Competitions
WorldSkills New Zealand has been promoting and benchmarking skills excellence and championing vocational skill competitions since 1986.
Young people in training, business and industry sectors, education and training providers, all benefit from skill competitions.
For 2025, our skill competition focus is on our WorldSkills National Aircraft Competition and partnering with The Institute of Refrigeration Heating & Air Conditioning Engineers of New Zealand Inc (IRHACE) Wallie Askew Workskills Competition.
WorldSkills New Zealand Aircraft Competition
The first competition is the Aircraft Maintenance National Selection Competition, which will take place at RNZAF Base Woodburne near Blenheim, on the 30th of August. Young Aircraft Engineers and Aircraft Engineers-in-training from across New Zealand aviation, will compete for the opportunity to be selected for the Aircraft Maintenance National Competition in Christchurch later in the year. Winning the National Competition will cement your place as New Zealand’s best young Aircraft Maintenance Engineer. Plus, may provide the opportunity to represent New Zealand at the WorldSkills International Aircraft Maintenance Competition in Shanghai next year.
Check out the Aircraft Maintenance skill on the WorldSkills International website.
IRHACE Competition
The Wallie Askew Workskills competition is the industry’s premier skill competition for young apprentices to compete across Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration disciplines. The highest placed eligible National finalists may be invited to represent New Zealand at the WorldSkills International Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Competition in Shanghai 2026. Find out more and enter here.
Visit the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning skill at the WorldSkills International website.
WorldSkills International
China is hosting the 48th WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai in September 2026. The competition is expected to attract over 1500 competitors from 70 plus nations to benchmark their professional abilities in more than 60 skills.
WorldSkills New Zealand is aiming to send a team to compete.