NZSA Announces The Covid-19 Guardian Award Winners For Week 3

The New Zealand Security Association has announced the third winners of their Covid-19 Guardian Awards

• This campaign was established to recognise essential service security guards’ efforts during Covid-19 lockdown
• The public is being urged to nominate guards who have gone ‘above and beyond’

NZSA announces the third Covid-19 Guardian Award winners are Miranda Clark and Bryan Keightley from Aegis Private Security in Tauranga.

Miranda and Bryan have received their awards for outstanding service at the Baypark Covid-19 assessment centre during level 4 lockdown. The original commendation came from a member of the public, Andrea Crawford, who was advised by her doctor to attend the testing centre after suffering flu like symptoms. She shared her story with the Sunlive newspaper in the Bay of Plenty who published an article about her experience. Andrea praised all of the staff there but called out the security team for the care, compassion and professionalism they showed with patients who we very stressed and going through what can be an unpleasant procedure.

She said “I am just one of thousands, but I did not feel like I was, I felt cared for…and the medical staff could not have done their jobs so well without such a great support crew and that includes the security team.”

NZSA CEO Gary Morrison said of choosing this pair “We have received several nominations for security teams working in Covid-19 assessment centres and with DHBs, and they all deserve recognition, but this one stood out. What is important to remember is none of the staff, including security, have dealt with anything like this before. To deliver such a high level of service and care in a situation which is fluid, escalating and involving people obviously concerned for their health, is extraordinary.”

Heather Jones the owner and Managing Director of Aegis Private Security in Tauranga is rightly proud of her team and said “A great employee is like a four-leaf clover; very hard to find and lucky to have.”

Bay of Plenty District Health Board Community Based Health Services Lead Dr Joe Bourne agreed when he told Sunlive “Although our assessment centres have been set up very swiftly to respond to Covid-19 we have been really focussed on ensuring the service provided is a quality one which includes a good patient experience.”

The NZSA introduced the Covid-19 Guardian Award as a way in which the wider community can recognise and say thanks to security personnel for their efforts. Close to 100 nominations have now been received and the NZSA team have found it very difficult to choose winners when so many are very deserving of recognition. They plan to highlight all qualifying nominees during their New Zealand Security Awards event in early August.

With over 25,000 New Zealanders working in the security industry, nearly double the number of police, private security has always had a critical role in keeping Kiwis and their property safe, especially during times of crisis.

The campaign calls on the public, business owners and other essential services who have used private guards to nominate individuals who have gone above and beyond or simply have been a reassuring, kind and considerate face during these testing times.

A web form has been established on the NZSA website where nominations can be made including a place to upload photos or videos of guards doing a great job.

The NZSA aims to award one guard a week with a special trophy in the lead up to the annual New Zealand Security Awards nomination period starting in late May. The awards are not just for member companies – anyone with a CoA (security licence) can be nominated.

The form can be found here: https://security.org.nz/covid-19-guardian-award-nomination-form/

The New Zealand Security Association (NZSA) is the largest industry representative body for the security industry in New Zealand and represents over 85% of the industry by revenue. Its voluntary members include security providers ranging from large multi-nationals to sole traders and also includes individuals and companies who are not direct providers of security services but have an interest in the industry. The New Zealand Security Association is committed to the highest standards of professional and ethical conduct at all times.

https://security.org.nz/

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