The New Zealand Workplace Health and Safety Awards 2023

Celebrating the best of health, safety and wellbeing in New Zealand

The annual New Zealand Workplace Health & Safety Awards have been run since 2005. They are organised by Safeguard with the support of WorkSafe New Zealand and ACC.

WINNERS ANNOUNCED!

Board governance initiative takes out Supreme award!

An annual three-day Ora Runanga in which the directors and executive team of Silver Fern Farms personally engage with workers from each of its sites has taken overall honours at this year’s New Zealand Workplace Health and Safety Awards.

The awards were presented at a gala dinner at the Cordis in Auckland on 20 June, attended by a record 730 people.

The awards, which began in 2005, are organised by Thomson Reuters, publisher of Safeguard magazine, and proudly supported by WorkSafe New Zealand and ACC.

Peter Bateman, convenor of the five-person judging panel and editor of Safeguard, said the Ora Runanga enables the company’s directors and executive team to learn in depth directly from workers about the challenges they face and the opportunities available for improvement.

“Under health and safety legislation, directors and executives are obliged to educate themselves about how work is really done and the sometimes unexpected risks faced by workers and contractors. The Ora Runanga has already established itself as an annual highlight which enables the best ideas for improvement to be identified and funding for them approved. It’s a model other firms in high risk sectors could usefully study.”

See the full list of winners

See photos from the evening