The Government has decided to disestablish the Workforce Development Councils and establish new Industry Skills Boards (ISBs).
On 20 December 2024 the Government announced their plans for a new vocational education system. You can read the Minister’s announcement here: Vocational education and training decisions support return to regions | Beehive.govt.nz
Last year we worked across the food and fibre sector during consultation on the Government’s proposed reforms to the vocational education and training system in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Muka Tangata made a submission on the Government’s proposals: Our submission.
Thank you to all who took the opportunity to advocate for the needs of our sector during the consultation period.
The ISBs will take on some of the WDC functions from January 2026. 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 and we also expect that the number and coverage of ISBs could be different from the WDC model.
From 28 April to 20 May, the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) conducted consultation on the number and coverage of Industry Skills Boards. The proposals also included some sectors where standards setting is proposed to transition to NZQA.
The consultation document can be found here: Consultation on Industry Skills Boards’ coverage | Tertiary Education Commission
The outcomes of the consultation will be updated on this page when available.
Nominations for Establishment Advisory Groups for Industry Skills Boards
Each Industry Skills Board will have an Establishment Advisory Group with three members from industry. Establishment Advisory Groups will be responsible for ensuring each Industry Skills Board can successfully stand up on day one. The role of the Establishment Advisory Groups is focused on governance rather than industry advocacy.
Nominations received before 13 June 2025 will be considered for the Establishment Advisory Groups which will operate through 2025. However, industry nominations after this date are still welcomed. Later nominations will be considered for any unfilled positions on Establishment Advisory Groups or for additional members of the first boards of Industry Skills Boards.
Further information on the Establishment Advisory Groups and the nomination process can be found here: Help establish Industry Skills Boards | Tertiary Education Commission
Today the Minister for Vocational Education Hon Penny Simmons announced the future transition arrangements for workplace learning out of Te Pūkenga.
The Minister’s announcement can be found here: A better path for apprentices and trainees
There is also further information on the TEC website: New work-based learning model
Key points
We’re committed to making the transition to ISBs as smooth as possible and will keep you up to date with any important updates or changes. WDCs will continue to operate in the interim.
Below is an indicative timeline as per the Minister for Vocational Education:
It is anticipated that the new system will come into effect in 2026. During the coming year, and over the transition period, our focus remains on delivering solutions to meet the needs of industry, Māori agribusiness, learners, and employees in the food and fibre sector. We will continue to undertake our functions and work plan as laid out in our 2024-2026 Operational Plan. Our qualifications development projects, quality assurance, and work on our Workforce Development Plan projects will continue until the end of June 2025 as planned.
To ensure timely processing of pre-moderation, consent to assess, microcredential support and programme endorsement applications before the disestablishment of Muka Tangata, we encourage providers to submit all relevant assessment materials and applications by October 3, 2025.
We will continue to process applications after this date, but we cannot guarantee they will be completed before Muka Tangata finishes operations on 19 December 2025. Any in-flight submissions will be handed over to the newly established Industry Skills Board for completion.
We encourage you to contact us at the earliest opportunity if you have any questions about this, or want to discuss any proposed submissions.
