Standards System is 'not fit for purpose,' industry says
The New Zealand government is being urged by organisations in the construction, manufacturing, and trade sectors to completely overhaul the national standards system.
More than 30 firms from the sectors wrote a letter to key ministers asking for urgent reforms, citing issues with the current system, including:
- Outdated standards
- High costs to access essential documents
- Over-reliance on unpaid volunteers
- Lack of alignment with law and innovation
"This is one of the strongest signals yet that the system for managing our standards is simply not fit for purpose," said Engineering New Zealand chief executive Richard Templer.
"We're not asking for small tweaks. We need urgent reform, starting with how the system is funded and governed."
New Zealand's Standards System
The Standards System is currently managed by Standards New Zealand, which previously explained that it operates on a cost-recovery model.
This means the organisation is required to "recover from the market the costs involved in developing standards, participating in international standards development activities, forums, systems and institutions, representing New Zealand's standards needs and interests globally, maintaining and updating our existing standards catalogue, and providing access to standards for users in NZ."
However, the group of employers said it is "inefficient and unfair" to require the industry to fund and volunteer to develop standards, and then pay to access them.
According to the group, they want to see affordable or free access to essential standards, especially those required by law. They also want a system that makes access simple and scalable to organisations.
"We need a future-focused, affordable, and technologically enabled system. The system is holding New Zealand back at a time when the increasing use of national standards for many current reforms is a government priority," Templer said.
They acknowledged that Standards New Zealand and the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment are taking steps to improve the system, including increased partnership with Standards Australia.
But they warned that the current economic model is not good enough, stressing that a time-bound reform plan, which includes smarter use of international standards, should be introduced.
"Ultimately, this is about creating a system that is modern, efficient and fit for the future — one that enables innovation, supports government reforms, and protects the safety and wellbeing of New Zealanders," Templer said.
