The New Zealand Government’s recent announcement of Industry Skills Boards (ISBs) is a welcome, albeit overdue, step towards aligning education with real-world workforce needs. As detailed in their official release here, the new ISBs will “advise on the current and future skills needed in their industries” and work with education providers to shape training that meets those needs.
At Whenua Tech Incubator, we’ve already been doing this. Our Bridge Model was designed precisely to solve the disconnect between what the tech industry needs and what our rangatahi are being taught. We are proud to see the Government formally recognise the structural need for what we’ve long known: training must be co-designed with industry, supported by educators, and grounded in culture.
Leading the Way Before the Policy Caught Up
Whenua Tech is not a course provider. We are a Māori-led incubator that connects educators, employers, and rangatahi through co-designed pathways that lead to real jobs. Since our inception, we’ve been working closely with tech leaders to identify skill shortages, and then co-create micro-certifications, projects, and internship opportunities that directly address those gaps.
Our N-1 Industry Listening Cycle, where we engage with sector partners every quarter, ensures we are always working with up-to-date intelligence on what employers are struggling to hire for whether that’s cloud security analysts, prompt engineers, or developers.
In short: we are already doing what the ISBs aspire to do.
What Sets Whenua Tech Apart
While the new ISBs promise broad sector alignment, Whenua Tech’s Bridge Model offers a culturally grounded, relationship-led framework that’s already delivering measurable results:
- Curriculum Adaptation: We support educators to weave in modular tech content without overhauling their existing courses.
- Rangatahi Pathways: We work one-on-one with rangatahi to match their passions with high-demand career pathways in tech.
- Real-World Internships: Through our micro-internships and extended placements, industry can “test-drive” talent while building rangatahi confidence.
- Talent Pipeline: Our pipeline.whenuatech.com, will connect pre-skilled rangatahi with employers ready to hire.
- Te Whare Tapa Whā: Every touchpoint supports holistic well-being, mental, physical, social, and spiritual, ensuring cultural identity is not only preserved but celebrated.
A Timely Step — But More is Needed
We applaud the intent behind the Government’s ISB initiative.
Let’s be clear: the future of work must be culturally fluent, socially responsible, and economically relevant. That is the standard Whenua Tech has set. The new ISBs now have an opportunity to rise to it.
About Whenua Tech Incubator
Whenua Tech is a not-for-profit initiative powered by NanoTech IT. Our mission is to empower rangatahi Māori and marginalised youth into tech careers without compromising who they are or where they come from. We do this by bridging industry, educators, and culture through our unique Bridge Model.
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