Hopefully by now if you are involved in rafting you will have an idea of the timelines involved in the transition of rafting from Maritime NZ to WorkSafe. 

In September last year, Maritime NZ shared this information:

New regime for regulation of commercial river rafting and what this means for you

• From 1 October 2020, where commercial river rafting is an “adventure activity” it will be subject to the Health and Safety (Adventure Activities) Regulations 2016 and regulated by WorkSafe.
• This change will streamline the regulatory oversight of rafting as an adventure activity. 
• As a result, there will be more flexibility for operators to develop operating procedures that best suit the needs of their business, and of their customers, while still meeting safety requirements. 
• In addition, the standards of ‘good practice’ will be maintained in the new guidelines developed. 

Get ready

• From 1 November 2019 you will need to prepare for registration with WorkSafe.
• Determine whether the Adventure Activities regulations apply to you.
• Get your Adventure Activities Audit done in time to enable you to register with WorkSafe on 1 October 2020.
• You will be able to submit applications to WorkSafe for registration as an adventure activity operator from 1 April 2020. 
• Any certificate of compliance valid and current on 1 November 2019 will continue to be so until 1 October 2020, unless suspended or revoked by the Maritime NZ Director. 

The sooner you engage with an audit body, the better prepared you will be when audit time comes around. AdventureMark are proud to have some of the most qualified rafters in the country on our audit team. Be assured that, at AdventureMark, your auditor knows the industry inside and out.

If you have any questions, or would like to discuss how best to prepare for an audit under the Adventure Activities Regulations, please feel free to get in touch with Mike on 021 2929090 or mike@adventuremark.co.nz