Minister’s expectations of WorkSafe New Zealand

Public attention may have been drawn to the road cone hotline, but there are many other significant changes underway for WorkSafe New Zealand.

A recent Letter of Expectations to the Chair of Worksafe’s Board, dated 12 May 2025, outlines the Minister’s specific expectations.

Key Ministerial expectations

1. Stronger enforcement of worker breaches

• The Minister expects WorkSafe to take a firmer stance on individual accountability.

• This is politically aligned but controversial in safety science, which emphasises organisational causes over individual blame.

2. Development of Agreed Codes of Practice (ACOPs)

• WorkSafe NZ is to support industry in developing ACOPs and provide clear guidance.

• This could empower industries but risks inconsistency if not well-coordinated.

3. Practical, ground-level safety guidance

• A move away from overly generic or ‘gold-plated’ standards.

• The challenge is balancing simplicity with sufficient rigor to ensure safety.

4. Clear, consistent advice aligned with Ministerial priorities

• A push for clarity and alignment with government priorities, especially around reducing ‘overcompliance’.

A detailed work programme is to be delivered by WorkSafe to the Minister before 16 June 2025. The work programme shift will also be reflected in WorkSafe’s statement of intent, which will be delivered in October this year.

At a high level, the focus on critical risks and a desire to reduce ‘overcompliance’ is central to the Minister’s push in this area. Changes to the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and WorkSafe Act 2013 have been signalled to clarify WorkSafe’s main objectives and the overall focus of these pieces of legislation.

What this means for businesses

Increasing clarity around business compliance is undoubtedly a positive step. However, if the guidance issued by the regulator is not ‘gold plated,’ are we just accepting sub-standard safety outcomes?

Further, with workers typically the ones who are hurt or injured, WorkSafe already exercises its judgment and does not prosecute a business if the worker breach outweighs the business’ failing. The difficulty for many businesses who have been prosecuted is that their worker will have breached a rule or some instruction in the lead up to the event. Simply issuing warnings or relying on policies is not enough—real safety requires robust risk assessments and effective controls. This is not gold plated advice, but the minimum standard that has been expected for well over 30 years.

Overall, safety controls continues to improve and requirements on businesses are not going to suddenly reduce. The steps that are required to be compliant may be come clearer with the upcoming changes. In this regard, businesses that are proactive and managing safety to a good standard will already be well placed when the new guidance and ACOPs are released.

If you're unsure where your organisation stands—or want to prepare for these upcoming changes—Findex’s specialist health and safety team can help.

Please see Disclaimer and Disclosure information. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author/s and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or position of Findex.