CEO REPORT
Welcome to our September 2024 newsletter.
It has certainly been a busy last few weeks with my attending the ASIAL Conference and Exhibition in Sydney, judging 120 plus nominations for the NZ Security Awards, facilitating the NZSA AGM, and working with our board on putting the final touches to our three-year Strategic/Business Plan.
ASIAL
This was my first time attending ASIAL since 2019 and I came away with some very mixed impressions.
The conference itself was somewhat underwhelming with a maximum of approximately 100 attendees in a large room that could hold 300 to 400, and several speaker sessions with less than 20 attendees.
A number of the speaker sessions had significant relevance to the New Zealand situation including industry licensing, labour shortages (particularly security technicians and monitoring operators) and raising procurement standards, and it was evident that Australia’s introduction of the SOCI Act (Security of Critical Infrastructure) has raised the importance and relevance of the private security sector in managing their critical infrastructure assets.
There was also a heavy focus on Generative AI, particularly from an ethical and legislative perspective and several speakers provided caution about the growing influence of China across the Asia Pacific region and Australia’s lack of supply chain planning and resilience. These sessions tended to have lower attendance numbers despite having qualified and respected presenters.
One particular point of interest for New Zealand security providers is the 2032 Brisbane Olympics and the challenges that the organisers face in meeting the security resourcing requirements – estimated to be in excess of 17,000 workers for a two-week period. To put that into perspective, Queensland currently has approximately 20,000 licensed security officers and a labour shortage. It is likely that ASIAL will play an important role in facilitating a multi-provider type structure as utilised for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, with staff probably operating under a special licence class, and I have already signalled that we would be keen on seeing how our New Zealand based members could potentially assist with resourcing.
Similar to Facilities Integrate in Auckland, the ASIAL Exhibition is now known as Integrate Security and includes both Security and AV providers.
This year’s show had over 100 security exhibitors and the same number of integrate exhibitors, making for a packed, colourful and very busy hall.
Talking to a number of our members over the couple of days, they all found the exhibition worth attending both from the perspective of viewing new products and technology, and for the connections made.
It was very evident that ASIAL continues to be well supported by New Zealand based security providers and users, and whilst the conference seems to have lost some appeal, the exhibition looks like it will continue to be a “go to” event for us.
New Zealand Security Awards
The finalists for the 2024 New Zealand Security Awards have been announced and I would like to offer my congratulations to all nominees and finalists.
This year we received in excess of 120 nominations across the 19 award categories and the quality of the nominations continues to improve every year. That makes for an interesting challenge for the judges, particularly in the most highly contested categories such as Security Administrator, Security Officer and Security Supervisor/Operations Manager, which received 11, 16 and 17 nominations respectively, and with most being of a very high standard.
A number of the categories were incredibly close in the scoring, but it was very pleasing to see that all four judges were very consistent in their approach and the allocation of their scores which ensured near unanimous agreement on the finalists, and the yet to be named winner, for each of the categories.
It has also been great to see the breadth of industry support with nominations coming from 31 different companies, and the finalists representing 23 different companies.
I’m certainly looking forward to the awards event on the evening of Friday 20 September at Crowne Plaza Hotel in Auckland, catching up with many of our members and industry stakeholders, and celebrating excellence within our industry.
My special thanks to our judges Ngaire Kelaher (ASIS NZ), Lincoln Potter and Colin Pascoe (both Independent Consultants).
2024 NZSA AGM
The AGM this year was held on 27 August and thanks to those members who attended.
At the meeting we appointed two new board members in Alison Kingdon (ADT Security) and JP Dignon (Northern District Security) replacing retiring board members Greg Kitto and Lance Riesterer, and existing board members Nicola Smith, Teresa Seux and Shane O’Halloran were re-elected for further three-year terms. To view details and biographies for NZSA Board Members please see the NZSA website.
Members also approved the replacement of the existing NZSA Rules with a new Constitution that ensures we meet the requirements of the Incorporated Societies Act 2022.
NZSA 3 Year Strategic/Business Plan
During July we facilitated a two-day meeting for the NZSA Board and Executive team to formalise a Strategy and Business Plan for the next three years.
