Guidelines, Codes of Practice and Standards

Security Industry Good Practice Guidelines

On the 18th November 2011 Security Officer Charanpreet Singh Dhaliwal commenced employment with CNE Security and was assigned to work at a construction site in Henderson. Tragically he was not to return home from his first night at his new job.

During the evening four offenders entered the site. Mr Dhaliwal confronted them and one of the offenders picked up a piece of wood and struck Mr Dhaliwal at least twice to the head. The cause of death was attributed to blunt force trauma.

The Coroner’s investigation into the death identified a number of industry issues around licensing and training and also highlighted the need for an industry-wide Code of Practice or Guideline as to what constitutes good practice. Whilst the licensing and training recommendations were implemented with some expediency, the development of the Guideline was unfortunately deemed to be of low priority by WorkSafe (the agency tasked with development by the Coroner) and was never progressed.

Several years ago the NZSA and E tū raised this matter with WorkSafe but were advised that other industry sectors were of a higher priority, and development of guidelines remained unlikely. At this time the NZSA took ownership of the project and through the collective efforts of a number of security providers, the NZSA Board and E tū produced the document which is now available for all industry.

Download the Security Industry Good Practice Guidelines

 

NZSA Good Practice Guideline – Inspection and Maintenance of SS3/2 Access-Controlled Doors

Access-controlled doors play an important role in protecting people, property and assets. However, when these doors form part of a building’s means of escape, they must also perform a critical life-safety function: allowing occupants to leave quickly and safely during an emergency. A door that fails to release when required can have catastrophic consequences, making regular inspection, testing and maintenance essential.

This guideline has been developed by the New Zealand Security Association (NZSA) to promote a consistent, practical approach to the inspection and maintenance of Specified System 3/2 (SS3/2) Access-Controlled Doors.

NZSA Good Practice Guideline_Inspection and Maintenance of SS32 Access-Controlled Doors

 

NZSA Good Practice Guideline – Part 6A of the Employment Relations Act 2000

The New Zealand security industry operates in an environment where service contracts are regularly retendered, transferred between providers, outsourced, or brought in-house. These changes can have significant implications for both security officers and employers.

To provide greater employment security for workers affected by contract changes, security officers were included in the vulnerable worker protections contained in Part 6A of the Employment Relations Act 2000 from 1 July 2021.

Part 6A establishes rights for eligible security officers when security services are transferred from one employer to another and places obligations on both outgoing and incoming employers. The legislation is intended to support continuity of employment, preserve employment conditions, and provide a fair and orderly process when service contracts change hands.

This Good Practice Guideline provides practical guidance to help employers, employees, clients, unions, and other industry stakeholders understand and apply the requirements of Part 6A within the security industry.

NZSA Good Practice Guideline_Part 6A of the Employment Relations Act 2000

Codes of Practice

Codes of Practice are available to members on request. To obtain a copy of these documents please email [email protected]

NZSA Code of Practice – Security Business Operations (2025)
Supporting documents:

  • Good Practice Guideline
  • AS/NZS 4421:2011 – Guard and Patrol Security Services
  • Membership Guidance for Part 6A Vulnerable Workers – Transfer of Undertaking – Best Practice Guidelines

NZSA Code of Practice – Health and Safety Capability (2022)

NZSA Code of Practice – Security Resilience Capability (2023)
Supporting documents:

  • NZSA Security Resilience Capability Handbook
  • AS/NZS ISO 31000:2009 – Risk Management Principles and Guidelines
  • HB 167:2006 – Security Risk Management

NZSA Code of Practice – Cash in Transit (2022)

NZSA Code of Practice – Security Systems: Electronic and Physical (2023)
Supporting documents:

  • AS/NZS IEC 60839.11.1:2019 – Alarm and Electronic Security Systems, Part 11.1: Electrical
  • AS/NZS IEC 60839.11.2:2019 – Alarm and Electronic Security Systems, Part 11.2: Electrical Access Control Systems – Application Guidelines
  • AS/NZS IEC 60839.11.31:2020 – Alarm and Electronic Security Systems, Part 11.3: Electronic Access Control Systems – Core Interoperability Protocol
  • AS/NZS 2201.1:2007 – Intruder Alarm Systems – Clients Premises – Design, Installation, Commissioning and Maintenance
  • AS/NZS 2201.5:2008 – Intruder Alarm Systems – Alarm Transmission Systems

NZSA Code of Practice – Alarm Monitoring Centres (2026)

NZSA Code of Practice – Protective Security Services (2022)

NZSA Code of Practice – Security Drones (2022)

NZSA Code of Practice – Secure Destruction of Sensitive Material (2026)

NZSA Code of Practice – Security Consulants (2026)

Industry Code of Practice for Access Controlled Doors and Compliance: Schedule Reference Guide (2021)

Code of Practice for Electro-Mechanical Controlled Locking Devices on Egress Doors (2018)

FPANZ Code of Practice for the Integration of Building Fire Safety Systems with Other Services (2022)

Guidelines

Guidelines available to members on request. Please email [email protected]

Security Industry Good Practice Guidelines

MBIE Compliance Schedule Handbook (2022)

NZSA Good Practice Guideline_Provision of Train the Trainer Instruction

New Zealand’s Security Industry – securing the future

NZSA Security Resilience Capability Handbook (2023)

Membership Guidance for Part 6A Vulnerable Workers – Transfer of Undertaking – Best Practice Guidelines

NZSA Good Guidance Document – Domestic Smoke Alarm Installation – Compliance with Standards

Standards

We have a number of widely-used Standards available to members on request. Please note that due to copyright issues these are read-only and cannot be onforwarded for further distribution however you may print a hard copy for your reference. To obtain a read-only copy of these documents please email [email protected]

Risk Management

  • AS/NZS ISO 31000:2009 – Risk Management Principles and Guidelines
  • HB 167:2006 – Security Risk Management

Alarm and Electronic Security Systems

  • AS/NZS IEC 60839.11.1:2019 – Alarm and Electronic Security Systems, Part 11.1: Electrical Access Control Systems – System and Component Requirements
  • AS/NZS IEC 60839.11.2:2019 – Alarm and Electronic Security Systems, Part 11.2: Electrical Access Control Systems – Application Guidelines
  • AS/NZS IEC 60839.11.31:2020 – Alarm and Electronic Security Systems, Part 11.3: Electronic Access Control Systems – Core Interoperability Protocol
  • AS/NZS 2201.1:2007 – Intruder Alarm Systems – Clients Premises – Design, Installation, Commissioning and Maintenance
  • AS/NZS 2201.5:2008 – Intruder Alarm Systems – Alarm Transmission Systems

Recommended but not included in NZSA NZ Standards subscription:

  • IEC 62676-1-1:2013 – Video Surveillance Systems for use in Security Applications – Part 1-1: System Requirements – General
  • IEC 67676-2-2:2013 – Video Surveillance Systems for use in Security Applications – Part 2-2: Video Transmission Protocols – IP Interoperability Implementation based on HTTP and REST Services

Smoke Alarms and Fire Protection

Electrical Installations

  • AS/NZS 3016:2002 – Electrical Installations – Electrical Security Fences
  • AS/NZS 3000:2018 – Electrical Installations – Australian & NZ Wiring Rules

Security Personnel Services

  • AS/NZS 4421:2011 – Guard and Patrol Security Services