07 August
We are pleased to announce the members of these Establishment Advisory Groups (EAGs) for the Industry Skills Boards. All appointments were taken from the nominations we received from industry. Some nominations were not able to be progressed due to conflicts with current work by some industry groups on establishing industry-owned private training establishments (PTEs) to take over the delivery of work-based learning in the future from Te Pūkenga business divisions.
Appointing members to these groups is a key milestone in achieving the redesign of the vocational education and training system and ensuring that training aligns with industry needs and priorities. The members of the EAGs are expected to also transition across to form part of the membership of the new ISB Boards.
There is a dedicated Establishment Advisory Group for each Industry Skills Board that will be established in January 2026. These groups bring together a diverse mix of leaders selected for their deep expertise in the tertiary education sector, their strong connections to industries and their proven governance capabilities.
We are pleased to have them undertake this work on behalf of industry.
The key tasks for Establishment Advisory Groups will be to:
The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) will provide information and administrative support to the EAGs.
During 2025 the current Workforce Development Councils continue to be the voice for industries in the tertiary education and training system. The EAGs’ role is exclusively to perform a defined set of set up functions for the new ISBs which do not start operating until 2026.
The TEC is now inviting industries to nominate representatives who will be recommended as the two Ministerial appointees to the first ISBs. These boards will be in place from 1 January 2026.
Candidates will need strong governance and change management skills, an industry background, and an understanding of education and training.
Candidates are expected to have significant governance experience combined with strategic leadership experience. Collectively, the members of each ISB will need:
Industry bodies can nominate candidates, including, where appropriate, from industry bodies, employers, employees and iwi partners from the specified industries covered by the board. This ensures candidates have the backing of industry. Industry bodies must obtain the permission of the candidate to be nominated.
To nominate a candidate, please complete the Industry Skills Board Member Nomination Form.
Nominations must be received before 29 August 2025.
The government announced in early July that the number of Industry Skills Boards (ISBs) would increase from the seven initially proposed to eight. They cover these broad areas:
As a result of the public consultation during April and May, all industries will be covered by Industry Skills Boards. It has been decided the New Zealand Qualifications Authority will not initially take over any industry coverage, as was suggested in the April consultation document.
A broad list of examples of which sectors will be covered by which ISB can be seen on the Tertiary Education Commission website.
As part of the government’s changes to the vocational education and training system, Te Pūkenga is being disestablished.
The government announced in July it would establish 10 ITPs on 1 January 2026, either as stand-alone entities or as stand-alone within a federation anchored by the Open Polytechnic. Details of which ITPs would be stand-alone and which would be within the federation can be viewed at this page.
2 July 2025
The Minister announced today that there will be eight new Industry Skills Boards (ISBs). These will begin operating from 1 January 2026 once the legislation is passed later this year.
All industries will be covered by ISBs. NZQA will not initially take over any industry coverage.
ISBs will have three primary funding sources. They will receive some core public funding, they can choose to charge fees to fund their quality assurance functions, and industries can also choose to support ISBs through a levy.
In the next few months, Establishment Advisory Groups will consult 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.
More details can be found here.
19 June 2025
The Education and Workforce Committee sought submissions on the Education and Training (Vocational Education and Training System) Amendment Bill in the first half of this month.
Details can be found here: Education and Training (Vocational Education and Training System) Amendment Bill – New Zealand Parliament
This draft legislation sets out the proposed changes to the vocational education system, including:
If you have any questions about this or would like help with your submission, get in touch.
We will continue to deliver our core statutory functions throughout 2025. These include:
View our operational plan
As the vocational education and training system continues to evolve, we are reviewing how to best align our work with available funding and ensure continuity in key priority areas.
We have a reduction in funding from 1 July 2025, which affects the scope of our delivery. As a result, some areas of our work may be scaled back or discontinued.
We remain committed to delivering clear value to the sector. We will provide further details on our work programme up to the end of 2025, including key outputs and transition milestones, as more information becomes available.
The government intends to make further announcements over the coming weeks and months. We will continue to engage constructively and provide you with any new information as it becomes available.
We will provide clear information on what we will deliver up to 31 December 2025, including key outputs and transition milestones.
Thank you for your continued support. If you have any questions or would like to discuss this further, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
