Pulling together to make a difference

Joe's Blog

What a year!

2025 has kept us on our toes. From wild weather tearing through the top of the South Island and leaving millions of trees damaged, to the long-awaited launch of the Approved Code of Practice: Safe Practice for Forestry and Harvesting Operations - it’s been anything but dull.

But what’s stood out most? Watching our industry pull together to keep our people safe. The collaboration behind the new ACOP and the energy at the workshops showed what we can achieve when safety is front and centre.

The Safetree Certification programme is another bright spot - going from strength to strength as more companies commit to well-organised and prepared kaimahi and contractors.

The focus now shifts to the draft drugs and alcohol policy. This is your chance to shape it. Fit-for-work is a foundation stone for safety at work, and no one understands the realities better than those of you on the ground. Your input matters, so let’s get this right. Let us have your feedback.

We also know it’s been a tough year. Cost-of-living pressures, relentless weather, and uncertainty have taken their toll. Many of us are running on empty. So as the holiday rush kicks in, don’t let fatigue tempt you into shortcuts. Take that extra moment to think, stick to the protocols, and make sure you’re there to hand out the gifts on the 25th.

From all of us at Safetree - thank you for your commitment, support and dedication to our shared aspiration of improving forest safety. Wishing you a very meri kirihimete and a well-earned break filled with fun, rest, and time with those who matter most.

Have your say on the new drugs and alcohol policy

FISC has released the first update to its Drugs and Alcohol Good Practice Guide and Policy for Fitness to Work in over a decade – and wants your thoughts on it.

The current guidance was originally written in 2008 and revised in 2015. Since then, much has changed:

• New drug testing standards: AS/NZS 4308:2023, AS/NZS 4760:2019, and AS 3547:2019 are now in place.
• Updated Case Law: Recent New Zealand legal decisions have shaped workplace drug and alcohol policies.
• Advances in testing: New products and methodologies have emerged, and NZ Police plans to introduce oral fluid roadside drug driving testing in 2025/26 -highlighting how quickly the landscape is evolving.

The updated guidelines are designed to help forest owners and industry employees develop their own company policies. They include a policy template covering three key areas:

1. Education - For those affected by the policy and those administering it.
2. Process - Incorporating current good practice aligned with NZ/Australian technical standards.
3. Follow-up actions  - Guidance on return-to-work, medication, and rehabilitation options.

Have your say
We're keen for feedback from contractors, forest owners, forestry workers and anyone else involved in the industry. Tell us what works, what doesn’t, and what you need. The consultation is open until the end of January.

“We encourage anyone in the sector to provide their thoughts on this document. Providing feedback is quick and easy, and we will value the input. It’s important we all work together to make our industry safer,” Akari says.

Download the draft policy

Provide feedback online

ACC expands occupational diseases cover: what businesses need to know 

The Government has approved updates to Schedule 2 of the Accident Compensation Act 2001, which sets out the occupational diseases with a strong, established link to workplace exposure.

These changes are now in effect and provide a more direct pathway to ACC cover for affected workers.

Twelve new occupational diseases have been added to Schedule 2, following recommendations from an independent panel of health experts. The changes are intended to ensure Schedule 2 reflects current scientific evidence and the exposures faced by New Zealand’s workforce. More information is available at the link below.

Download more information about the changes here

New qualification to strengthen forestry earthworks capability

A New Zealand Certificate in Infrastructure Works, with a focus on forestry earthworks, has just been launched.

The qualification, approved by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, is specifically for Forestry Earthworks Excavator Operators, as there has been no suitable Level 3 qualification available for them, Education and Training Contractor Greg Steele says.

It will be delivered by the Gisborne iwi tertiary education provider, Turanga Ararau, with materials prepared by the forestry industry working group that developed the qualification, driven by Manulife Investment Management and Matariki Forests.

Intended outcomes for the qualification include:

• Providing qualifications and skill recognition for Level 3 Machine (excavator) Operators employed in forestry earthworks.
• Enabling industry ownership of the system.
• Building training and assessing capability within earthworks crews.
• Adding attraction for recruitment.
• Demonstrating forest industry commitment to improving skills and knowledge among operators, particularly in erosion, sediment and woody debris management.
• Providing options for employees to develop as trainers and assessors.

