WorkSafe is proposing some changes to the Safety Audit Standard for Adventure Activities (Requirements for a Safety Audit of Operators) that was issued in March 2017.

We invite feedback on the proposed changes set out in the consultation paper:

We would especially like to hear from recognised safety auditors and adventure activities operators.

About the proposed changes

The Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment (MBIE) carried out a targeted review of the adventure activities regulatory regime after the Whakaari/White Island eruption in 2019. Our main proposals for changes to the Audit Standard were identified through this review.

This review identified that changes to the Audit Standard were necessary to: 

• introduce specific requirements for operators to assess and manage risks associated with natural hazards; and
• provide detailed requirements for what information about risks must be provided to participants and how risk communication should occur.

We are seeking feedback on the proposed changes that address these points, along with a range of other proposed changes to the Audit Standard that we have identified.

How to have your say

Read the consultation paper, which includes questions to guide your submission – you can respond to any or all of the questions. We also encourage you to include feedback on other relevant issues.  

Send us your feedback by downloading and completing the submission form and emailing it to aao@worksafe.govt.nz. Use “Consultation on Safety Audit Standard for Adventure Activities” in the subject line of your email.

Submissions close at 5pm on Friday 25 November 2022.

Use of information

We will use the information you provide in your submissions to inform the review and development of the Audit Standard. We may contact you if we require clarification of any matters you raise.

Release of information

Release of submissions is subject to the Official Information Act 1982.

Tell us as part of your submission if you have any objection to the release of any information in the submission, which parts you consider should be withheld, and include your reasons for withholding the information (for example, commercially sensitive material). We will consider any objections you note and consult with you when responding to requests under the Official Information Act 1982.

Indicate on the front of your submission if it contains confidential information and mark the text accordingly.

Private information

The Privacy Act 2020 establishes certain principles with respect to the collection, use and disclosure of information about individuals by various agencies, including WorkSafe. Any personal information you supply to WorkSafe in the course of making a submission will be used in the collation of feedback to inform the review and development of the Audit Standard.

Clearly indicate in your submission if you do not wish your name to be included in any summary of submissions that we may publish.