NZISM News 24 June 2026

It’s likely that the Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill will have received its second reading this afternoon. It is possible that it will pass through remaining stages in the next couple of weeks.

On Tuesday last week, we launched a joint campaign with Stand with Pike to highlight the impacts of the HSWA Bill and the fact that the lessons of history were in danger of being forgotten.

Anna Osborne and Sonya Rockhouse have been tirelessly campaigning for better health and safety laws. Much of the progress we have made in the past 12 years has been due to the lessons learned at Pike River and the price paid by the 29 men. The tragedy led directly to the formation of WorkSafe, the Independent Taskforce on Workplace Health and Safety, and the passage of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.

If passed, the HSWA Bill is unlikely to lead to another Pike River. The Mining Regulations remain in place. But the Bill saps the foundations of the health and safety system built after Pike. And it will cost many more lives. WorkSafe research in 2022 found that 12% of suicides were work-related (around 40 deaths per year). Telling 97% of PCBUs that they are no longer responsible for almost all psychosocial risks (job design, long working hours, overload, aggressive behaviour) will mean more deaths through suicide, stroke, and heart attacks. A tragedy in slow motion is still a tragedy.

Minister van Velden has made small effort to improve the HSWA Bill despite an overwhelming majority of submitters calling for change on the four major issues with the Bill (the uncertainty of definition of critical risk, the small PCBU carve out, subordinating health and safety to other laws, and safe harbour ACOPs).

We understand however that other parties have listened more carefully to the concerns of submitters. There is cause for hope, with the Rt Hon Winston Peters indicating last night on Checkpoint that following a meeting with Sonya and Anna, New Zealand First did not support the Bill in its current form and had concerns about (among other things) the Small PCBU carve out and the definition of critical risk.

So what can you do to help? You can:

• Share and comment on our social media posts on LinkedIn (here, here, and here) or Facebook (here and here)
• I’m aware that various members and branches have been engaging with their local MPs. If you’re doing so, feel free to drop me a line for some useful facts, figures and lines
• Sign the CTU and Stand with Pike’s open letter to Parliament (not our campaign but the goals are similar) and if you’re in Wellington today (Wednesday 24 June) attend the CTU’s rally at Parliament at 1pm.

We are at the Eleventh Hour, but I do not believe this is a hopeless endeavour. We may halt or improve the Bill or we may not. In any case, we will have stood up for keeping people safe and well.

Ngā mihi

Jeff Sissons

NZISM CEO