Sector views on vocational education reform

5 June 2025

GasNZ gave its support to a single Infrastructure Industry Skills Board in a submission to the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC).

The new Industry Skills Boards are intended to replace Workforce Development Councils as the standard-setting bodies and developers of qualificatiions for vocational education.

In its submission, GasNZ supported the bringing together of all infrastructure sector industries - including reticulated gas supply (which covers natural gas and LPG transmission/distribution upstream of the ICP/meter) within a single Infrastructure Industry Skills Board. 

GasNZ also noted some concerns about the proposed composition and governance of the Industry Skills Boards in general, and whether they will be sufficiently industry led, as opposed to TEC led. 

The submission also noted that the consultation document omits any reference to reticulated gas supply or which ISB that should sit under. “This should be corrected, and placed within Infrastructure ISB,” the GasNZ submission states.

GasNZ also co-signed a letter from eight infrastructure sector associations to the Minister of Tertiary Education regarding the formation of new industry skills boards.

This also reiterated GasNZ’s view that the proposed ISB structure did not specify that gas infrastructure training should fit under the new Infrastructure Industry Skills Board.