Question 1

Who should attend this course?

Accepted Answer

This course is aimed at people with governance responsibilities, including directors, trustees, councillors, chief executives, and others providing governance oversight. It is particularly useful for boards and senior leaders needing a clearer understanding of officer duties, safety culture, and how to test whether risks are being managed effectively. It also works well where a governance group wants a shared baseline before reviewing strategy, reporting, or incident learnings.

Question 2

Is this course mandatory for directors and officers?

Accepted Answer

This specific course is not prescribed by law, but directors and other officers need enough health and safety knowledge to meet their duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. Training like this helps governance leaders understand what effective oversight looks like in practice, especially around critical risks, reporting, and due diligence. It supports better decision-making, but does not replace the need for ongoing board attention to health and safety performance.

Question 3

Is board health and safety training mandatory in New Zealand?

Accepted Answer

Board members, business owners, and officers need to understand how health and safety risks are governed and monitored within the organisation. While New Zealand law does not prescribe a specific board health and safety course, officers still need to exercise due diligence and understand whether effective health and safety systems and controls are in place. Training helps governance-level leaders ask informed questions, interpret health and safety information, and provide effective oversight of organisational risk.

Question 4

Do I need prior health and safety training?

Accepted Answer

No prior health and safety training is required for this course. The content is designed to give governance-level learners a practical understanding of their role in health and safety, even if they are not involved in day-to-day safety management. A working knowledge of your organisation’s risks and governance responsibilities will help provide useful context for the discussion.

Question 5

How long is the course?

Accepted Answer

The workshop runs for either 2 hours or half a day, depending on the format selected. That time is used to work through governance duties, critical risk oversight, and the practical questions officers should be asking about health and safety performance.

Question 6

What will participants learn?

Accepted Answer

Participants learn how to understand officer duties, oversee critical risks, interpret health and safety indicators, and ask stronger governance questions. The workshop also covers incident causation, the difference between paper assurance and actual control effectiveness, and the role governance plays in shaping workplace health and safety culture. The aim is to help leaders strengthen oversight through practical governance behaviours rather than relying on high-level compliance knowledge alone.

Question 7

When should governance training be refreshed?

Accepted Answer

IMPAC recommends organisations revisit health and safety governance training regularly to help directors and leaders maintain effective oversight of critical risks and organisational performance. Refresher training is especially useful when board membership changes, reporting frameworks evolve, incidents expose gaps in oversight, or organisations want stronger visibility of operational risk and health and safety performance.

Question 8

Can this course be delivered in-house?

Accepted Answer

Yes, this course is available for in-house delivery nationwide. In-house training can help boards, executives, and senior leaders develop a more consistent understanding of governance responsibilities, critical risks, and organisational health and safety oversight.

Question 9

What is the cost of this course?

Accepted Answer

Pricing depends on the course duration. In-house 4-hour course: $4950 + GST for up to 12 persons. In-house 3-hour course: $3950 + GST for up to 12 persons. In-house 2-hour course: $2950 + GST for up to 12 persons.

Health & Safety Leadership and Governance

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