CEO Report

Happy new year and welcome to our January 2022 newsletter.

I hope that those who were able to have a break had a wonderful and restful time with friends and family and for those who worked through, I trust that it was busy and successful for you. I would also like to pass on our thanks and recognition to all security staff who have been required to work through this period providing critical essential services.

2022 is certainly going to be a busy year, with known and unknown challenges ahead of us. As the last two years have shown us, we need to be prepared for change and to be flexible and resilient.

Whilst we have been able to enjoy some degree of normality over the holiday period there remains the near certainty that it is only a matter of time before we are exposed to community transmission of the highly infectious Omicron Covid variant and concerns as to how ready we are as a country to handle an outbreak.

Evidence from around the world suggests that even countries with a highly vaccinated population have been severely impacted by Omicron – not just in maintaining core hospital services but right across basic functions and services including first responders, government services and frontline essential service workers. Employers are finding it impossible to meet increased demand for these critical services given ever increasing numbers of staff on sick leave with Omicron (current figures overseas reflect between 10% and 20% absenteeism daily).

Unless we can delay the arrival of Omicron for a sufficient period to allow for a high proportion of the population to receive their booster shot and an effective programme for vaccinating children, it seems highly likely that New Zealand will soon face exactly the same challenges. Similarly, the security industry and in particular protective services such as guarding, patrols and event security, will find it extremely difficult to provide and maintain services effectively. The industry is already struggling with staff resourcing difficulties and this will only be compounded if faced with increased demand and high levels of unplanned and short notice sick leave.

We appreciate how challenging this will be for business owners and managers and as always, we will strive to assist our members with timely and relevant guidance, information and updates on all Covid-related matters.

On a more positive note, we have some exciting updates within this newsletter including confirmation of date and venue for this year’s Security Awards ceremony.

I’m also looking forward to the re-implementation of our Regional Visit programme and the chance to meet with our members in their own business. This is a great chance for me to better understand your business, to meet with your team and to understand the key issues being faced by our members around the country. Details of the visit programme will be available shortly.

 

NZSA AGM and Board appointments
The NZSA AGM was held on 7 December at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.

With Auckland only coming out of lockdown a day prior, the attendees were able to enjoy the freedom of a face-to-face meeting with participants from outside Auckland joining via zoom.

It was pleasing to note that the Association remains in a very strong financial position and remains well placed to continue to assist its members in these challenging times.

The NZSA Board continues to be led by our Independent Chairperson Gray Paterson, with Brett Wilson as Deputy Chairperson and a board comprising David Proud, Greg Kitto, Matt Stevenson, Evan Morgans, Caroline Halton, Lance Riesterer, Shane O’Halloran and Andy Gollings.

 

COA conflict management instructor training
As part of their industry role, Skills Organisation had previously overseen and managed the approval process for Trainers delivering the CoA Mandatory Training and the facilitation of Train the Trainer and Refresher Training programmes.

With the transition of the ITO’s into the new WDC (Workforce Development Councils) structure there remains some uncertainty as to where functions such as this will ultimately reside, and it has been agreed with Ringa Hora (the Service WDC which will cover protective security services) that the NZSA will pick up and manage the CoA Conflict Management Instructor Training at least on an interim basis.

Following a robust RFP process, we have appointed Hard Target (Quinton Swanson) and RISQ NZ (Ngaire Kelaher and Mac Te Haara) to deliver the training and courses for those needing to undertake the two-yearly refresher course and those seeking to be approved to deliver the training have been scheduled throughout the year.

If you have trainers who need to complete the refresher training (one day course) or that you would like to have approved to deliver the CoA training via the train the trainer programme (two day course) can you please contact Andrea on [email protected] as we are currently scheduling courses for 2022. Please note that those wishing to become approved trainers are required as a minimum to hold NZCiS Level 3 (and preferably Level 4) and to have appropriate experience and qualifications in adult education (such as Unit Standards 4098 and 7108).

 

Training and Professional Development Special Interest Group
The TPDSIG continues to meet every two months, albeit that most meetings during 2021 were conducted electronically.

The main focus for the group currently is the development of a Literacy and Numeracy resource package designed to assist Managers, Supervisors and Team Leaders in identifying and addressing literacy and numeracy issues in the workplace. The resources will include a package of modules that can be used individually or collectively and once finalised, the materials will be made available to all industry.

We will provide more information on this exciting development in our next newsletter.

 

Electronic Security Special Interest Group
The ESSIG held its first meeting in November with a follow up meeting shortly before Christmas.

The group has elected Mike McKim (Aotea Security) as Chairperson and Sohail Autar (BECA) as Deputy Chairperson and agreed to establish a number of smaller working groups that will focus on the following critical issues:

• Industry training and professional development
• Industry compliance
• Career pathways and opportunities
• Industry best practice including Standards, Guidelines and Codes of Practice
• Industry licensing

Updates will be provided on a regular basis.

