NZSA CEO’s January Report

I trust that your Christmas and New Year went well and that 2023 has started well. Unfortunately, the weather failed to play ball for those of us living in the North Island and our thoughts are with those on the East Coast who have suffered flooding and storm damage.

As we look at the year ahead, perhaps the only certainty is that it will be another challenging year for many.

Vocational Education). It can only be assumed the unexpected resignation of Jacinda Ardern as Prime Minister will only heighten some of these concerns and uncertainty.

Whilst these issues require careful planning and management, they also provide a number of opportunities for well managed businesses to grow and thrive and we have no doubt that many of our members can look forward to a successful year ahead.

Over the last few years, the security industry has demonstrated its resilience and ability to readily adopt to the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, including the introduction of new services and labour resource pressures. For those who thought however that we may now be looking at some return to normality, the reality is that 2023 will almost certainly be one of the most difficult and challenging that business, and the public in general, have had to face.

The recently released Business Confidence Survey highlighted that approximately 75% of business owners and managers are expecting a significant downturn in the economy this year and close to 20% are currently planning for staff lay-offs or reduced hiring.

Factors driving the loss of confidence include continued high inflation, the impacts of the Russia/ Ukraine war, government-imposed cost increases for business and the uncertainty of government policy around areas such as Three Waters, Fair Pay Agreements and ROVE (Review of

From an NZSA perspective, we recognise that members may be facing operational and cost pressures and it is important that we continue to strive to provide the best possible value to our members. This includes effective representation with government agencies, providing strong leadership and guidance in further lifting standards, positive promotion of the industry and ensuring that our benefit programmes are targeted at member needs.

As you will see from the following commentary, the NZSA is starting the year with a number of new initiatives that specifically target membership value and we look forward to further launches in coming months.

The NZSA recognises the importance of providing a package of learning materials for the security industry that supplement the NZQA training delivered by training providers and can be found in a single repository.

In the coming weeks we will launch the NZSA online training platform for the use of our members and the wider industry.

Initial learning and training materials to be hosted on the platform include:

• Literacy and Numeracy Modules. Free access for all.

• Electronic Security Good Practice. Preferential rates for members.

• Entry Level Security Technician Foundation Training. Preferential rates for members.

Look out for our formal launch in early February.

As you will be aware, the legislation supporting FPAs came into effect on 1 December 2022.

To date, four applications for FPAs have been lodged by unions with MBIE. These are:

• Hospitality (General) Unite Union

• Bus and Coach Drivers (2 separate applications) Amalgamated Workers Union

• Supermarket and Grocery Store Workers First Union

You can check the status of proposed FPAs and see who the employee and employer bargaining parties are, via the Fair Pay Agreement dashboard on the MBIE website.

It is our expectation that Etu will submit an application with MBIE towards the end of February covering the security industry. From the date of submission, MBIE must respond as soon as practicable, but the period is likely to be in excess of 30 working days, particularly if multiple applications are received.

Once approved, MBIE will publicly notify its decision and request public submissions.

Following approval to initiate, the initiating union must identify which unions and employers are likely to be covered by the proposed FPA and use best endeavours to notify them of the initiation of bargaining. There is an obligation on the union to provide a form to every employer who is likely to be covered by the application, which they in turn must issue to every covered employee.

Whilst the timelines for the process are specified within the FPA legislation, there is some uncertainty with regards to MBIE’s ability to meet the defined timing and even assuming dates are achieved, we believe it will be mid-year at the earliest that the industry (through the NZSA) are effectively required to become involved in the process.

As the peak body for the security industry, the NZSA has sought expert guidance on these matters and we are very confident that we can provide our members, and all industry employers, with the necessary governance, systems and processes to meet the obligations of the Employer Bargaining Party.

We will continue to keep our members briefed on all further FPA developments.

The Privacy Commissioner has announced he will be exploring a code of practice under the Privacy Act as a way to provide better protection for biometric information and greater clarity about regulatory requirements for organisations that collect and use biometric information.

This will impact onto a number of electronic security providers who utilise biometrics within their security solutions.

The NZSA has been involved in initial discussions on this matter and during the current year will be part of the targeted engagement with organisations and experts with a particular interest in biometrics. We will actively engage with our membership leading into the consultation process to ensure that we have appropriate representation and an understanding of the industry views.

In July 2020 the government introduced a new training fund designed to help New Zealand recover from the impacts of Covid-19. The fund supplemented the existing Fees Free policy and targeted trainees in high demand industry sectors.

Through this fund, the government has effectively covered the cost of those trainees undertaking the New Zealand Certificate in Electrotechnology (Level 3) and New Zealand Certificate in Electronic Security (Level 4) through E-tec (our industry training provider) over the last two and a half years.

Unfortunately, the TTAF was withdrawn at the end of 2022 and trainees (or their employer) will now need to pay E-tec directly for their training. The weekly cost for both Level 3 and Level 4 has been set at $49.90 per week, including GST.

It should be noted that the Apprenticeship Boost payment of $500 per month can still be claimed by qualifying employers through MSD and used to offset the training cost. Similarly, the Fees Free policy remains in place and trainees should check their eligibility through the government website Eligibility Criteria feesfree.govt.nz.

We recommend that employers with trainees currently enrolled in the Level 3 and Level 4 programmes should contact E-tec on 0800 030500 or lafos@etec.ac.nz and ensure that arrangements are in place and to ensure continuity of training.