The NZ Forestry High-Potential Incidents (HiPo) Group is a finalist in the ‘collaboration’ category of the Safeguard New Zealand Workplace Health and Safety Awards 2026.
The HiPo group brings together seven forest owners and managers, representing around 45% of the forestry industry. They share quarterly data on high-potential health and safety incidents to identify trends and benchmark best practice, with an eye to reducing serious harm in the sector.
The Forestry Industry Safety Council (FISC) Chief Executive, Joe Akari, said it was exciting to hear that the group is a finalist, as it is a very deserving project.
While companies see a snapshot of their own health and safety incidents and use this to learn from, their other main source of health and safety data is ACC. However, this is a lagging indicator that takes six to nine months to reach forestry companies, leaving a broader information vacuum.
“The group were keen to fill this vacuum with their own data in order to avoid being blindsided by occasional catastrophic events that might have been foreseen,” Mr Akari said.
To ensure competitive pressures are set aside, all data provided is aggregated and anonymised by an independent Project Manager provided by FISC. The group has begun creating a high-potential incident library and holds quarterly presentations to help disseminate the key information unearthed.
The group encourages forestry contractors and companies to openly report close encounters and near-misses. Sharing this information helps identify hidden hazards and prevents them from escalating into real accidents. It is a collaborative effort involving contractors, major forestry companies and worker representatives to establish a unified approach to safety and focuses heavily on high-risk tasks.
The group is made up of Ian Barrett, Timberlands; Chayne Zinsli, Summit Forestry; Wayne Dempster, Matariki Forests; Les Bak, One Forty One; James Kerr and Julie Anne Beattie, Ernslaw1; Glen Coleman and Rona Wheeldon, Manulife; and Andrea Ball, Pan Pac.
“We wish the HiPo group all the best for awards night in Auckland on 23 June,” said Mr Akari.
