Field           Planning and Construction

Registration of skill standards and review of unit standards for concrete

Subfield	Domain	ID
Concrete	Concrete Construction	26048, 32580 – 32582, 32585, 32587 – 32591, 32593 – 32596, 32660 – 32661, 32663 – 32665, 32667 – 32670, 32672 – 32674, 32676, 32687 – 32689
	Concrete Core Skills	32656 – 32659, 32690
	Concrete Product Manufacture	32677 – 32678, 32680 – 32682
	Precast Concrete	32683 – 32685, 32855

Construction and Specialist Trades Industry Skills Board has completed the review of the unit standards listed above.

Date new versions published February 2026

Planned review date December 2030

Summary

Waihanga Ara Rau undertook a review of the concrete unit standards in 2025. The review aimed to ensure the standards reflect current industry practice, support learner progression, and align with the shift toward skill standard–based assessment.

The initial analysis included a review of skills and workplace learning practices, alongside consultation with employers, the provider (BCITO), a potential new provider interested in delivering the qualifications, and industry representatives from commercial building, civil infrastructure, concrete product manufacture, and precast concrete. Representatives from Concrete NZ were also involved. Consultation activities included online Technical Advisory Group (TAG) hui held between September and November 2025.

Draft skill standards were developed collaboratively with the TAG, which comprised industry experts and providers. These drafts were then made available online for wider consultation and feedback. Insights from the sector were incorporated into the final versions of the standards.

With the support of the TAG, wider consultation feedback was used to finalise the skill standards. As a result, the listed unit standards will be expired or replaced with new skill standards.

Several Level 4 unit standards have been intentionally split into separate Level 3 and Level 4 skill standards. This approach supports a clearer and more manageable progression of skills, allowing learners to build foundational competencies at Level 3 before advancing to more complex tasks at Level 4. It also better reflects how learning is delivered in practice and provides a more scaffolded learning experience.

Responsibility for these standards has been transferred from Waihanga Ara Rau Workforce Development Council to Construction Specialist Trades Industry Skills Board to reflect VET reforms.

Main changes

· 12 new skill standards were developed to set competencies valued across the concrete construction environment. Of these, 4 are listed in the Concrete Construction domain and 8 are listed in the Core Construction domain.

· 22 unit standards were replaced by 15 new skill standards with changes in credit value to better reflect the expected learning and assessment hours for the skills described.

· 22 unit standards were designated expiring without replacement.

· The consent and moderation requirements (CMR) were updated from CMR 0048 (applying to the replaced unit standards) to CMR 0120, for the new skill standards.

Category C and D standards will expire at the end of December 2027

Impact on existing organisations with consent to assess

Current consent for			Consent extended to
Nature of consent	ID	Level	Nature of consent	ID	Level
Standard	26048	3	Standard	41161	3

Detailed list of standards – classification, title, level, and credits

All changes are in bold.

Key to review category
A	Dates changed, but no other changes are made - the new version of the standard carries the same ID and a new version number
B	Changes made, but the overall outcome remains the same - the new version of the standard carries the same ID and a new version number
C	Major changes that necessitate the registration of a replacement standard with a new ID
D	Standard will expire and not be replaced