 

Industrial Relations
Late last year the government announced that with effect from 1 December 2021, all new and re-negotiated contracts for security officers, cleaners and caterers working at government agency sites will be based on workers being paid a living wage, currently $22.75 per hour.

With most government contracts on two or three year terms this will take some time to filter through, unless agencies actively seek to renegotiate their contracts with their providers. It was also noticeable that schools are excluded from specified government agencies at this time.

We can also advise that we are working with Etu with regards to preparing a joint submission to MBIE seeking some additional changes to Schedule 1A where Security Officers are recognised as Vulnerable Employees. Our submission will request the inclusion of a minimum threshold for staff providing Patrol and CIT services where they may service a large number of customers during a single shift and the requirement to consult with regards to every lost job is both ineffective and unrealistic. Whilst this may require a change in regulations, we are hopeful of a successful outcome given both employers and employees are supportive of the change.

At this time, it also appears that despite being targeted by government for introduction early this year, the Fair Pay Agreement legislation still faces some hurdles and may well be deferred until next year.

 

NZSA 50th Anniversary
The NZSA is celebrating our 50th anniversary this year.

The initial minutes of meeting of Subscribing Foundation Members of the proposed NZ Security Industry Association are dated Thursday 21 September 1972 with attendees recorded as:

• D Agar, Chubb Alarms Limited
• E Bensemann, Vigilant Limited
• C Devine, Answer Holding Services Limited
• P Henslow, Chubb Lock and Safe Company
• W Jarvie, Wormald Brothers NZ Limited
• D Major, Armoured Freightways Limited

At the meeting it was agreed to invite J Slater, Executive Secretary of the NZ Fire Prevention Association, to act as Executive Secretary and both the NZ Police and Insurance Council of NZ were invited to join as Honorary Members.

The New Zealand Security Association Incorporated was formally registered on 4 October 1972.

We believe that it is important to remember and celebrate our history and would like to invite our members to send in old photos of vehicles, staff, signage, equipment etc, that we can profile in the coming newsletters and as part of our Annual Awards event in September (refer later in this newsletter). Please forward photos to [email protected].

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

Keep safe and well.

Gary Morrison
CEO

 

New Zealand Security Awards 2022 – save the date!

 

We are pleased to announce that this year’s annual New Zealand Security Awards will be held on Friday 16 September 2022 at the Hilton, one of Auckland’s iconic and premier function venues.

As it is the 50th anniversary of the NZSA we would love to showcase some security memorabilia at the awards event. If you have anything that might be of interest from 1972 onwards please contact [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.

 

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 $37.50 + gst per box ($0.75 per unit) for members and $50 + 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

The NZSA are pleased to introduce a new member benefit. 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 – special member offer – 14c per litre off the pump price – expires 31 January 2022

After 31 January the discount will revert to the normal 12c per litre discount rate.

Please note this offer applies to all NZSA members who currently receive the 12c per litre Mobilcard discount and all new Mobilcard applicants.

If you sign up with Mobilcard during this period you will receive the following discounts during the promotional period:

• 14c incl gst per litre off the pump price on petrol
• 14c incl gst per litre off the pump price on diesel
• no card fees
• no transaction fees

Please note that members who currently have Mobilcards through the NZSA will be entitled to the same discounts for the 3 month period and members with a higher volume discount will not be impacted.

Key Benefits:

• Available at 330+ sites nationwide. See the Mobilcard website to find a site near you.
• 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 NZSA member to qualify for this offer.

For further information please email Mobilcard Business Manager, Matthew John at [email protected].

 

simPRO

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

 

New Year New Start – an NZSA HR Advisory Service update

How are your batteries feeling? Recharged or needing a boost?

If you need a boost then don’t delay, prioritise it today!

Because here’s the thing, if you don’t make time to take a break, then at some point something will give. Sadly, it can fester and soon enough your body will start to give you physical and or mental signs of fatigue.

For further information please see the Success HR blog.

 

Membership

We welcome the following new Corporate Member:

G4S New Zealand Limited

 

Events

Conflict Management – Train the Trainer and Refresher Training

As the industry peak body, the NZSA has appointed several providers to deliver the Conflict Management Train the Trainer and Refresher Training programmes around the country. These providers are subject matter experts in their own right and will ensure that those who are approved to deliver the Conflict Management Training meet necessary standards.

For further information and to register please email [email protected].

 

NZISF breakfast meeting

Topic:  The Harmful Digital Communications Act Reviewed

The Harmful Digital Communications Act has been in full force since 2017. It has been the subject of some criticism and suggestions are that it has been found wanting. Can the Act, for example, deal with all the vicious material that circulates on the Internet. This presentation by David Harvey will review the main operational sections of the Act and a recent amendment. It will discuss some of the systemic problems that the Act faces and conclude with whether or not the Act can address the problem of “hate” speech.

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

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