assurance functions.

On Wednesday 2 July, the Minister for Vocational Education announced that there will be eight new ISBs. These will begin operating from 1 January 2026 once the legislation is passed later this year.

The food and fibre sector will be represented in a dedicated “Food, Fibre and Forestry ISB”. There aren’t any significant changes in the coverage of the new ISB from the coverage of Muka Tangata People, Food and Fibre WDC.

The Food, Fibre and Forestry ISB’s proposed coverage is as follows:

• Agriculture
• Aquaculture
• Horticulture
• Apiculture
• Equine – with the addition of Equine coaching and therapy (previously covered by other WDC)
• Fishing/Seafood
• Forestry
• Irrigation
• Seeds
• Sports turf
• Wine
• Pests (rural)
• Animal care

You can read more on the TEC website: ISB coverage.

The Government are still considering nominations for the Establishment Advisory Groups that will be responsible for ensuring each ISB can successfully stand up on day one. We expect that three members of the Establishment Advisory Group for the Food, Fibre and Forestry ISB will be announced within a few weeks.

In the next few months, Establishment Advisory Groups will consult further with industry regarding the detailed coverage areas of each ISB. This will then be set out in the Order in Council that will formally establish each ISB.

Muka Tangata is committed to making the transition to ISBs as smooth as possible and will keep you up to date with any important updates or changes. We will continue to operate and deliver our services to industry until December 2025.