Welcome to WorldSkills New Zealand

Home of vocational skill competitions and much more

WorldSkills New Zealand is an independent, non-profit charitable trust founded in 1986, dedicated to encouraging excellence in vocational skills. Many people know WorldSkills for its competitions. This is just one part of what we do. We focus on competitions and the promotion and development of vocational skills and occupations throughout New Zealand.

Aircraft Maintenance and Refrigeration and Airconditioning Competitions 2025

We are pleased to announce that WorldSkills NZ is running Aircraft Maintenance competitions in 2025. The Selection Competition is to be held on 30 August at Woodbourne Air Force Base, Blenheim with the National Final to be held in October 2025 (date to be confirmed). The National competition provides the pathway for a young aircraft maintenance engineer to represent New Zealand at the WorldSkills International competition in Shanghai in 2026.

To find out more and register your interest in participating click here

WorldSkills NZ is again linking with IRHACE and the Wallie Askew Memorial Work Skills competition in 2025 as a pathway for selection for a Refrigeration and Airconditioning apprentice to the WorldSkills New Zealand team for WorldSkills Shanghai 2026. Click here for more information.

What’s happening in 2025?

For the last five or so years, New Zealand’s Vocational Education and Training (VET) system has been enduring ongoing change. From the previous Government’s Reform of Vocational Education (ROVE) to the current Government’s VET Redesign.

This continuing focus on how to set up and establish the new system has created a distraction from seeking innovation and excellence with New Zealand Vocational, Education and Training outcomes.

The WorldSkills international community is made up of 89 member countries, whose mission is to raise the profile and recognition of skilled people and show how important skills are in achieving economic growth and personal success. As a member of this movement, WorldSkills New Zealand is passionate in supporting better outcomes for New Zealand VET. As the new VET foundation is being developed, WorldSkills New Zealand seeks to confirm how we can fit into the new system. This uncertainty has impacted our reach, and funding.

A key component of what we do, Skill competitions are a catalyst for excellence and skill development, therefore our ability to run more skill competitions as well as partner with new industries to support their skill competitions is restricted.

Regarding Skill competitions, for 2025 we will continue to build on 2023 and 2024 successes by again running the Aircraft Maintenance skill competition and partnering with IRHACE with their Wallie Askew Workskills Memorial Competition. With our limited resources, we are focusing on quality over quantity.

Once the new VET System has been confirmed and our place within it, we are hopeful that we will quickly be able to ramp up our contribution of innovation and excellence to New Zealand VET.

Thankyou for your ongoing interest and support, we really appreciate it.