Case study
How a national regulator put CPD online for 15,000 tradespeople
7,339 plumbers, gasfitters and drainlayers completed the Board's CPD online last year, from wherever they happened to be working.
- 7,339practitioners in the 2025 online programme
- 26%growth in online participation since 2023
- 86%course completion in 2025
The Board has 15,236 people to reach, and they are all out on jobs
Every plumber, gasfitter and drainlayer in New Zealand has to complete CPD before their licence expires on 31 March. That is 15,236 licensed practitioners, spread from Kaitaia to Invercargill, most of them on site rather than at a desk.
The Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board has always run roadshows, and plenty of practitioners still like them. Alongside the roadshow schedule, the whole annual syllabus runs online on Howio, and has done for four years. Five mandatory modules, two electives, done in a browser whenever it suits, with the completion recorded as each one is finished.
What has happened since 2023
More practitioners choose online every year.
5,830 completed the Board's CPD online in 2023. Then 6,805 in 2024, and 7,339 in 2025. That is 26% growth in two years, with no change to what the Board asks of anyone. Practitioners simply keep picking the online route.
They finish what they start.
Completion has held between 84% and 91% across those three years, and sat at 86% in 2025. Over the same period the programme grew from 10 modules to 24, so the Board asked more of people each year and people kept turning up for it.
There is more to choose from than ever.
The 2026 programme runs to 43 modules, and from this year practitioners can pick the topics that match their own trade. A gasfitter takes gasfitting content rather than working through a course built for everybody.
The Board's own 2024/25 annual report tells the same story from the other direction. 87% of practitioners completed their CPD that year, with 44% going to a roadshow in person, so online now carries a similar share of the register to the rooms.
“Being able to offer training online gives our practitioners the flexibility they need. It was a no-brainer.”
What it looks like for a practitioner
They sign in at the Trade Login on the Board's own site, and single sign-on drops them straight into their CPD. No second account, no app to download, no password to chase.
Four years, and the programme keeps growing
The Board and Howio have worked together across four licensing years. The module bank has gone from 10 in 2023 to 43 in the 2026 cycle, which gives practitioners more choice each year and gives the Board a library to draw on in future cycles.
CPD is no longer the only thing running on it, either. Self-certification and exam preparation now sit on the same platform, built with the Howio team rather than bought in separately.
The Board's team can reach Howio directly, and when something needs attention it gets picked up straight away.
“The best part of working with Howio has been the support. We can email or call any time, if something needs attention. That’s worth a lot to us.”
If you have a register or a membership to get through CPD
The same setup works for any organisation with a group of people outside its own payroll who have to complete something. Your whole register or membership can meet the requirement without getting to a room, you keep every completion record in one place, and you can run online alongside whatever in-person programme you already have, so people choose what suits them.
Howio works with regulators, associations and manufacturers. The team can walk you through how the Board's programme is put together and what it would take to run yours.
FAQ
Questions about the Board's online CPD
- Who runs the Board's online CPD?
- The Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board sets the CPD requirement and Howio runs the online programme.
- How many practitioners complete it online?
- 7,339 went through the Board's 2025 online programme, up from 5,830 in 2023.
- What do practitioners complete each year?
- Five mandatory modules and two electives, before their licence expires on 31 March.
- How long has the Board used Howio?
- Four licensing years, with the programme growing from 10 modules to 43 in that time.
Talk to us about your CPD programme
If you run CPD for a regulator, an association or an industry body, we can show you how the Board's programme is set up and what it would take to run yours.