HIANZ Staff Focus

iNtrodUciNg johN harriSoN

newly employed technical Manager, John harrison provides some insights into his new role at hIanZ together with some industry observations.

SIncE DonnInG my HIANZ shirt in early August it has certainly been an interesting ride! After a brief set up period it was straight into conference and then straight into lockdown. The conference was a great opportunity for me to meet a large percentage of our members and to get a better appreciation for the scope of equipment and operations you all manage on the day to day. Some of you I had met previously, but for most It was a great opportunity for me to get a feel for who our members actually are and what they do. I must admit, I felt a little bad enjoying the fruits of what must have been a huge undertaking by both our members and the HIANZ team to produce a conference of that calibre without contributing myself. In MY prEVIoUS roLE, I managed to paint the exterior of my house as well as complete a few unfinished projects around my home during the first lockdown in April 2020. This lockdown however was very different. This period proved very busy for us but also allowed me to get a good look into the back of house of HIANZ. My background is in Adult Education, Formal writing, Operations and Fleet Management. This enabled me to get stuck into both the Forklift Good Practice Guideline (GPG) for the NZFIA and the APEX level one and two Riggers course development and production as well as the APEX accreditation framework. thE GpG IS WELL underway with a diverse team of subject matter experts contributing to its production. We have opted to run with a GPG over the Current Approved Code Of Practice (ACOP) format for multiple reasons. the current ACOP is in need of modernization, being issued and approved by the minister of labour in May 1995. We as an industry are keen for a reference guide that is; 1. Applicable to the settings in which we operate in 2. Reflects current legislation 3. Provides improved clarification with regard to forklift operations 4. Is a more useful tool when managing Forklift selection, forklift maintenance, modifications to forklifts etc an acop IS a legislative document that brings with it, a lengthy prescribed process to make any amendments, corrections or updates at a government level. The intention is to produce a GPG that will allow us to maintain a current, relevant and up to date document that is of continual use to industry moving forward that is not burdened by government process. WhILE LEanInG on the experience and knowledge of Greg Ward, Andy Youngman and Rodney, we have together produced the course content and successfully held two Level 1 and one Level 2 Marquee Riggers courses In Christchurch and Taupo. One great aspect of building a training package is that you become well versed in the guidance and regulations for that particular industry. I now have a good technical grasp on the industry and its processes and am now looking forward to getting more hands-on experience putting up Marquees to close that loop. I have now chalked up three installations … So have a wee way to go. Through all of this, it has been great meeting and working with our members and I look forward to doing more of this as our movement becomes less restrictive. ■