Government proposes scaffolding rules change to align with risk level

5 days ago

Photo:
RNZ / Angus Dreaver
The government wants to streamline "complex" scaffolding rules to cut costs and boost building time.
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden will begin consulting with builders and construction professionals on how to simplify scaffolding rules and the prequalification process.
Prequalification checks are done before a company or contractor can bid on or start work, to verify whether they can do a job safely.
In a statement, van Velden said there are concerns from the sector scaffolding rules are too complex and have led to a view that scaffolding should be used in all situations, regardless of risk.
"Over-compliance needlessly drags down construction productivity, increasing building time and costs for the sector, and impacting new builds and Kiwi homeowners." she said.
Photo:
123rf
Officials will consult on some proposed new rules, which would let people choose safety options based on how dangerous the job was.
"Changes will ensure scaffolding use is better aligned with the level of risk. If it's not very risky, they will not need to use expensive scaffolding. For example, they will be considering whether a ladder could be used instead of scaffolding for a simple roof gutter repair or minor electrical maintenance when working at height.
She said many in the industry were frustrated with the time and money prequalifications took to complete.
"Businesses feel like they have to jump through hoops to tick a compliance box when getting prequalified, even though the prequalification often involves little reflection of the real-world risks workers face. Some have said they have walked away from clients as the cost of getting prequalified is not worth the value of the work."
"A lack of consistency across providers means that suppliers need to get a new prequalification for every job they tender for, with one submitter saying they completed 76 in a year."
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden.
Photo:
RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
WorkSafe will work with the industry to revise its prequalification guidance and develop an Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) to cut down on their over-use.
The inister said work was also underway to update scaffolding certificate of competence categories, with a review of certificate fees set to follow.
"Concerns have been raised about the distinction between qualifications and actual competency. Many feel that on-the-job experience should be better recognised. There's also confusion about what constitutes sufficient training, and frustration with inconsistent advice from regulators," van Velden said.
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What Officials Said About Pay Equity Changes

