Latest News
Read our latest news and updates below
Online Self Assessments supporting your CPD
Kia ora koutou members and supporters. If you haven’t already undertaken a self-assessment as part of your CPD practice, now is the time to do it. We have made some changes so you can save your assessment part way through and pick it up at a later date; you no longer have to complete the assessment in one sitting. Thanks for your feedback on the tool. It means we are able to tailor it to meet your needs. ...
Modern slavery and OHS
Kia ora koutou members and supporters of NZISM. I was chatting with one of our members, Jeff Cornwell, the other day and we got onto the topic of slavery. MBIE are open for consultation in relation to slavery and worker exploitation. They are asking for feedback on their proposed legislative framework for modern slavery, worker exploitation, forced labour, people trafficking and slavery. ...
Leadership update
Kia ora koutou members and supporters of NZISM. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Michelle Carter who has been the Branch Manager at Southland for several years now. Under Michelle’s leadership, the Southland Branch held two very successful trade shows. The trade shows enabled Southland to showcase the health and safety expertise in the region and provided businesses with the opportunity to promote their products and services. Delivering these types of successful events takes a lot of hard work and dedication and I’d like to personally acknowledge Michelle’s contribution. ...
What value in HSMS?
Kia ora koutou members and supporters of NZISM. Chris Peace (Lecturer in Occupational Health and Safety at Victoria University of Wellington) recently shared an interesting article on research undertaken by Harvard Business School which looked at whether there is any value in having a health and safety management system standard in place. It considers application of OHSAS 18001 and looks at the safety performance of both adopters and non-adopters. ...
International Womens Week #BreaktheBias
Kia ora members and supporters. Someone recently commented on the volunteering undertaken by our organisation's leaders and how impressive it was that people could commit to volunteering when they had full-time jobs, careers, and often businesses to manage. I agreed wholeheartedly. People who volunteer for a cause or purpose they are passionate about deserve our recognition and unwavering gratitude. ...
The Art of Giving
Kia ora koutou members and supporters of NZISM. I’m rather over watching the news. To be honest, all the doom and crises that is reported nightly is starting to reduce my capacity for kindness and positivity, and I’m sure I’m not alone in that sentiment. So it was wonderful to have recent inspiration from the NZISM community. ...
Looking After Ourselves and Others
Kia ora koutou members and supporters, I hope you all managed to take time out over the holidays and get some respite from work life. Something that has become obvious already is that this will not be a year of recovery from COVID but will continue to push our limits and test our resilience. We have now spent more time in this pandemic than any one of us could have imagined, and noting the experience of Omicron internationally, this year will see impacts to supply chains and workforces right across the nation. ...
An Eye on Regulation
Kia ora koutou members and supporters of NZISM. Happy New Year, and I hope you all had a restful break. ...
Christmas Message of Thanks
Mere Kirihimete members and supporters. With just over a week to go for most of us until we have a well-deserved and absolutely necessary Christmas break, I would like to dedicate this Christmas edition to all of our amazing members who volunteer their precious time to NZISM. ...
PSP Licensing Authority Update
Kia ora koutou members and supporters of NZISM. I thought I’d take this opportunity to update you on the Private Security Personnel Licensing Authority (Licensing Authority) situation. As a quick recap: In June 2020, the Licensing Authority issued an important decision regarding the Private Security Personnel and Private Investigators Act 2010 (the Act). The decision highlighted [14] “…the definition of private investigator to cover all people in the business of carrying out investigations into a person’s character, actions or behaviour…”. ...
Member Survey Results
Kia ora koutou members and supporters of NZISM. Feedback on our annual member survey. Thank you to all of you who responded to our annual NZISM member survey. As always, we use this information to help us clarify our priorities for the oncoming year, understand where we need to improve and help us make decisions focused on what our members value most. What has been encouraging to see is the engagement we have around our national webinar programme. While we haven’t had a lot of choice in the matter, due to lockdowns over the last year, we are mostly getting the content right and you have given us plenty to think about in terms of what you want to see in 2022. ...
Covids Legacy for Workplace Health Management
NZISM President, Robyn Bennett, in an article featured in Business Desk NZ, explains what Covid's legacy will be in workplace health management - and why every organisation will need to learn "Every Smoko I Eat A Pie". ...
Presidents Blog 3/11/21
ACC recently consulted on the Accredited Employee Programme (AEP), and one of the things that interested me was the potential changes to the safety management section of the programme. The current safety portion of the audit standard is well overdue for a significant overhaul and to date ACC actions have been overtaken by retreating glaciers in the speed department. The good news is that they have put serious thought into what might be the options to replace the AS/NZS 4801 based standard they currently use. ...
Adventure Activities - MBIE consultation
The Government has announced the start of the public consultation into the health and safety regime for registered adventure activities. Following the Whakaari/White Island eruption on 9 December 2019, the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety directed MBIE to undertake a targeted review of the adventure activities regulatory regime. ...
President's Blog 6/10/21
At the end of last month the Government announced changes to the Health and Safety Regulations including the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015: Plant, structures and working at heights. The intent being they will clarify and provide greater certainty for businesses on the Regulations, while supporting safety and health of workers. And they have produced a rather concise summary of the key changes covering plant and structures that makes good lunch time reading. ...
CEO's Update 23/9/21
With the recent terrorist incident in Auckland a few weeks ago, it’s a timely reminder that keeping our workplaces safe and secure for employees and customers needs to be a priority for all organisations that own, manage or create crowded places. ...
President's Blog 8/9/21
The Covid vaccination is a very topical subject at the moment, so I thought I’d reflect on a couple of aspects that impact on us in the health and safety profession. Firstly, I’d like to state that NZISM’s Board and SLT strongly support Covid vaccinations for those in the workplace, in accordance with the Ministry of Health’s Guidelines and applicable laws. We’ve heard about some workplaces having a ‘no jab, no job’ policy and this must be challenging when we temper that with the fundamental right to decline medical treatment, on medical and/or religious grounds. ...
Sharon Champness Joins NZISM Governance Board
Thank you to all those members who voted in the recent Board elections. We are delighted to announce that both Grant Nicholson and Mike Cosman were re-elected and that Sharon Champness was successful as our new board member. ...
CEO's Update 25/8/21
AGM Postponed: Due to the current COVID-19 restrictions we will not be able to meet a quorum so will be reconvening our upcoming AGM. Whilst we are all disappointed at the news of this current situation, the lessons learnt last year have swung into place and we will be managing this AGM via zoom soon. We have some important resolutions up for vote this year so we want to see as many of you as possible attending online and voting. I will be sending out an update once the Senior Leadership Team have confirmed the new date. ...
Annual General Meeting 2021
Due to the current Level 4 restrictions on face-to-face events, the NZISM Annual General Meeting is unable to proceed on the scheduled date, 1st September 3pm. As no quorum will be able to be present at the meeting, the meeting is adjourned and will be reconvened when appropriate by notice to all current NZISM members by the Senior Leadership Team. ...
Update: Accident Investigators and the Private Security and ...
The Private Security Personnel Licensing Authority (PSPLA) was set up to regulate and lift standards for security guards and private investigators. A judgement in June 2020 by the PSPLA has implications for workplace incident investigators. The Authority determined that a consultant who specialises in independent investigations into workplace complaints is covered by the definition of a ‘private investigator’ in the Private Security and Private Investigators Act 2010 (the Act), and so should be licensed under this Act. Under the definition this could potentially include health and safety professionals who undertake workplace investigations, health and safety auditors, and HR Professionals. Note that this judgement relates to consultants external to a company and not advisors who are employees. ...