Steele says the need for such a forestry earthworks specific qualification became apparent following recent weather events affecting much of the forest estate nationwide, and the East Coast in particular.

More information on the qualification, including course content and contacts, is available here.

WorkSafe resets strategic priorities

WorkSafe New Zealand has issued a four-year plan to reset its operations and better support the government’s health and safety reforms.

Its new Statement of Intent 2025–2029 focuses on educating and engaging businesses while delivering proportionate enforcement when needed.

“We know most businesses and workers want to do the right thing, and we want to make sure they have the guidance and support they need from the regulator,” WorkSafe says.

“The consequences of not taking the right health and safety actions are high and very real. We will influence business and workers to get it right from the start.”

WorkSafe says its focus will be on managing critical risks that cause the most serious workplace harm, and it will put its effort into “reducing acute, chronic and catastrophic harm, with particular focus on the high-risk sectors of agriculture, construction,
forestry, and manufacturing.”

WorkSafe describes the key changes as including:

• Clearer guidance and support – practical information tailored to real-world conditions.
• Targeted engagement – proactive partnerships and sector-led initiatives in high-risk industries.
• Proportionate enforcement – fair, consistent action when obligations aren’t met, with greater use of enforceable undertakings as alternatives to prosecution.

It will also invest in digital technology and data insights to make compliance simpler and more efficient, it says.

Learn more about the changes and read the Statement of Intent 2025-2029

New Recovery at Work public campaign launches

ACC is extending its Recovery at Work programme and launching a public campaign to promote active recovery for sprains and strains.

It aims to help people stay active and connected to their workplace so they can recover faster and return to whānau, work, and life.

Sprains and strains account for over 1.3 million claims each year, contributing significantly to time off work and millions of lost workdays.

ACC has created new online resources and videos for employers and injured employees. Find them below.

Download more information about the campaign here

Final message from Muka Tangata

The Workforce Development Council for the food and fibre sector, Muka Tangata, has expressed its heartfelt thanks to the industry, providers and government agency partners as it prepares to close its doors.

The WDC closes down on 19 December, after which time a new Industry Skills Board will represent the food and fibre sector in vocational education and training, taking effect from January 2026.

In its final newsletter, WDC chief executive Jeremy Baker and chair Erin Simpson said the Council’s insights, workforce development plans and research have been passed on to the new Food and Fibre Industry Skills Board, government agencies and industry, in the hope the Council's work from the last four years can be carried forward. These resources can also be downloaded from its website until the end of 2027.

A number of the Council’s experienced kaimahi will transition into management, qualifications, quality assurance, and engagement roles and will build on the foundations established by the WDC in the new Food and Fibre Industry Skills Board, they said.

The new Industry Skills Board will be in touch before the Christmas break with more details to ensure a smooth transition for industries and providers.

Check out the Muka Tangata website

Beat the heat this summer

We’ve already had some hot days, and this is only likely to increase when we return for the new year.

As always, start-up meetings are a great time to remind crews and team members to take care of themselves in hot weather. The key things to remember are:

Be SunSmart – remember to Slip, Slop, Slap, Wrap
• Slip on a light, breathable, long-sleeved shirt, and Slip into shade as much as possible when working and resting.
• Slop water-resistant, broad-spectrum sunscreen (at least SPF 30) onto all uncovered skin. Put it on 20 minutes before you go out and reapply at least every two hours.
• Slap on a helmet with a visor and neck flap.
• Wear Wrap-around sunnies – make sure they fit with your PPE needs.

Drink heaps of water or electrolytes
• Carry a bottle with you and aim to drink at least a litre every hour when working outside in hot weather.
• Don’t drink lots of coffee/caffeinated drinks or alcohol the night before because this will dehydrate you.
• Watch your pee – ideally it’s a light yellow/pale straw colour, not dark yellow. If it’s dark, you need to drink more water.

Look out for signs of heat stress
• Mild heat stress – watch out for heavy sweating, panting, fast and weak pulse, tiredness, fainting, nausea, headache, grumpiness, wonky vision. Stop work, rest, drink water, cool down immediately.
• Severe heat stress – watch out for really hot and dry skin, rapid and strong pulse, throbbing headache, dizziness, nausea, confusion, unconsciousness, diarrhoea, tingling and numbness in hands/feet.
• Call 111 if you think someone has severe heat stress – it’s a medical emergency