Scoop

an hour ago

Scoop

What Officials Said About Pay Equity Changes

Article – RNZ Treasury documents show the pay equity reset was key to meeting the coalition's cost-cutting goals., Political Reporter The minister who ushered through the pay equity changes said any limitations on workers' rights were justified in order to reduce the risks to employers. A document dump from the Treasury and the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment (MBIE) showed the processes the government went through to change the pay equity framework, and then return contingency funding to the Budget allowances. Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden, who introduced the legislation, acknowledged the changes would likely be contentious, but were necessary to meet the government's policy objectives of keeping a pay equity system, while changing the framework for assessing whether there is sex-based undervaluation. The government worked on the changes in secret, before announcing the amendment bill in May and passing it under urgency. At the Budget, Finance Minister Nicola Willis revealed the changes had saved $12.8 billion over the forecast period. 'This is justified' – Brooke van Velden The short timeframe to get the bill passed before the Budget meant there had been 'limited testing and analysis' of the policy proposals, and the retrospective provisions in the bill were 'inconsistent' with general principles. MBIE acknowledged the transitional provisions would likely be 'contentious' but without them it was unlikely the amendments would 'meet the policy objective of ensuring the regime achieves pay equity, whilst better managing claims, and ensuring costs are related to sex-based differences in remuneration.' The legal risks remained redacted, and the bill had no Regulatory Impact Statement. The process was also kept secret to prevent a surge of claims being lodged and potentially determined under the existing Employment Relations Act. The acting Attorney-General, Paul Goldsmith's consideration of the bill concluded that while it imposed limits on the right to freedom from discrimination, the right to justice, and freedom of expression, it was still consistent with the Bill of Rights Act. The paper van Velden took to Cabinet for approval, included in MBIE's document dump, shows she considered any limitations on the rights to be justified. 'I consider that this is justified to meet the policy intent of allowing employers to better manage their operations, reducing potential risks to an employer's financial viability, which may lead to a reduction in employment or the quality or quantity of services provided,' van Velden wrote. Finding the contingencies In December 2023, shortly after assuming the government benches, the finance minister requested more information on how the pay equity forecasts worked and whether there were any upcoming large claims. In February 2024, the Treasury reported back, saying the approach brought in by the previous government had contributed to higher cost outcomes, as it disincentivised agencies and funded sector employers from taking a lower-cost bargaining approach. 'While the current Pay Equity process does require agencies to seek a bargaining contingency prior to the bargaining phase, this occurs late in the process, and many of the potential parameters for settlement are already largely agreed between the parties,' officials said. 'The absence of financial incentives during the pre-bargaining phase may have contributed to agencies adopting approaches which exceed the minimum requirements of the Equal Pay Act, for example, agreeing to higher paid comparators when lower paid ones would be appropriate.' It also meant the Cabinet had 'poor visibility' of the costs, until parties were at or near settlement. Treasury said pay equity costs were managed outside of Budget allowances, and there was merit in exploring an approach that brought some or all of the costs back within Budget allowances. By April 2024, Cabinet had agreed to a reset, bringing pay equity funding into two centralised tagged contingencies: one for the funded sector, the other for the public sector. This still allowed the government to meet its legal obligations as an employer, but was deemed to support the coalition's fiscal strategy. However, by the end of 2024, the government was looking to disestablish the funded sector contingency, identifying it as a significant spending commitment. It expected service providers to manage their own claims, with any cost pressures they created managed like any other cost pressure: through the Budget process. How the money was found Nicola Willis chose to close the funded sector contingency and return the funding to the Budget 2025 allowance and capital allowance. This saved $9.6b over the forecast period. For the public sector contingency, Treasury recommended it be retained, but at a reduced level. 'On balance, we consider retaining the contingency at [redacted] for residual costs to protect future allowances to be preferable given the legal obligations on the Crown as an employer under the new Act and Treasury's judgment that we can quantify the impacts with more than 50 percent confidence,' Treasury wrote. The government adopted this approach, with the tagged public sector contingency reduced by $3.2b over the forecast period. In total, the changes returned around $12.8b to the Budget 2025 operating and capital allowances. Closing or reducing the contingencies without some certainty from Cabinet on policy change, however, was seen to potentially 'strain the credibility' of future Budget allowances. And so, the future approach to pay equity was developed. Van Velden's legislation discontinued 33 claims and increased the threshold for what qualified as work that was 'predominantly performed by female employees.' All review clauses under settled claims became unenforceable.

Foreign tourists to be charged entry fee at key NZ sites

Otago Daily Times

2 hours ago

Otago Daily Times

Foreign tourists to be charged entry fee at key NZ sites

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. Photo: RNZ The government has announced plans to "unleash growth" on conservation land, granting more business opportunities and introducing entry fees for international visitors at four popular sites. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Conservation Minister Tama Potaka announced changes to the Conservation Act at the National Party Conference in Christchurch on Saturday. Those changes would create more concessions - permission to operate a business - in tourism, agriculture and infrastructure. Many businesses already ran on the conservation estate, including guided walks and skifields, filming documentaries, grazing sheep and cattle, hosting concerts and building cellphone towers, but Luxon said the concessions regime was "totally broken, often taking years to obtain or renew, and leaving businesses in a cycle of bureaucratic limbo". International visitors will be charged between $20 to $40 to access four popular sites, including the Milford Track. Photo: Getty He said the rules were outdated and the system would be changed to allow more jobs, growth and higher wages, with a "fresh wave" of new concessions made available. Another change would see international visitors charged between $20 to $40 to access four popular sites - Cathedral Cove, the Tongariro Crossing, Milford Track and Aoraki Mount Cook. The government estimated it would bring in $62 million a year in revenue to be re-invested in those same areas, Potaka said. New Zealanders would not be charged, with Luxon saying: "It's our collective inheritance and Kiwis shouldn't have to pay to see it."

Foreign tourists to pay to visit key NZ sites