MEDIA RELEASE

The New Zealand Institute of Safety Management is calling all political parties to end the farce by agreeing to consign the unethical and unworkable Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill to the dustbin of history.

“Delaying the implementation date of the Bill to April 2027 simply punts all of the problematic changes down the field. A broad coalition stretching from the Employers and Manufacturers Association to the Council of Trade Unions has been consistently raising concerns that the complex, confused and contradictory Bill will lead to more harm without providing benefits to employers. These changes will lead to more harm and more red tape” said Mike Cosman.

Concerns were raised most eloquently and poignantly by Sonya Rockhouse and Anna Osborne of Stand with Pike who understand the human cost of getting it wrong and how hard-won progress has been.

“New Zealand First deserves some credit for taking the major concerns raised by employers, workers and experts to the Minister, but have apparently backed down when it comes to voting against the Bill instead pushing the problems down the road. We will be asking all parties to commit to immediate repeal of the Bill post-Election.

“The health and safety system has poured thousands of hours into patiently explaining why the changes will push New Zealand further behind Australia and the UK in terms of harm and productivity. The passage of this Bill represents an enormous waste of time that could have been spent improving both. We hope that a new Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety will seize the opportunity to do better and focus on what really matters, improving workplace health and safety. This Bill does the opposite."

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ENDS

Contact Mike Cosman, NZISM Law Reform spokesperson

021 479 674