NZGDA Submission on the Education and Training Amendment Bill
18 June 2025

The New Zealand Game Developers Association has made a submission on the Education and Training Amendment Bill, which outlines the proposed replacement of Workforce Development Councils with Industry Skills Boards.

Our response raised key concerns about the exclusion of digital technologies, including game development, from the scope of the new boards. This risks weakening the talent pipeline for a sector that is already contributing over $548 million annually to New Zealand’s economy and generating over $140 million in tax revenue.

In our submission, we called for:

• Clear inclusion of Digital Technologies and Creative Tech in the Industry Skills Board structure

• Recognition of game development as a high-growth, export-focused industry requiring future-ready qualifications

• Ongoing industry leadership and input into qualification design and delivery

• Alignment between education reforms and existing Government investment into the creative digital sector

The full submission can be Education and training amendment bill Submission