The plan is built around three key Strategic Objectives, being:
- Lift standards and capability within the security industry
- Achieve legislative and regulatory changes that support industry growth, capability and the safety of our workers
- Ensure a responsive NZSA that is the legitimate voice for the industry
We are close to finalising the plan, with timelines and budgets, and will communicate this to our members, along with the opportunity for feedback, in upcoming months.
Ministerial Advisory Group for Victims of Retail Crime
Ministers Goldsmith and McKee recently announced the formation of a Ministerial Advisory Group for the Victims of Retail Crime that will be tasked with reducing retail crime and serious youth offending.
This aligns closely with our lobbying for legislative and licensing changes that would provide suitably trained and qualified security staff with the legal right to retrieve property and detain offenders when, and where, it is safe to do so.
We have met with Sunny Kaushal, appointed Chair for the Ministerial Advisory Group, and have received a confirmation that the NZSA will be a key stakeholder working closely with the Advisory Group and will play a significant role in achieving the stated objectives and outcomes.
Once we have a better understanding of the scope of the Advisory Group, we will invite member participation in a working group that will help determine our position on key issues.
Vocational Education and Training (VET) Reform Consultation
The New Zealand Government has launched a consultation on proposed vocational education and training system reforms. These reforms aim to address financial challenges in the polytechnic sector, enhance regional responsiveness, and improve industry engagement in vocational education.
The key proposals include:
- Polytechnic Restructure: Restructuring the polytechnic network into independent regional institutions and a federation model.
- Establishing an industry-led system for standards-setting and industry training: Two options for industry-led standards-setting and training arrangements.
Option A: Establish a small number (possibly 8) of Industry Training Boards (ITB’s), similar to the old Industry Training Organisations (ITO’s) and the ITB’s arrange training for the industry.
Option B: Replace the Workforce Development Councils (WDC’s) with a small number (possibly 8) of more focused, industry-specific standards-setting bodies.
- Changing the VET funding mechanisms.
We have some concerns with regards to all three proposals and in particular the over arching focus on returning the polytechnic institutions to profitability rather than ensuring quality outcomes for industry and learners.
We will continue to engage with the consultation process and promote a VET system that is responsive, innovative and fit for the future of work in the security industry.
Inaugural meeting of SCSIG (Security Consulting Special Interest Group)
The inaugural meeting of the SCSIG was held early August with approximately 20 attendees.
The purpose of the group is to provide guidance on key consulting issues such as licensing, standards, training, good practice and career pathways.
Meetings will initially be held monthly (one hour duration) with attendance either via Teams or attending the Beca offices in Auckland and Wellington.
If you are interested in attending the next meeting on Thursday 5 September, please contact myself on [email protected].
Member Survey re Security Technicians and the Green List
Those who employ Security Technicians are probably aware that we have made several submissions to MBIE and the Minister of Immigration seeking to have Security Technicians added to the Green List for approved residency.
Despite our demonstrating the industry need, and that Security Technicians are similarly qualified and skilled in comparison to other roles that are already approved, our submissions to date have been unsuccessful.
A big thank you to the 29 members who responded to our recent survey on this issue as we now have substantive data that validates the difficulties being faced by our members, and the financial impact of unperformed work due to labour shortages.
We intend to make a further submission this month that focuses on this data and the costs of failing to address this matter with urgency.
New Member Benefit Programme – Samsung
Look out for details of a new and revolutionary member benefit programme that will be launched in the near future and will provide our members, and their staff, with substantial discounts on the purchase of Samsung products.
As always, we welcome all comments and feedback on NZSA or industry issues and activity.
Keep safe and well.
Kind Regards
Gary Morrison
CEO
NZSA / Security Industry updates
NZSA launching new Member Database
NZSA is excited to launch our new member database with Gecco. The advantages of the new database include:
- Membership access that allows members to:
- Update contact details including branches throughout New Zealand
- Register for events
- Manage membership subscriptions and licensed staff number
- Improved email and member communications capability
- Enhanced Membership directory to allow the public to search for NZSA Members,
- Accredited Members and Graded Monitoring Centres based on the data managed by Members.
- Special Interest Groups and Committees – notice boards, discussion groups, emails with SIG or Committee member-only access.
- Access to Member Benefits, Standards and Codes of Practice.
As you can appreciate, the rollout of this system will take time and be done in stages so as not to compromise existing services.
