Adventure Activities - Audits and Registration
Early registration
The Ministry will initiate the early registration provision of the Regulations in May 2013.
The timetable below shows when operators will be required to initiate a safety audit. The audit schedule recognises two categories of operator, as follows:
- Bolded in the timetable – those operators who indicated that they have an audit certificate or an audit in progress.
- Not bolded – those operators who indicated to MBIE that they do not have an audit certificate.
| Early Registration Audit Schedule | |
| May 2013 | Bridge swinging, Canyoning, Canyon swinging, Coasteering, Mountaineering, Snow activities |
|---|---|
| June | Bungy jumping, Bungy jumping, Caving, High ropes |
| July | Abseiling, Rock climbing, Glacier walking, Glacier walking |
| August | Bridge swinging, Canyoning, Canyon swinging, Coasteering, Mountaineering, Snow activities |
| September | Caving, Off-road vehicle, Quad biking, Trail biking, Downhill mountain biking, Downhill mountain biking |
| October | Canoeing, Kayaking, River boarding, River boarding, Tube rafting, Tube rafting, Off-road vehicle, Quad biking, Trail biking |
| November | Abseiling, Rock climbing, Canoeing, Kayaking, SCUBA, Snorkelling |
| December | High ropes, SCUBA, Snorkelling |
Safety audit standard
A safety audit standard for adventure activities specifies the requirements that adventure activity operators must comply with to reduce risks when providing adventure activities.
The Ministry has developed and published the following safety audit standard for adventure activities:
This is the inaugural audit standard and will be kept under review.
The standard sets out the requirements for a safety management system for all operators that provide the adventure activities covered by the regulations. It includes explicit requirements to manage the risks of drug and alcohol use.
The standard was developed in consultation with the public, the adventure and outdoor sector, and with other government agencies.
The regulations require commercial operators who provide adventure activities, as defined by the regulations, to pass safety audits and become registered by the Ministry. Passing a safety audit is required for registration.
Safety audits are performed by safety auditors recognised by the Ministry. Safety auditors are engaged directly by operators. A safety auditor must audit an operator for compliance with the safety audit standard that applies to the adventure activities provided by the operator.
Response to feedback
Audit Standard Response to feedback (March 2013)
[pdf, 3 pages, 110KB]
Safety audit providers
Safety audit providers are engaged directly by operators.Only audit providers recognised by the Ministry are permitted to provide safety audits under the Adventure Activities Regulations. On 7 May 2013, the Ministry granted recognition as a safety auditor to the following organisations:
- Bureau Veritas (New Zealand) Limited
- Outdoors New Zealand (Incorporated)
- Verification New Zealand Limited.
For the audit provider contact details and the scope of adventure activities which they may audit, go to:
These are the first audit providers that will be able to audit operators who are covered by the Adventure Activities Regulations. They have been independently assessed against an international auditing standard and against their ability to apply the Ministry’s new safety audit standard for adventure activities. The organisations are already active in auditing the safety management systems of adventure activity operators. The Ministry is satisfied they have the capability to carry out safety audits objectively and in a way that promotes safety.
The systems and performance of each of the recognised audit providers will be reviewed during the next six months when they will be required to gain accreditation to the New Zealand adventure activities certification scheme.
The New Zealand adventure activities certification scheme
The New Zealand Adventure Activities Certification Scheme is being developed by the Ministry in conjunction with the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ). The Scheme will set out requirements for how safety audit providers will plan and conduct audits, as well as placing contractual obligations on adventure activity operators audited by the providers. The requirements include safety surveillance during the period between audits.
It is envisaged that the Scheme will be launched by 1 July 2013. After the Scheme is launched, the Ministry will expect safety audit providers to be accredited to the Scheme by JAS-ANZ and to maintain their accreditation. That is, accreditation will then become a condition of recognition as an audit provider.
The draft rules for the Scheme will shortly be put out for public consultation.
Transitional auditor list
This transitional auditor list has expired.
The Ministry recommends that operators maintain the continuity of their safety audit programme. Operators with expiring transitional safety audit certificates should initiate a new safety audit by a recognised safety audit provider (see above). The recognised auditor will perform the audit against the new safety audit standard.
Operators who, by 15 February 2013, had passed a safety audit from an auditor on the Ministry’s list of transitional auditors are exempt from having to pass a new audit while their existing audit certificate remains current. This is provided that the operator had already notified the Ministry of their adventure activities by 31 December 2012.
For further information, see the December 2012 Update.
Audit provider details
The contact details of the three currently recognised safety audit providers are listed in the following table together with the scope of the adventure activities for which recognition has been granted.
Notes regarding scope:
- The adventure activities which a particular audit provider may issue safety audit certificates for under the Regulations are limited to the types of adventure activity listed in the table under ‘Scope’.
- Initial recognition was granted on 7 May 2013 and not all audit providers have the capability to immediately begin providing audits for all of the activities within the scope of their recognition. The audit providers will progressively build their capability in areas additional to their current auditing activities in the adventure and outdoor sector, and will advise operators on their current capabilities.
| Audit provider: | Bureau Veritas (New Zealand) Limited | Outdoors New Zealand (Incorporated) | Verification New Zealand Ltd |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address: | 35 O'Rorke Road, Penrose Auckland 1061 |
Level 3, 19 Tory St, Wellington 6141 | Unit 2,3 Homersham Place Christchurch 8545 |
| Website: | bureauveritas.co.nz | outdoorsnz.org.nz | verification.co.nz |
| Telephone: | 0800 473 613 | 04 385 7287 | 03 377 3722 |
| Scope: |
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