More than ticking boxes: How becoming an NZSA Accredited Member can grow your business.
When Alpha Protection Services signed up for NZSA Membership Auditing they expected a ‘box-ticking’ exercise, what they received was of much greater value to their business.
Alpha Protection Services based in Christchurch are a company with a vision and goals that have seen them grow steadily since they were established 10 years ago. Founded by brothers Kieran Norton-Taylor and Connlan Norton-Taylor (Ngāi Tahu) they, like many of their iwi, are resilient, entrepreneurial people who set themselves high standards and seek to improve at every turn. The NZSA has helped them do just that.
Only a year after starting Alpha, Kieran started looking for industry connections and best practices they could embrace. They reached out to the New Zealand Institute of Private Investigators (NZIPI) and also learned about the NZSA. “We became aware of the NZSA during this time and after speaking with Gary we decided to change our mind and joined the NZSA as we believed it was a better fit for our business and we really resonated with Gary’s vision for the security industry”.
They applied for membership and once approved delved into the resources available there, including the Codes of Practice to help shape their business. Initially they were focused on hospitality security and knew that there were issues there with many unlicenced guards that gave their industry a bad name so wanted to see standards raised.
Kieran had previously worked for the Ministry of Justice overseeing security across their locations in Canterbury, so he already had good relationships with key stakeholders such as the police and St Johns. These were key organisations in the Justice and Emergency Services Precinct for which Kieran was responsible and he worked closely with them including running first aid training for guards. He has continued to grow and build on these relationships after leaving the Department to pursue private security full time and formed new connections, including with the local council, business association and liquor licensing authority.
The Audit
The audit process though unlocked more connections, and deeper insights to how their business could operate. “We wanted to take that next step and see how we sat in terms of the benchmarking and codes of conduct.” NZSA CEO Gary Morrison undertook their audit spending two days on the ground in their office. They were proud that in terms of the benchmarks they passed everything, but it didn’t end there. “Gary didn’t rest on that, he said we had met the criteria on the first attempt, but he then had a lot of advice of how we could take the business to the next level. It wasn’t just a box ticking exercise to make sure you had everything to operate safely and to the Codes of Practice, it was also Gary sharing advice to make us better.”
That advice included further improving health and safety, ethical advice in terms of fair pay and conditions, and dealing with workplace conflicts. Another surprise was Gary spent the second day on the ground visiting guards out in the field. The advice that flowed from that was also valuable in terms of efficiencies and more productive ways to work. It also extended to what their clients are looking for in terms of guarding, the mindset that their guards needed to be in when on the ground and how as business owners to act when looking for new opportunities.
The Value
With Alpha expanding into monitoring patrols, large event screening, private security services and static security at critical infrastructure and business, they found themselves up against the larger players and so standards needed to be high.
But although competing for tenders is one aspect, these businesses also need to work together on the large events and when overflow work occurs. Kieran wanted to ensure he had a good relationship with his peers in the region and the audit advice helped them shape that approach. “Meeting with other audited members and getting feedback from them, and offering feedback in return, has helped us raise the standard across the industry.” When it comes to working on large events like Electric Avenue (60,000 expected in 2025) that coordination and understanding ensures a great result for everyone involved.
When it comes to tenders or just meeting with prospective customers, the NZSA membership and being an audited member is included in every approach. “Every tender document has a page that talks about the NZSA and the Accredited Membership status and what it means for them. And when you are not a household name, they can see that you are bound by those ethics and codes of conduct and in terms of credit checks and health and safety, so they are reassured we are not cutting corners and that we have all the procedures in place to do the best job possible for them.”
The ‘best job possible’ is exactly what an NZSA Membership Audit aims to achieve. Alpha had the drive to reach higher, but the NZSA has suggested the pathways to get there. As the organisation tasked with supporting and promoting a thriving security industry in New Zealand, the standards that we set and hold ourselves to are critical to ensuring we rightfully earn the respect of everyone we interact with across the motu.
To learn more about the process of becoming an Accredited Member click here.