The first stages will be the rollout of member access so members can update their contact details, branches, administrators.
Please keep an eye out for the email notifying you of the launch of the member access.
NZSA Member Benefit – Samsung
NZSA has partnered with Samsung to offer our Members exclusive pricing on all Samsung products. The Samsung member portal can only be accessed via the new Membership database mentioned above.
You will need set up your database log in to access the Samsung portal, which will be explained in the launch email coming soon.
NZSA partnering with Skillpod
NZSA is excited to launch a range of industry-leading online training courses, in partnership with training experts Skillpod, that will add huge value to your workforce for those in entry-level through to leadership roles.
Successful organisations know that a skilled and future-ready workforce is key to delivering business outcomes in today’s challenging labour market. Skillpod’s courses are:
- Easy to use
- Short yet effective
- Excellent value for money
- Specifically designed to upskill
- Morale-boosting
The following four modules are now available on the NZSA Training Hub for online purchase:
- Effective Leadership
- Communication for Leaders
- Everyday Communication
- Unconscious Bias
NZ Security Awards 2024
Congratulations to all the nominees and finalists!
We hope you can join us to celebrate the finalists and winners on Friday 20 September at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Auckland.
For more information and to register for the Awards event please see the NZSA website.
COA Conflict Management Training
Train the Trainer and Refresher Training for Trainers
Call for registrations
The CoA training provides a critical role in giving new entrants into the security industry knowledge of the legislation impacting onto security officers, the essential knowledge and skills to keep them safe in their roles, including de-escalation techniques, and an understanding of expected professional standards.
It is imperative therefore that those who deliver the training have the necessary qualifications and experience, and are confident in delivering the course content.
In the absence of a Standard Setting Body holding responsibility for this, the NZSA has provided a Good Practice Guideline for the provision of Train the Trainer Instruction – a copy can be downloaded from the NZSA website. The Guideline sets clear expectations around pre-requisite training and competency, completion of the Train the Trainer course, and undertaking bi-annual refresher training.
We have also contracted subject matter experts to deliver the Conflict Management Training in accordance with the Guideline standards and to ensure the trainers of the CoA unit standards possess the necessary skills and competence.
Please note that course numbers are limited.
The next scheduled training is scheduled as follows:
Refresher Training
22nd October 2024
$395 + GST
9am to 4pm
Penrose, Auckland
Train the Trainer Training
22nd & 23rd October 2024
$750 + GST
9am to 4pm
Penrose, Auckland
For further information and to register please email and [email protected].
Please note: the Conflict Management Refresher course includes assessment activity.
Partner updates
Employment New Zealand
Early resolution can provide a quicker, less costly solution to disputes.
Early resolution is a free, impartial phone-based service that helps employers and employees resolve a workplace issue quickly and informally.
The Ministry of Business, Employment and Innovation’s Early Resolution Service offers support by providing an alternative to formal mediation which can facilitate a more rapid and lower cost resolution of disputes than formal mediation. It is also a way to resolve a workplace issue before it becomes more serious or needs a formal process.
Early resolution assistance may involve:
- Speaking confidentially with you and the other party to understand what has happened and what is important to each of you.
- Ensuring everyone is fully informed with relevant information.
- Arranging a discussion to explore the possibility of reaching a resolution.
- Helping to negotiate an agreed outcome.
- Referring you to a more suitable agency if required.
Early resolution can help when:
- You feel you have a relationship problem at work that could be resolved quickly with help from an independent facilitator.
- You have health or safety concerns.
- You have concerns about an employee’s performance.
To apply for early resolution help, click the link: Early Resolution Form | Employment New Zealand
MSD – Security Cadet programme
We are pleased to announce a new employment-based programme with the Ministry of Social Development where we will place Auckland and Wellington based candidates, who are currently on a benefit, into long term employment with our members.
The candidates will be offered a Security Cadet position that will allow them to gain experience in at least three or four different positions during their first year of employment and with the potential to fast-track into more senior roles.
Members who employ the cadets will be financially supported under the Flexi-Wage programme and the NZSA will provide pastural care for the candidate and arrange access to the Seedpod learning modules on the NZSA Training Hub.
Employers who would like to register their interest in participating in the programme should contact Gary Morrison at [email protected].
