Submission: Education and Training (Vocational Education and Training System) Amendment Bill

Connecting New Zealand

Submission: Education and Training (Vocational Education and Training System) Amendment Bill

18 Jun 2025

CCNZ made a submission to the Education and Workforce Select Committee on the Education and Training (Vocational Education and Training System) Amendment Bill.

The submission recommends that:

Funding be substantially increased to ensure that we can develop our future workforce to meet infrastructure delivery needs (para 4.5).
The purpose and functions of the new entities and how they will strategically drive improvements in workforce capability is clearly articulated to industry (para 5.4).
The gaps in data and critical information to make informed decisions is immediately rectified (para 6.3).
The draft legislation be substantially rewritten to reflect industry leadership rather than agency leadership (para 7.4).
The Bill should include a provision for an ISB to provide advice to TEC on its overall investment and the mix of vocational education and training needed (s411 and s367(1)); and a requirement for TEC to give effect to this advice or to provide reasons why they cannot give effect to it (para 8.4).
The Bill includes a specific role for ISBs in informing career pathways, and for TEC to be required to seek ISBs advice and input when performing its Careers Advisory function (para 8.6).
The Bill includes specific reference to the ISBs role in providing advice and information into wider government on relevant matters (para 8.8).
The Bill require ISBs to establish and maintain sufficient strategic reference groups to inform their functions and ensure that the industry voice is at the heart of decision-making (para 9.2).
The Bill removes the requirement for ISBs to include Ministerial appointments (para 9.5).
The section of the Bill preventing an ISB from enrolling learners where other provision is available be removed (para 10.5).The Bill allows a broader definition of “successor organisation” to avoid the need for a WBL to go into an ISB first (para 10.10).
WBLs can be transferred directly to new and existing successor organisations before 1 Jan 2026 if appropriate conditions are met (para 10.14).
The section of the Bill requiring an ISB to set learner fees for WBLs through secondary legislation be removed (para 10.15).
Clause 155 (1) to (3) should be deleted (para 11.3).
The Bill is amended to ensure that the responsibilities, relationships and lines of accountability for TEC, NZQA and ISBs are clarified (para 12.4).
The Select Committee require the government to consult with industry on funding to provide a clear strategy for the long-term, sustainable funding and promotion of work-based learning, and vocational education (para 13.10).
Employment obligations and liabilities, and any legal proceedings, only transfer to successor organisations if they are accompanied by sufficient funding to meet those obligations (para 14.5).
Where consultation is necessary for the smooth transition from WDCs and WBLs, to ISBs and PTEs, industry should be included as part of that consultation (para 15.2)
The balance of cash reserves contributed by employers follow Connexis, and that all intellectual property introduced by Connexis when it joined Te Pukenga, and any intellectual property developed by Connexis while a WBL, is retained by Connexis (para 16.5).