VET is an important part of our education and training environment with over 250,000 people participating, whether at a polytechnic or in work-based learning. It is vital in ensuring people of all ages get the skills and knowledge needed to perform specific roles or to work in a specific industry. 

See more about the VET changes here on the TEC website:

Changes to the vocational education and training (VET) system

Important information for anyone participating in vocational education and training

There are no changes for students wanting to enrol in 2026. Students, employees and trainees can still enrol in vocational education and training courses.

Anyone currently participating in or considering enrolling at a polytechnic should continue to do so and anyone entering work-based learning should continue to enrol in and complete apprenticeships and other work-based training. 

Although there will be changes to organisations, programmes will continue to be delivered, and every effort will be made to ensure that training and study is not disrupted. 

What is happening in setting up Industry Skills Boards (ISBs)?

Eight new ISBs will stand up in January 2026 and cover:

• Automotive, transport, and logistics
• Construction and specialist trades
• Food and fibre (including aquaculture)
• Infrastructure
• Manufacturing and engineering
• Services
• Health and community
• Electrotechnology and information technology

Read more about the establishment of the ISBs on the TEC website:

Industry Skills Boards

The main responsibility of the eight new ISBs is to develop vocational qualifications that meet the needs of the industries they support. They will work with providers to ensure the programmes being delivered enable learners to gain the skills they need for the workplace. 

Over the next two years ISBs will also have a transitional responsibility for managing the work-based learning divisions currently part of Te Pūkenga. During this period they will work with industries and employers to agree the future structure for work-based learning for each sector. For many industry sectors we expect that transitions of work-based learning out of the ISBs and into providers will occur during 2026.

An Establishment Advisory Group (EAG) for each ISB has been set up and they are making good progress on the work required to stand up the new ISBs on 1 January 2026.

The Chief Executive roles for all eight ISBs are now being advertised and are attracting wide interest. At the end of 2026 Workforce Development Councils (WDCs) will be disestablished as their functions move to the ISBs.  All EAGs are exploring opportunities to bring expertise and organisational knowledge from the WDCs to the new ISBs to support continuity in supporting industry. 

The ISBs will be governed by industry representatives who have a good knowledge of their trades and sectors. All eight board members will come from people nominated from industry with two of the appointments formally made by the Minister of Vocational Education. 

To stand up, each new ISB will need an Order in Council approved by Cabinet. Orders in Council are the mechanism for bringing government decisions, such as regulations, rules or orders, into effect. The feedback we received recently from industry groups will help the Ministry of Education to draft the Orders in Council and they will also run a more formal consultation before these are introduced with the legislation to establish the new entities in October 2025.

The six Workforce Development Councils (WDCs) continue to be the standard setters for vocational education until the end of 2026. WDCs are working with TEC and the EAGs for the ISBs to ensure that all work which has been done or is in train is transitioned to the new organisations. 

What’s new for the establishment of standalone polytechnics?

The ten polytechnics due to stand up in January 2026 are:

• Ara Institute of Canterbury (Ara)
• Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT)
• Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT)
• Southern Institute of Technology (SIT)
• Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology
• Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec)
• Unitec Institute of Technology (Unitec) and Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT), which will stand up as a single entity
• Otago Polytechnic
• Universal College of Learning (UCOL)
• The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand

The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand will be the anchor polytechnic of a new federation, which includes Otago Polytechnic and UCOL. All of these polytechnics will still have their own independent councils, but can work together to support their communities. 

Four other polytechnic business divisions within Te Pūkenga – NorthTec, Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki (WITT), Whitireia and WelTec, and Tai Poutini Polytechnic will have decisions made in the first half of 2026 about their future pathway.

Read more about the return to regional polytechnics on the TEC website:

Establishment of new polytechnics

For each of the 10 polytechnics being established in January 2026 an Establishment Advisory Group (EAG) has been put in place. They are all working towards standing up their respective entities.

The Chief Executive roles for the new polytechnics will soon be advertised. These will be great leadership opportunities and important roles setting the future shape of these new organisations. 

Until the transition to the new polytechnics occurs at the beginning of next, Te Pūkenga remains responsible for all learners and staff.

Other VET news

School curriculum changes and vocational education

The Ministry of Education is introducing curriculum changes, including replacing NCEA with a new senior secondary qualification framework. The proposed changes aim to simplify qualifications, as well as introduce more industry-led subjects and provide opportunity to better represent, or show, students' skills through a new grading system.

Programmes like trades academies show that partnerships between schools, tertiary education organisations and industry do work. Once the ISBs are fully set up, they are proposed to have a role in providing advice and direction, with industry experts involved in curriculum design to ensure subjects and skills are relevant to the needs of industry.

Consultation has closed but you can read all about what is proposed on the Ministry of Education website.

More information

Changes to the vocational education and training (VET) system