12 December 2012
Institute of Directors welcomes Pike River Implementation Plan
Media Release
The Institute of Directors (IoD) today welcomed the release of the Government’s Implementation Plan for the Pike River
Royal Commission’s recommendations.
IoD Chief Executive, Ralph Chivers said “It is very encouraging that all 16 recommendations from the Royal Commission’s
report into the Pike River tragedy have essentially been accepted by the Government. We are pleased to be a part of the
Implementation Plan in regards to directors and governance (recommendations 5, 6 & 7) and we look forward to helping to implement changes that will improve health and safety in New Zealand and prevent
serious harm. Every New Zealander has the right to expect that they will return home to their families after each and
every work day. We are committed to working with the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE) and the Independent Taskforce on Workplace Health and Safety (Taskforce) to put in place measures to
ensure that a tragedy like Pike River never happens again.”
“Directors are responsible for ensuring that all areas of risk within an organisation are appropriately assessed and
that plans to mitigate and address those risks are effectively put in place. There is no area of risk with greater
consequences than health and safety; people’s lives depend on the board getting it right. The IoD is committed to
helping develop a code of practice that will guide directors on using good governance practices to manage health and
safety risks.” said Mr Chivers.
Mr Chivers said “The IoD agrees that more needs to be done to improve health and safety performance in New Zealand and
we are committed to playing our part through education and advocacy in the governance community. It is important to note
that while there is always room for improvement the vast majority of companies and boards in New Zealand take health and
safety very seriously and are effective at managing the risks. The Royal Commission’s report should have been a grave
wake up call for any director who was not performing their duties in relation to health and safety as they should be.”
ENDS