CEO’s REPORT

Welcome to our November 2022 newsletter.

In opening, congratulation to all of our finalists and award winners for the annual New Zealand Security Awards event held at the Hilton Hotel during September.

It was a fantastic event where we had the chance to recognise and celebrate the efforts of who work in the industry and in particular, the twenty award winners who have excelled in their roles.

As is normal, many of the 250 plus attendees were bought to tears listening to the acts of bravery and the humility of those being recognised. The event also highlighted the real diversity that exists within our industry across gender, ethnicity and age (where those recognised ranged from their early 20’s to our supreme award winner who is in the later stages of his career).

It was also great to see a range of companies represented across the categories, including smaller privately owned companies such as Crosbies Security who were awarded the Outstanding New Product or Service Award for their Smart Solar Towers product.

I’m pleased to advise that the 2023 NZ Security Awards will be held on the 15 September at the newly opened Te Pae Convention Centre in Christchurch – make sure the date is in your diary!

 

NZSA “Saved a Life” Awards

Commencing in the New Year, the NZSA will launch a new award programme that recognises and celebrates those workers within our industry who have saved a life, or lives, through their actions.

This follows on from the well-received and very successful Covid Guardian award programme that we ran during the lockdown periods.

Nominations can be submitted at the time and with recipients recognised within each newsletter. Recipients will receive a certificate and trophy to be retained and will also be recognised at the annual awards event through a roll call.

We are also hopeful of receiving on-going media coverage for the awards. Look out for more details in the next month or two.

 

Update re Fair Pay Agreements (FPA’s)

This is a very important issue that may have significant implications for those providing physical security services such as guards, patrols, cash-in-transit and possibly monitoring/communication centres.

The Fair Pay Agreements Bill has passed its final reading and will likely come into force at the end of November with applications for a “Fair Pay” Agreement (FPA) able to be lodged from early December.

The Bill means that Unions will be able to start (initiate) sector-wide negotiations with employer associations (such as NZSA) to create mandatory agreements that set minimum terms and conditions for all employers in a sector, not just for a single employer.

It is important to note however that even though we expect the Security Sector to be amongst the first industries to be initiated, in a practical sense there is nothing that our members need to do immediately to prepare for this change in employment relations.

As the peak body for the security sector, the NZSA has sought expert guidance and consulted with key stakeholders such as MBIE to ensure that we can provide our members, and all industry employers, with the necessary governance, systems and processes should we be required to represent and support them.

We will keep you informed on developments over coming weeks and also remind our members that more information can be found under the FPA tab on our website.

 

Review of industry training qualifications

With the new WDC’s (Workforce Development Councils) now resourced and operational, one of their first actions has been to review qualifications on the NZQA framework to identify those which are being used and to ensure that they retain relevancy to industry.

The security industry is represented by two WDC’s – Ringa Hora (Service Industry) for the physical security sector and Waihanga Ara Rau (Construction and Infrastructure) for the electronic security sector.

We, and a number of our members and industry stakeholders, have been fully involved in the review process and we are pleased to advise that we fully support the outcomes to date.

The next stage of the review process will commence in 2023 and involves looking at the Unit Standards that make up each qualification. From experience, this can become a long and drawn-out process but given the unit standards across both physical security and electronic security are fairly recent there is a degree of confidence that we can conclude this reasonably quickly and start to move onto the qualification development phase, including a Level 5 for the NZ Certificate in Security.

As a general comment, the move from Training Organisations to the WDC’s has caused a significant hiatus in industry training over the last two years however there is cause for optimism in that we can now start to look at delivering training in a manner that can achieve the best outcomes for industry and our workers.

 

CATE Conference (Careers and Transition Education Association)

I’m sure that most of our members will agree that the greatest challenge they face currently is in attracting sufficient staff to meet service requirements. This issue isn’t unique to the physical security sector, with almost all electronic security providers experiencing extreme staff pressures as well.

Whilst it is very difficult to quantify exact numbers, we estimate that the wider security industry is currently short of at least 2,500 workers.

One of the challenges for the industry is the lack of understanding by the general public of the diverse range of services and roles that fall within the scope of the security industry. We have developed a very comprehensive website (www.securitycareers.co.nz) that includes an in-depth overview of roles and pathways but need to better educate those seeking employment, and particularly school leavers, on the opportunities that exist within the security industry.

One initiative we have implemented is to create greater awareness of our industry, and the Security Career website resource, across all school career advisors. As part of this, I will attend and man our stand for three days at the CATE Conference in Christchurch in late November. This event brings the majority of school career advisors together on an annual basis and provides the ideal opportunity to sell our industry and career options.

Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism Conference

I’m pleased to be attending the Whenua Taurikura Hui 2022 being held in Auckland at the start of November. The focus of the hui will be on all of society approaches to preventing terrorism and violent extremism in New Zealand.

I have previously provided representations to government working groups on the capability and capacity of the private security sector and how we can contribute towards improving our national resilience towards terrorism and violent extremism.

It is also worth highlighting that the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service and within the last week published a document “Know the signs – A guide to identifying the signs of violent extremism”. The guide aims to raise awareness of indicators of violent extremism and to help people identify some of the key warning signs.

I would certainly recommend that employers should read this document and consider distribution or promotion to their staff and customers. The document can be downloaded from the NZSIS website.

 

Master Electricians – licensing requirements

Several years ago, the NZSA and Master Electricians produced a joint release that provided clarity with regards to the licensing requirements that pertain to electricians when selling, installing or servicing security systems including alarms and cameras.

In very simplified terms, an electrician who is registered with the EWRB is exempted from the need to hold a CoA as a Security Technician when installing or servicing security systems. Should that electrician however be involved in selling or giving advice on that security system, they need to hold a CoA under the Security Consultant category.

