Deadline looms over safety standards

Simon Bridges gets a thrill from the 82m long flying fox at Adventure Forest in Glenbervie, yesterday. The company is the only adventure in Northland that has so far met new adventure activity regulations that come in from November 1. Photo/Tania Newman

Northland's adventure activity operators will be closed down if they do not meet new safety standards for the industry, Labour Minister Simon Bridges has warned.

Mr Bridges was in Whangarei yesterday to visit Adventure Forest in Glenbervie, the first, and so far only, Northland adventure activity operator to be fully registered under the Health and Safety in Employment (Adventure Activities) Regulations.

The deadline for businesses to meet the requirements of the regulations is November 1 and while many of the 25 Northland adventure activity operators are in the process of meeting the new standards, Adventure Forest is the first.

The regulations relate to those that operate a wide range of outdoor adventure pursuits, including abseiling, caving, scuba diving, high rope crossing, zip wiring, kayaking, quad biking, bungy jumping, rock climbing (if done outdoors), canoeing and mountaineering.

Mr Bridges said Adventure Forest was an example to others in the region of the benefits of having met the standards and having its operation registered under the regulations.

A number of outdoor fatalities involving tourists and locals sparked an adventure review leading to the new regulations and Mr Bridges said when tourists came to take part in the outdoor adventure activities - which New Zealand was known around the world for - it was important that the industry had a good, safety conscious reputation.

"We don't want to see see people being hurt," he added.

"It's going to be tight to have all operators in this area registered by November 1, but we are committed to making it and after November 1 those that haven't (been registered) are going to be shut down."

While at Adventure Forest Mr Bridges was given safety instructions by owners Francois and Francoise Saparelli before having an adventure on its zip wires, high climbers and flying foxes.

Standing hooked up to a steel wire more than four metres up - despite a strained achilles - gave him a clear understanding of how vital the new regulations are.

"When you are up here you realise just how important these safety procedures are. We can't mess about with these things," Mr Bridges said.

"If this was done sloppy and I fell off I'd break a leg, or worse, we just can't take these things lightly."

The Saparellis have run outdoor adventure activities in Europe for about 30 years before opening the Glenbervie business and Mr Saparelli said it was vital that operators met the standards.

"Everybody now has to go through these procedures and it's the bottom line for the industry to meet them."

Mr Saparelli said the new regulations are now as stringent as those in Europe.

Kerikeri-based Dive North has been voted the country's top dive company for the past two years and owner Dave Wadsworth said he was confident the industry in Northland would meet the deadline.

Only 68 of 338 operators nationwide are registered so far and penalties for missing the deadline and continuing to operate include prosecution and fines of up to $250,000.