We’re excited to bring you the latest updates, insights, and stories from our journey towards building a skilled, and qualified workforce in Aotearoa New Zealand, across the health, education, community and social sectors. Thank you for being a part of our workforce community. Each edition will keep you informed about our programmes, initiatives, and events, as well as share resources to help you either as a provider or a person interested in the work we do.
Kia ora,
As you’ll be aware, the redesign of the VET system continues. We are committed to ensuring a smooth and well-planned handover of our work programme to the new Industry Skills Boards (ISBs) once they are established.
A consultation on two options for work-based learning was launched on 27 January and closes on 21 February. Once the consultation period concludes and all contributions have been carefully considered, the Government will provide further updates on the next steps.
You may also be interested in the Cabinet paper on the VET redesign which was proactively released last month. You can find it here. If you have any specific questions or would like more details, please direct this to the Tertiary Education Commission.
In this issue we have some key updates to share, including the opening of consultations that invite your thoughts and feedback and our 2026 Investment Advice.
We have an ambitious work programme in 2025 and look forward to working with you this year. We are continuing to deliver the important qualifications work we currently do and remain fully committed to fulfilling our existing mandate and responsibilities.
Ngā mihi, Sean McKinley, CE.
Toitū te Waiora is actively seeking input on current consultations and reviews. These consultations aim to gather feedback on proposed skill standards, and qualifications in different areas.
Development of health and wellbeing skill standards: Following a recent health & wellbeing review, Toitū te Waiora found that current qualifications meet some sector needs but don’t fully support our diverse workforce. To address this, we’re exploring the development of new core skill standards and role-specific skill standards. We’ve outlined initial thoughts on key skills across roles and would appreciate your feedback.
Feedback period closes 21 February 2025.
🔗 Find out more here Development of health and wellbeing skill standards.
Proposed New Qualification – New Zealand Diploma in Cardiac Physiological Measurement: Toitū te Waiora is inviting feedback on a proposed new qualification, which aims to address the growing need for skilled professionals in Aotearoa New Zealand’s public health sector by providing a pathway for learners to become qualified Cardiac Technicians.
The purpose of this qualification is to prepare graduates with the technical and theoretical knowledge needed to perform specialised roles as frontline healthcare providers. Graduates will be multiskilled and equipped to apply their clinical expertise with cultural sensitivity, supporting people from diverse contexts and backgrounds.
Feedback period closes 14 February 2025.
🔗 Find out more here Proposed New Qualification: New Zealand Diploma in Cardiac Physiological Measurement (Level 6).
Holistic Education Level 4 & 5 Qualification Review: The New Zealand Certificate in Holistic Education (Level 4), and New Zealand Certificate in Holistic Education (Level 5), qualifications are up for their scheduled review.
📧 Please get in touch with [email protected] for any interest or feedback in relation to these qualifications.
🔗 Find out more here Holistic Education Qualifications Review.
Pharmacy Technician and Assistant Qualification Review: Toitū te Waiora is undergoing a review of five Pharmacy Technician and Assistant Qualifications. We’ve been invited to present at the New Zealand Hospital Pharmacy Association (NZHPA) Special Interest Group alongside The Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia, and the New Zealand Pharmacy Council on the 15th of March. Our presentation will cover the Pharmacy Qualification Review as part of their theme on specialist training, including PACT (Pharmacy Accuracy Checking Technician) training and registration. This aligns with the broader discussion on regulating the technician workforce in NZ.
🔗 Find out more here Pharmacy Technician and Assistant Qualification Review.
New development: Health Coach micro-credential: Proposed new Health Coach Training Micro-credential (Level 4). Toitū te Waiora was approached to develop a micro-credential for the training of Health Coaches working in primary health care. Through the Health & Wellbeing Qualification review process it was identified that the current qualifications were not meeting the specific skill needs of the role of a health coaching and therefore a new micro-credential has been developed using unit standards.
🔗Find out more here Proposed new Health Coach Training Micro-credential (Level 4) (24 Credits).
New development: Mental Health First Aid skill standard: The standard was developed following a review of the First Aid unit standards, where the need for a standard for Mental Health First Aid was identified. This standard was developed in consultation with subject matter experts to address the growing need for mental health support across diverse communities.
This standard covers the purpose of mental health first aid, common mental health challenges, strategies to support a person experiencing mental distress, and requires practical application to support a person experiencing mental distress.
🔗Find out more here Proposed Mental Health First Aid Skill Standard – Provide your feedback!
Long term health conditions qualification and skill standard update: We have developed five new skill standards to support the management of long-term conditions including, arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. These standards will form the foundation for a new level 3 qualification: We are in discussions with stakeholders concerning delivery of programmes leading to the qualification and hope to publish concrete news on this later in the year.
New Qualification Approval: New Zealand Diploma in Education Support (Level 5): We are pleased to announce that NZQA has approved and listed the New Zealand Diploma in Education Support (Level 5). This diploma was created in response to sector demand for a formal pathway beyond Level 4.
This qualification is now listed and available for providers to offer, visit our website for programme endorsement requirements.
The next review is scheduled for January 2030 to ensure it remains relevant and aligned with industry needs.
🔗 You can read more about this mahi here New Qualification Approval: New Zealand Diploma in Education Support (Level 5)
Qualifications approval: Health and Wellbeing Review: Toitū te Waiora is pleased to announce that the following Health and Wellbeing qualifications have been approved by NZQA. These reviewed and updated qualifications reflect the evolving needs of the sector and provide clear pathways for learners and workforce development.
🔗 You can read more here New approved versions of Health and Wellbeing qualifications
We are pleased to announce the release of the Toitū te Waiora Disability Action Plan, a comprehensive roadmap designed to drive positive change and greater inclusion for disabled New Zealanders.
This important plan has been developed with the aim of supporting disabled learners, the providers delivering our qualifications, the industries we support, and our kaimahi (staff).
The Disability Action Plan outlines a series of actions designed to make our products, services, and workplace more accessible and inclusive. These actions, detailed in Section 2 of the plan, will help ensure that our offerings are better suited to the needs of disabled learners and staff, fostering a more supportive and equitable environment for all.
🔗 You can read our action plan here Disability Action Plan and access resources for employers and providers here Disability Capability resources.
This year, we’ve made strides in improving the accessibility of our investment advice content. As part of our commitment to ensuring that investment advice is available to all, we’ve focused on improving the ease with which our web content can be accessed and navigated.
This includes publishing the important content on our webpage, alongside the PDF, ensuring links are formatted correctly, and adjusted content for users with varying needs, including those using screen readers.
Our goal has been to ensure that our investment advice is not only informative but also inclusive, enabling all users to engage with it effortlessly, regardless of their technical abilities or accessibility requirements.
These efforts are part of our ongoing commitment to providing the best possible experience for our audience, helping them make informed investment decisions with ease.
For our 2026 advice, we focused on four areas of our wider portfolio: Early childhood education; Health and Wellbeing; Prisoner Management and Youth work.
🔗 You can read through the advice here Toitū te Waiora Investment Advice 2026.
We are excited to announce the release of new guidance for internal moderation, an assessment design guide, and a short video on designing effective assessment materials. These resources aim to support and enhance the quality of our assessment practices, ensuring consistency, fairness, and high standards across all providers.
🔗 You can check them out here National external moderation.
These new resources are part of our ongoing commitment to continuous improvement and quality assurance.