We are currently working with the Master Electrician Association on updating the joint release and expect to be able to promote and distribute the document within the next few weeks.

 

VR

The use of the e-learning and virtual reality training platform for the delivery of the CoA training continues to grow and is now part of the accepted delivery model for a number of security businesses.

The VR platform is also being used for attracting workers to our industry with MSD hosting a series of Virtual Reality Job Expo’s around the country. The expos provide a safe and welcoming environment where attendees get to experience what it is like to work in an industry using the VR headsets. There are 12 industries represented and to date, security has been one of the most popular with the attendees.

As always, we welcome all comments and feedback on NZSA or industry issues and activity.

Keep safe and well.

Kind regards,
Gary Morrison
CEO

 

Keeping your team up to date

Like many organisations we are constantly looking for ways to ensure we can communicate effectively with our members and their teams. The best way to stay up to date on NZSA and industry news is via our newsletter. The more people from each company who receive our newsletter, the higher the chance of updates being communicated within the industry.

With this in mind, we welcome you to send us any company contacts who would like to receive our newsletter and we will add them to our distribution list.

Please email any contacts to [email protected].

 

NZSA member referral – strength in numbers

NZSA’s membership has grown strongly over the past year and each new member not only strengthens the Association and the security community, it also enables us to provide you with more benefits and services and a greater voice for the industry. So help grow your community and strengthen your Association by referring a prospective new member.

To refer a prospective member please email details to [email protected]. For details on member benefits please see the NZSA website.

 

Face masks available

The NZSA has obtained from the Ministry of Health face masks from government stocks. These masks are Ministry of Health approved for essential services. The masks are available to order in boxes of 50 and the cost is $20 + gst per box ($0.40 per unit) for members and $30 + gst per box for non-members.

If you would like to place an order can you please email us at [email protected] with your requirements.

 

Member Benefits

Building Networks Compliance Guidance

Building Networks are the leading authority on building compliance and they are offering a 20% discount for members: Building Networks website

For industry news, updates, tips and opinions from the frontline, sign up to the Building Networks newsletter or visit their YouTube channel.

 

First Aid and Refresher Training

Life Care Consultants have extensive experience with first aid training in the security industry and are offering NZSA members a 10% discount on all first aid and refresher training.

For further information please email Russell Taylor [email protected].

 

Mobilcard

NZSA have an agreement with Mobilcard offering members fuel discounts

Key Benefits:

• Up to 16 cents per litre (including GST) discount off the pump price for all diesel and petrol purchased at a discounted Mobilcard acceptor sites. Minimum discount of 12 cents per litre (including GST).
• Available at 330+ sites nationwide. View www.mobilfuelfinder.co.nz to find an acceptor site near you.
• No card or transaction fees.
• No need to manage receipts for tax purposes, all managed under one account.
• Costs can be tracked easily with one monthly invoice. You can also have online access to multiple reports including the fuel consumed by individual vehicles.
• PIN number and purchase restrictions for added security.
• You must be a member of the NZSA to qualify for this offer.

A vehicle consuming 100 litres per week using a discount of up to 6 cents per litre = $6 discount per week..

A vehicle consuming 100 litres per week using the NZSA MOBILCARD discount of up to 16cents per litre = $16 discount per week

For a company fleet of 20 vehicles that’s potentially an annual saving of over $10,000 per annum.

The discount level is dependent on volume of fuel used per annum.

For further information please email [email protected].

 

 simPRO Sofware

simPRO is a leading operations management solution for service, maintenance and project contractors. Connect the office to the field, delivery exceptional customer service and gain invaluable insights with automated processes, streamlined workflows and in-depth business reporting.

NZSA members are eligible to receive a 20% discount on initial implementation costs of simPRO and for the month of November two months free!

For further information visit the simPRO website.

 

NZSA Speak Up Line

The NZSA Speak Up Line is free to members and provides access to a confidential service where staff can report issues such as bullying, sexual harassment, poor employment conditions, illegal practices such as theft or drug dealing and other matters of concern that may be occurring in the workplace and not being reported.

Phone                 0800 775 775

Online reports     www.integrityline-nz.org/nzsa

The NZSA will provide posters, business-sized card to go into wallets, stickers and introductory letters for your staff. They are designed for members to include their own corporate branding prior to distribution.

The service is particularly valuable where employees may be reluctant to speak up or report matters due to fears that by doing so it may affect their employment or risk further victimisation.

It is also important to note that such services meet government procurement requirements around providing a voice for staff.

This service is provided by Crimestoppers who obviously have considerable experience in handling sensitive calls in a confidential manner. They log the calls or online reports and forward to the NZSA for further investigation if required. The staff member can remain anonymous if they wish to do so.

Register for the NZSA Speak Up Line by emailing [email protected]. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact us.

 

NZSA HR Advisory Service

NZSA is partnered with Sucess HR to provide access to free HR advice as well as templated key documents and policies.

This is a fantastic offering for our members and their management staff, in particular those smaller companies who do not have access to in-house or contracted HR expertise. Please share this with your line managers, supervisors and staff who may have a need for this great HR service.

Services and documents available include:

• HR advice and guidance
• Employment Agreements: permanent, fixed term, casual
• Position Descriptions
• Policy Documents
• Updates on legislation and best practice

For members requiring NZSA HR Advisory services please contact: [email protected] or 021 918 331

 

Events

NZISF breakfast meeting

Topic:  Usable privacy engineering: Developing privacy-preserving software systems that people can use

The software has become so pervasive today that it challenges user privacy when users interact with it. Therefore, a broader concept of privacy and usability is required for privacy-preserving software systems.

When: 8:00am Thursday 10 November 2022 via zoom

For further information and to register please see the NZSA website.