Creating a space to empower women in the Workplace Health & Safety Profession
The Women in Safety Excellence NZ network was established by Margaret van Schaik and Helen Parkes in 2010 and now has over 400 members around New Zealand, across all sectors of business and industry.
The network promotes the equity and advancement of women in the safety profession, striving to continuously influence industry to address current and future safety challenges affecting women in the workforce locally, nationally and globally.
The WISE Committee oversees the ongoing management of the WISE NZ Network on behalf of the NZISM Senior Leadership Team. Their role is to support the delivery of the WISE National Events programme, develop communications, work with branches to develop local chapters, develop sponsorship opportunities, develop social media and marketing content, provide research and thought leadership and develop CPD opportunities including webinars and other online engagement opportunities.
Internationally, Women in Safety Excellence (WISE) common interest groups are well established with the goal of advancing their members and the safety profession through education, mentorship, networking, collaboration, research and innovation.
Keep in touch
To become a member of the WISE network all you need to do is register below and join our LinkedIn page.
Having your contact details enables us to communicate effectively and keep you updated on relevant events, initiatives and outcomes, and to understand a little more about you and how we can best support you.
As a WISE Network member you can also sign up to receive a copy of NZISM's fortnightly e-Newsletter. (Please don't do this if you are an NZISM member as you will receive it twice.)
Events Coming Up
North Shore "Meet and Greet"
Wed 24 July, 4pm
If you live/work anywhere around Auckland's North Shore, the North Shore WISE regional group would love to meet you in person. Where better to share a beverage and get our journey started than Smales Farm's Fantail and Turtle?
The purpose of the WISE regional network groups is to:
- build a community by developing collaborative and supportive networks of women working in safety and health disciplines (as reflected in the HASANZ membership) in their home regions;
- inspire women to connect, collaborate, learn, grow and impact the wider safety and health system;
- share our greatest achievements and our biggest challenges and learn from and support one another.
It would be great if you could register so we get an idea of numbers. See you there!
Strategic Initiatives
Women In Safety Excellence drives a number of strategic initiatives designed to support women entering into and moving up through the health and safety profession in New Zealand.
View the WISE Strategy
Capability Development Project
One of our key initiatives is the WISE Capability Development Project, which aims to support and encourage female OHS practitioners to move from a technical level, into leadership and governance roles.
The project is supported by the HASANZ WISE Scholarship.
Career Development Pathway Report
In 2021, in support of the capability project, WISE completed research into professional development opportunities available for OHS practitioners wanting to move into leadership and governance roles. The outcome is the Career Development Pathway Research Report.
The report provides a useful overview of the availability and cost of courses/short courses/programmes (both domestic and international) available to help OHS practitioners take their next step forward.
We hope you find it an interesting read and encourage you to share it widely amongst your colleagues and peers. Good luck to those of you who have set your sights on leadership or governance positions. With a lot of the 'leg work' done for you, we hope you find the report a useful resource that will help make your next step forward just that little bit easier.
WISE Scholarship
The WISE Network is delighted, with the support of business partners, to sponsor one of the HASANZ scholarships.
Each year, the HASANZ WISE Scholarship supports a female health and safety professional in up-skilling from a technical level into leadership and governance in order that they can positively influence future health and safety practice in Aotearoa.
2022 - Candis Hawkins earned the HASANZ WISE Scholarship and used the funds to complete the Executive Ready Programme run by Women & Leadership Australia (WLA). The programme has enabled Candis to drive safety differently as a strategic game changer for multiple angles.
2023 - Deborah Cameron was awarded the WISE HASANZ Women in Safety scholarship. Deb will be using her scholarship to extend her development into governance by attending the IoD's Company Director's Course.
