Outdoors New Zealand welcomes safety audit standard for adventure activities

Outdoors New Zealand (ONZ) is backing New Zealand's Safety Audit Standard for adventure activities.

Published on 14th March 2013 by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), ONZ believes that the Standard has the potential to provide significant benefits for the adventure tourism and outdoor commercial sector.

ONZ was delighted to be the principal developer of the 'Safety Audit Standard for Adventure Activities Requirements for a Safety Audit of Operators', which is the first standard created by MBIE under the Health and Safety in Employment (Adventure Activities) Regulations 2011.

ONZ Chief Executive, Garth Dawson, says the standard is a major advance in implementing the recommendations from the Adventure Tourism and Outdoor Commercial Safety review.

Dawson explains "this development is a holistic suite of measures including the adventure activities regulations, the audit standard, operator registration scheme and guidance resources.

"Through this initiative the New Zealand outdoor sector, in combination with MBIE, is establishing one of the most comprehensive adventure safety environments in the world," he says.

"It is a unique combination of regulation, education and enforcement that increases the assurance of safe operating practices in New Zealand's outdoors."

OutdoorsMark, the national outdoor safety audit programme managed by ONZ, is already aligned with the standard. Operators, who are OutdoorsMark certified, can have confidence that their operation meets the requirements of the standard.

New Zealand Minister of Labour Simon Bridges says the new Standard sets a bar for adventure activity operators who are required to pass a safety audit before they can become registered, stating "there will always be a level of risk with these types of activities, but commercial operators must take all practicable steps to operate safely."

Minister Bridges says New Zealand is renowned for its adventure tourism and the standard is part of a range of initiatives introduced over the last three years to strengthen the safety of the industry.

The standard can be read at www.dol.govt.nz/adventure-activities

25th May 2010 - SAFETY IN NEW ZEALAND ADVENTURE TOURISM