Federated Farmers Welcome Health And Safety Reset

Federated Farmers says health and safety changes announced by the Government today mark the start of a long overdue reform and are a step in the right direction.

"Federated Farmers have been very clear that New Zealand’s current health and safety rules aren’t working," says health and safety spokesperson David Birkett.

"They’re too strict, ambiguous and seem to have added more cost, complexity and compliance onto farmers, without any better outcomes."

Birkett says today’s announcement from Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden outlines the first moves toward a more practical system.

"We welcome this move to focus the legislation on critical risks, rather than managing every single risk possible.

"We know many farmers, and other business owners, want to do the right thing but just don't know where to start when it comes to health and safety - it’s currently too unclear.

"This change will help make health and safety more accessible and pragmatic, reducing unnecessary costs and giving businesses more clarity about what they need to do to be compliant, while still leaving room to develop a health and safety mindset to tackle other harms.

"The first set of changes out today show things are finally moving in the right direction and we look forward to seeing the detail of the changes announced."

Birkett says farm safety is crucial, but the system needs to be grounded in fairness, practicality, and common sense.

"We need to reduce workplace incidents, but that hasn’t happened under the current rules - and all we’ve seen is a rise in clipboards, road cones, and fluorescent vests."

Federated Farmers is proud to have played a meaningful role in helping get this reform over the line, he says.

"It was great to host the Minister at our Advocacy Hub at National Fieldays last year, where she announced these reforms would be taking place.

"Since then, we’ve hosted a national webinar with the Minister for our members and hosted her in Gisborne to hear directly from farmers about what’s not working on the ground.

"We’ve been fully involved throughout this process - making sure the real-world farming perspective is heard loud and clear."

Birkett says Federated Farmers will continue working constructively with the Government and WorkSafe to ensure these reforms land in a place that gets real results for farmers.

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