ACC
Get Ride Ready for Motorcycle Awareness Month
The annual Motorcycle Awareness Month kicks off in September and signals the start of the peak motorcycle riding season. This is the time where over 50% of riders re-register their bikes and get back on the road after winter, so it’s a great opportunity for employers to remind their people, who commute to work by motorcycle, to stay safe on the roads.
Motorcycle Awareness Month is all about celebrating getting back on the road safely and doing the thing all riders love – riding. But with more riders on the road, including commuters, the risks increase. 48% of deaths and serious injuries occur when riding in an urban environment.
If you’re a rider and getting ready for the new riding season, or wanting to make that ride to work safer, be sure to sign up to a Ride Forever course to hone your skills on your bike.
If you’re an employer of riders, let them know about all the ways they can get ride-ready – so they can ride forever. Visit rideforever.co.nz
NZSA Membership
We welcome the following new Corporate Members:
Jellystone Security Ltd
Professional Property & Cleaning Services Ltd
Securacore Ltd
Sounds Security Data Ltd
Vanguard Security Services Ltd
and the following new Associate Company Member:
Revo Tech Ltd
and the following new Associate Individual Members:
Derek Peel
Michael Fleming
Paul Raven
Events
Clean NZ Expo
The Building Service Contractors of New Zealand (BSCNZ) will host free seminars at the CleanNZ Expo on November 6th and 7th, 2024, at Te Pae Events Centre in Christchurch. This key event for the professional cleaning industry and associated services offers networking, learning, and exploration opportunities.
Seminar Highlights:
- ACC: Leveraging support services for business excellence
- Evolving Employment Law: Modern workplace guide
- Health & Safety: Lone workers, conflict management, psychological first aid
- Artificial Intelligence: AI in action
- Cybersecurity
- Insurance: Shield against unseen threats
Additional Features:
- Networking with industry peers, suppliers, and experts
- Exhibitors showcasing the latest products and services
- Industry Awards celebrating achievements in the commercial cleaning sector
Registration:
- Free entry, but registration is required
For the full seminar program and to register, visit www.cleannzexpo.co.nz.
NZISF breakfast meeting
Topic: Introduction to DevSecOps
- What is DevSecOps?
- Why DevSecOps, not DevOps?
- How do we do DevSecOps?
- Overview of Tools of Trade and demonstrations
DevSecOps is a collaboration framework that expands the impact of DevOps by adding security practices to the software development and delivery process. DevSecOps resolves the tension between DevOps teams that want to release software quickly, and security teams that prioritize security over all else.
Speakers: Igor Portugal and Nilesh Kapoor
When: 8:00am Thursday 12 September 2024 – via Zoom
For further information and to register please see NZISF.
Member Benefits
NZSA HR Advisory Service
A reminder to members that SuccessHR are human resource consultants available for any employment support regarding your employees.
Support offered at no expense to our members is telephone communication support eg. disciplinary, performance. You also have access to individual employment agreements. Any additional support would be charged to you accordingly.
For any support or further information please contact:
Susan Beange
Human Resources Team Lead
[email protected]
021 929 528
Emma Johnston
Human Resources Specialist
[email protected]
021 659 456
Strategic Defence
Strategic Defence provides specialist protective products to members of the security industry. These products include stab/ballistic vests, boots, fog-free protective eyewear, hand-held metal detectors, flashlights, and many more. NZSA members qualify for between 10-20% discount. Expert advice, support, and unmatched service.
For more information see the Strategic Defence website.
Guardhouse
Guardhouse is an end-to-end workforce management system custom built for NZ security companies. Founded in Australia, Guardhouse is Australia’s leading security specific workforce solution, bringing our product innovation and unique workflow optimisation to the NZ market saving our clients both time and money. Our values that drive your success are customer obsessed, developing unique partnerships, simple yet powerful product design and consistent innovation and R&D.
Some of the funcationality includes, Rostering, Time & Attendance, Payroll & Invoicing + integration to accounting and payroll systemts, Welfare Checks, Incident Reporitng, Compliance Management, Company and Site SOPs with digitial signiture, Customer Portal Access, Tours and Patorls module and much more.
For more information see the Guardhouse website.
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.
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].
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].
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.