NewsBrief
Issue No.53 August 2006		TM

Featuring the 2006 Conference

Conference Informs and Delights

Nearly 150 members and their guests enjoyed an interesting and particularly informative day dedicated to topical issues of

considerable interest to small business operators, enforcement officers, Test Certifiers, local authority managers, and the emergency services.

Keynote Speaker Minister of Labour Ruth Dyson reviewed the Council’s proactive efforts to improve national chemical handling, commending Members for our leadership in helping to successfully implement the Hazardous Substances Regulations.

The Minister exhorted the Council to submit our proposals for improving chemical management and compliance to government agencies such as

the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC), who have resources which could prove useful.

In a humourous aside, the Minister advised she would be happy to discuss additional resourcing for the implementation of the Hazardous Substances Regulations with the Minister in Charge of ACC (the Honourable Ruth Dyson).

Following her thought provoking presentation, the Minister presented PRINCE © Certificates and the new Responsible Care ® Awards to three companies and three individuals.

Bernard Hodgetts , the Manager International Issues at the Reserve Bank, provided a lucid and stimulating explanation of how the Central Bank is combating inflation, presently at 4% and well above the government’s target of 1-3%. Informative graphics illustrated the impact of imported inflation, rising energy costs, full employment, static commodity prices, and a falling exchange rate. Bernard’s analysis provoked considerable comment.

High profile business journalist and media commentator Rod Oram delivered a superb dissertation on New Zealand’s business performance. He highlighted the debilitating effect the lack of a robust, long term national Strategic Development Plan was having on the provision of vital domestic infrastructure, while illustrating the success of a handful of local entrepreneurial initiatives in developing more value added exports.

Rod suggested how the chemical industry might successfully engage a wider government support base for our innovative approach to enabling and encouraging compliance.

He believes Responsible Care ® is an excellent example of an Industry voluntary compliance initiative, which deserves greater appreciation and wider recognition, particularly by government.