Going for Growth: Raising Standards and Recognising Professionalism

Last week, I wrote about the talent pipeline challenge in digital technology—how we need to move beyond reliance on immigration and invest in structured pathways for local talent. But attracting and developing talent is only part of the equation. If we want to build a world-class digital economy, we need clear professional standards, strong industry recognition, and a commitment to excellence. Without this, we risk undermining trust, limiting career progression, and failing to deliver on the promise of digital innovation.

The government’s Going for Growth strategy identifies talent and skills development as a key pillar, but without structured career pathways and professional recognition, we risk failing to develop the high-caliber workforce needed to drive economic growth. Yep, I am on my high horse now, but if we don’t embed professional standards into our workforce development efforts, ensuring that skills are not only acquired but validated, recognised, and continuously improved, we will continue to fall behind.

Why Professional Standards Matter in Digital Technology

Unlike other sectors—medicine, law, engineering—New Zealand’s digital technology workforce lacks a universally recognised professional framework. This creates real challenges, making it difficult to:

• Assure quality and trust—Businesses, government, and the public need confidence that they are working with skilled and ethical professionals.

• Create meaningful career progression—Without recognised standards, there is little clarity on career development, limiting opportunities for growth.

• Bridge the experience gap—A structured professional recognition model could help junior and mid-career professionals demonstrate their capabilities and advance.

Currently, 45% of New Zealand’s digital workforce is on work visas, highlighting both the urgency and opportunity to strengthen local talent pipelines. Professional standards, accreditation, and competency frameworks must not be optional extras but foundational to ensuring that digital technology careers are viable and globally competitive.

The Risk of Inaction: Falling Behind on Global Competitiveness

Digital skills shortages are a global challenge, so countries that raise the bar on professionalism will attract investment, retain talent, and strengthen their innovation ecosystems. New Zealand already struggles to compete internationally due to our limited scale and lack of structured career development in tech.

Without professional standards, we:

• Lose talent to overseas markets where career progression is clearer and more structured.

• Fail to protect businesses and consumers from poor-quality or unethical digital practices.

• Struggle to prove industry credibility—hindering our ability to secure major projects or international partnerships.

To remain competitive, we need a workforce that is not only skilled but also recognised for its expertise and professionalism.

What Is Missing?

The Going for Growth strategy provides an opportunity to embed professional recognition into our digital workforce structure. To achieve this, we need:

• A professional framework for digital technology, ensuring that experience, ethics, and ongoing learning are valued.

• Industry and government support for structured career pathways, from cadetships to apprenticeships through to professional certification.

• Stronger incentives for businesses to hire, train, and retain professionals who meet recognised standards.

• Government procurement requirements that encourage businesses to adhere to professional standards, ensuring that digital projects are delivered by accredited professionals.

Additionally we need to ensure that New Zealand’s standards system is well-funded and internationally aligned - this will not only mature our digital industry but also ensure we remain an attractive destination for both investment and top-tier talent.

Final Thought - A Call to Action

New Zealand already has a pretty strong digital sector, but we need really step up to match our ambition with action. Talent development alone isn’t enough—we must lift professionalism, recognition, and accountability to build a sustainable digital economy.

So, what next? Industry, government, and the digital tech workforce must work together to create a system where New Zealand is recognised for its expertise, professionalism, and global competitiveness.

The question we need to ask ourselves is simple: Do we want to be a country that just produces tech workers, or one that develops world-class digital professionals?

Let’s aim for the latter, and as I said in part 1 of this series - we still need to get off the grass.