Planning and Construction > Concrete > Concrete Construction

ID	Title	Level	Credit	Review Category
32580	Operate and maintain tools, plant and equipment used in concrete operations	4	8	D
32581	Apply legislative frameworks to concrete operations	4	8	D
32582	Apply plans, working drawings, and specifications to concrete operations	4	8	D
32585	Plan and coordinate a daily programme of work for concrete construction operations	4	6	D
32587	Establish and maintain a concrete construction site	4	10	D
32588 41141	Set-out for in-ground and above-ground concrete construction Set out for in-ground or above-ground concrete construction of moderate complexity	4 4	10 7	C
32589 41142	Prepare a base for the construction of in-situ concrete structures Prepare a base of moderate complexity for in-situ concrete construction	4 4	8 7	C
32590	Construct formwork, falsework and propping systems for concrete structures	4	15	D
32591	Receive and store reinforcing steel and carry out reinforcing for concrete structures in-situ	4	15	D
32593	Plan and carry out placing and finishing concrete for flatwork and in-situ structures	4	12	D
32594 41143	Position and secure premanufactured elements into a concrete construction Position and secure precast concrete elements in concrete construction	4 4	10 10	C
32595 41144	Post-tension concrete in-situ Post-tension concrete structures	4 4	10 10	C
32596	Maintain professional standards when working as a concrete operations trade professional	4	10	D
32660	Maintain tools, plant and equipment used to construct formwork for concrete structures and foundations	3	5	D
32661 32663 41136	Demonstrate knowledge of materials used to construct formwork for concrete structures and foundations Fabricate, assemble and dismantle formwork for concrete structures and foundations Construct and dismantle formwork of standard complexity for concrete structures	3 3 3	5 10 10	C C
32664	Maintain tools, plant and equipment used to fix reinforcing for concrete structures	3	5	D
32665 41137	Handle and store reinforcing steel and materials used for concrete construction Handle and store reinforcing for construction trades	3 3	5 5	C
32667 41138	Fix reinforcing into formwork for concrete structures in-situ Carry out steel reinforcing installation tasks of standard complexity for concrete structures	3 3	10 5	C
32668	Use tools, plant and equipment to place and finish concrete	3	3	D
32669	Demonstrate knowledge of fresh concrete for concrete placing and finishing	3	2	D
32670	Demonstrate knowledge of materials used in conjunction with concrete	3	2	D
32674	Maintain tools, plant and equipment used to form specified finishes on concrete	3	5	D
32676 41139	Form specified finishes on concrete Apply specified finishes of standard complexity to concrete surfaces	3 3	10 15	C
32687	Inspect and maintain hand-held tools and equipment used for concrete sawing and drilling	3	3	D
32688 32689 41140	Saw concrete using hand-held power tools Drill concrete using hand-held power tools Saw and drill concrete using hand-held power tools for tasks of standard complexity	3 3 3	5 5 15	C C
41145	Operate and maintain equipment of moderate complexity in concrete construction	4	5	NEW
41146	Construct and dismantle formwork of moderate complexity for concrete structures	4	10	NEW
41147	Install reinforcing of moderate complexity for concrete structures	4	10	NEW
41148	Complete placing and finishing of moderate complexity for concrete structures	4	10	NEW

Planning and Construction > Concrete > Concrete Core Skills

ID	Title	Level	Credit	Review Category
32656	Apply health and safety, and environmental protection practices in a concrete construction workplace	3	10	D
32657	Apply job documentation to concrete construction	3	5	D
32658	Apply teamwork and communication skills in a concrete construction team	3	10	D
32659	Use measurements and calculations in concrete construction work	3	5	D
32690	Maintain the standards of the concrete construction industry as a concrete construction worker	3	5	D

Planning and Construction > Concrete > Concrete Product Manufacture

ID	Title	Level	Credit	Review Category
32677	Demonstrate knowledge of concrete used for the manufacture of concrete products	3	3	D
32678 41149	Operate and maintain machinery, plant and equipment used to manufacture concrete products Operate and maintain equipment of standard complexity for concrete product manufacture	3 3	8 10	C
32680 32681 41150	Manufacture concrete products Apply quality checking procedures to concrete product manufacture Manufacture concrete products by completing tasks of standard complexity	3 3 3	8 4 10	C C

Planning and Construction > Concrete > Precast Concrete

ID	Title	Level	Credit	Review Category
32683 41151	Complete pre-pour processes for precast concrete manufacture Carry out pre-production processes of standard complexity for precast concrete manufacture	3 3	8 5	C
32855 41152	Operate and maintain machinery, plant and equipment used to manufacture precast concrete elements Operate and maintain equipment of standard complexity for precast concrete manufacture	3 3	5 5	C

Planning and Construction > Construction Trades > Core Construction

ID	Title	Level	Credit	Review Category
41153	Identify common hazardous substances and safety controls in a construction environment	2	2	NEW
41154	Identify factors that impact on construction businesses	3	3	NEW
41155	Complete construction tasks to progress a project	3	20	NEW
41156	Maintain established site practices in a construction environment	3	6	NEW
41157	Monitor construction processes and evaluate own construction tasks	3	6	NEW
41158	Use digital tools to access and communicate information in a construction environment	3	5	NEW
41159	Use digital technologies to improve construction operations	4	4	NEW
41160	Complete requirements for maintaining a work zone in a construction project	4	10	NEW

Planning and Construction > Concrete

ID	Domain	Title	Level	Credit	Review Category
26048 32672 32673 32684 41161	Concrete Construction Concrete Construction Concrete Construction Precast Concrete Concrete Core Skills	Place and finish concrete for concrete construction on site Place concrete for flatwork and structural concrete elements Finish concrete flatwork and off-form surfaces Place and finish concrete for precast concrete manufacture Carry out placing and finishing tasks of standard complexity for concrete structures	3 3 3 3 3	15 4 4 7 10	C C C C
32682 32685 41162	Concrete Product Manufacture Precast Concrete Concrete Core Skills	Complete post-production processes for manufactured concrete products Complete post-pour processes for precast concrete manufacture Carry out post-production processes of standard complexity for concrete products or precast concrete	3 3 3	4 5 5	C C