Extensive consultation with industry and the vocational education sector took place prior to WDCs being stood up on 4 October 2021.
The establishment of WDCs was led by WDC Interim Establishment Boards (iEBs) that were made up of industry representatives, many of whom were subsequently appointed to the permanent WDC Council. The main role of iEBs was to oversee the legal establishment of WDCs, which occurred through an Orders in Council (OiC) process.
All six iEBs were responsible for consulting with industry and developing an OiC that outlined the name of their WDC, industries represented, governance arrangements and other core aspects of their WDC. More than 200 people and organisations provided feedback on the draft OiCs. This engagement helped ensure WDCs were established in ways that will best meet industry needs.
Once approved by the Minister of Education, OiCs were sent to the Governor-General for signature. On Monday 10 May 2021 Her Excellency the Governor-General, Patsy Reddy, gave Royal Assent, passing in to law, OiCs establishing the six WDCs. The legislation came into effect on 11 June 2021.
The WDC OiCs can be viewed below:
Note, not all WDCs had selected a Māori name by the time their OiC was submitted, hence the OiCs do not reflect current WDC names.
