The New Zealand Standards and Conformance Infrastructure
Overview
The Ministry is responsible for policy advice that promotes an efficient standards and conformance infrastructure in New Zealand. A high-quality standards and conformance infrastructure:
- facilitates domestic and international economic transactions and trade; and
- meets the needs of local businesses and consumers as well as the Government's health, safety and environmental objectives.
The standards and conformance infrastructure impacts on all aspects of the economy. The government, consumers and the community rely on standards and conformance to protect public health, safety and the environment. Businesses use standards and conformance to support innovation and development and to remain competitive locally and internationally.
Standards are published documents that set out agreed specifications for products, processes, performance or services.
Conformance is the process of judging whether a particular product, process or service meets a standard or complies with a regulatory requirement.
The Government's objective for the standards and conformance infrastructure include:
- facilitating domestic and international trade;
- minimising risks to health, safety and the environment;
- facilitating innovation and economic development; and
- reducing compliance costs.
Key Institutions
The key institutions in New Zealand's standards and conformance infrastructure are:
- International Accreditation New Zealand (IANZ), which is the operating arm of the Testing Laboratory Registration Council, established under the Testing Laboratory Registration Act 1972. IANZ is the national accreditation body for testing and calibration laboratories, radiology services and inspection bodies. It is a member of the international laboratory accreditation bodies including the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and its associated regional body, the Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation (APLAC).
- Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ). JAS-ANZ is a trans-Tasman institution established by Treaty between the governments of Australian and New Zealand. It is responsible for the accreditation of certification bodies which carry out independent audits of management systems such as quality management systems (ISO9001:2000), environmental management systems (ISO14001) or other management systems with specified criteria as well as product and personnel certification. JAS-ANZ also accredits inspection bodies in Australia and New Zealand. It is a member of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and its associated regional body, the Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (PAC).
- Standards New Zealand (SNZ) is the trading arm of the Standards Council, a crown entity established under the Standards Act 1988. It is responsible for the preparation, adoption and publication of most of the technical and commercial standards in New Zealand. Standards New Zealand is also responsible for the development of joint Australian/New Zealand standards for use on both sides of the Tasman as well as for the adoption or amendment of international standards to suit New Zealand conditions. It also represents New Zealand in the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and the International Electro-technical Commission (IEC) and facilitates New Zealand representation on relevant ISO and IEC technical bodies and standards committees. In addition to this role, SNZ participates in the Pacific Area Standards Congress (PASC). Standards New Zealand also acts as New Zealand's Enquiry Point for the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) for all non-agricultural products.
- Measurement and Product Safety Service (formally the Trading Standards Service) is a section within the Ministry of Consumer Affairs with responsibility for the administration and enforcement of the Weights and Measures Act 1987. It provides advice to the government on the New Zealand legal measurement systems and its operation. Legal metrology refers to the legislated requirements for measurements. New Zealand is a full member of the Organisation International de Métrologie Légale (OIML) and a member of the Asia-Pacific Legal Metrology Forum (APLMF).
- Measurements Standards Laboratory of New Zealand (MSL) ensures that New Zealand has a system that delivers accurate and reliable measurements. It provides appropriate national measurement standards that can be traceable to the International System of Units (SI). The government requires reliable measurements for legislation, while suppliers and consumers use measurement as the basis for fair trade. New Zealand is a signatory to the Metric Treaty and to an Arrangement for the Mutual Recognition of National Measurement Standards and of Calibration and Measurement Certificates issued by National Metrology Institutes. This MRA is a major step forward in international measurement traceability. MSL participates in metrology activates in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly as an active member of the Asia Pacific Metrology Programme (APMP).
Although slightly out of date, the Ministry's 2001 publication, New Zealand Standards and Conformance System: A Guide for Business provides a useful overview of New Zealand's standards and conformance infrastructure.
Current Projects
Current projects include:
- A review to evaluate New Zealand's standards and conformance infrastructure and how it contributes to, and improves the competitiveness of, New Zealand industry as well as meeting the Government's objectives.
- Standards and Innovation. Standardisation has a number of potential benefits for business. These benefits arise because standards can be used to shape and drive innovation as they give businesses the tools they need to participate in the development of innovative new products. The implications and possibilities of this in the New Zealand context are being examined in a study of the role of standards in innovations.
- The preparation of a Standards and Conformance Bill. This will make a number of amendments to the Standards Act 1988 and the Testing Laboratory Registration Act 1972 aimed at clarifying the functions of the relevant institutions and updating New Zealand's standards and conformance infrastructure.
Useful Links
New Zealand
Asia Pacific
International
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