UPDATE FROM THE NZISM PRESIDENT

Kia ora koutou to all members and supporters of NZISM.

It was a real pleasure this week to attend the first formal meeting of the new NZISM Senior Leadership Team. While we met recently via an online forum, this was our first face-to-face gathering and it was important for us to do this before the end of the year so the team can head into 2020 with a clear plan on how to develop the new roles into the future.

This is my last update for 2019 and as I reflect on the past 12 months it is really clear that the organisation is heading in an upwards direction. There are a number of key projects on the go which are directly linked to our strategic plan. As a refresher these cover the following areas of focus: demonstrating leadership; known as trusted and influential; delivering an exceptional member experience; ensuring organisational sustainability, and delivering professional capability. Responsibility for the projects aligned to these goals are spread across the new roles within the team and will be tracked regularly with risk level assessed in terms of progress.

In January this year I spoke about the importance of health and safety professionals in building trust and relationships with stakeholders. I was reminded of this recently when I was catching up on some Todd Conklin podcasts and was listening to the two-part interview with Edgar Schein. In episode 238 Schein talks about ALL safety and effectiveness programmes being driven by the same two ideas; openness and trust. He goes on to say that of all the things a health and safety professional does, they don’t really work without these key components. Maybe for those who are thinking about their professional development needs for 2020 you can consider how to build your social capital with stakeholders and how you might increase your capabilities in some of these essential skills.

It has been inspiring to see the growth and development of the Emerging Safety Leaders’ networks around the country; this is a fabulous initiative and I congratulate those who have been at the forefront of creating these environments for networking, collaboration and peer support. I really look forward to continuing NZISM’s support of this group.

Another reminder is related to the next World Congress on Safety and Health which, as has been mentioned before, is being held on 4th-7th October 2020 in Toronto, Canada. If there any NZISM members who are interested in attending this event, get in touch with me directly and we can set up a communications network. In the past there have been discounts applied to tickets for INSHPO member associations so hopefully that will be the case again in 2020.

As we head at a great rate of knots towards the end of the year, I am again reminded of something that I say every year, and this year is no different. I encourage you all to provide that extra bit of support for your employers, clients and their workers over the next 2 months or so, to ensure that their health, safety, wellness and importantly their wellbeing is front of mind.

As reported last month, I attended the NZISM Southland Safety Show a few weeks ago. What a fabulous day and a credit to the Invercargill branch committee for organising what was a really vibrant event. The room was a buzz with chatter and discussion around numerous health and safety related matters and attendees also had the opportunity to listen to various specialists in their field as they presented.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the successful running of NZISM over the last 12 months; you are all doing a fabulous job. To all our members and other corporate sponsors and supporters we value your ongoing commitment to the organisation. I wish all our members, supporters and sponsors a happy and restful time over the next few weeks when many will be taking a break and spending time with family and friends.

Ngā mihi mahana

Greg Dearsly
President

If you wish to contact me, please do so by email at president@nzism.org