Page 6 - OPE March 2020

CLIPPINGS
Local and International News
SAFETY & OUTDOOR POWER
Aussies adopt national quad bike safety standard
FOLLOWING A TWO-year investigation conducted by the ACCC, Australia’s Federal
Government is introducing a new quad bike safety standard.
The standard requires that within 12 months, all new quad bikes will need to have information attached to them about the degree of slope at which they will start to overturn.
Within 24 months, all new general
use quad bikes will need to conform to minimum standards for stability on slopes.
The standard will also require that all new general use quad bikes sold in Australia have an operator protection device or rollover bar.
In addition, the ACCC is urging state and territory governments to continue supporting complementary safety measures like the use of
helmets and protective clothing, prohibiting children from riding adult-sized quad bikes and continuing rebate schemes that encourage the fitting of rollover protection devices to quad bikes already in use.
Will New Zealand follow suit? Opinion on mandating rollover protection remains seriously divided but WorkSafe’s outlook on quads and Crush Protection Devices (CPDs – see https://bit.ly/2O6fpxP) is quite clear and we quote:
“We recommend you use an alternative vehicle or different work practices to avoid the risk of quad bike rollovers. If you have no reasonable alternative to using a quad bike we strongly recommend you get a CPD installed permanently.”
www.productsafety.gov.au/standards/ quad-bikes
STIHL launches e-commerce platform
OUTDOOR POWER MOVERS & SHAKERS
IN JANUARY STIHL
launched New Zealand’s first outdoor power tool e-commerce platform – www.stihlshop.co.nz.
In response to demand from consumers who want both the convenience of online shopping and the service delivered by bricks & mortar STIHL SHOPS, the new website allows Kiwi customers to browse and buy products directly from the platform with the checkout option of a home delivery or click & collect from one of the 73 STIHL SHOPs nationwide.
When buying online,
customers also choose
which store they’re buying
from, meaning they are
supporting local business while creating a relationship they can rely on for support and service.
Jochen Speer, Managing Director at STIHL NZ, says of the new e-commerce site: “I think we’ve managed to give customers the best of both worlds by empowering them to shop how and when they want while keeping a friendly local face available for all their ongoing needs.
“I think Kiwis will appreciate what we’ve done in providing a modern shopping experience while committing to ensure all of our local Kiwi owners enjoy a slice of its success,” he says.
The new transactional website is
in addition to STIHL NZ’s corporate website (www.stihl.co.nz) which is still in operation.
www.stihlshop.co.nz
BEN ADAMS IS new to Yates as
Territory Manager but comes with a strong background in horticulture, having worked for Kiwicare Corporation and Palmers Garden Centres in various roles. More recently he worked for Ox Tools NZ as National Business Development Manager and says he’s “looking forward to getting out in the field seeing new and old faces, promoting the Yates brand and growing our strong share of the market.”
Fergus Brown,
CEO of Holiday
Parks New
Zealand, is a
new ServiceIQ
Board member
representing
the hospitality
sector. Prior to
his current role, and running his own accommodation business, Fergus worked for Tourism New Zealand. He is also on the Tourism Industry Aotearoa Board and has experience working with Government.
Phil Parkes is WorkSafe New Zealand’s new Chief Executive. Currently WorkSafe’s Chief Operating Officer, Phil leads its Operations Group of 300+ employees and
brings to his new
role extensive
regulatory
and leadership
experiences from
previous roles in
local and central
government in
New Zealand and
the UK. Before
joining WorkSafe, he was GM Policy & Legal with the New Zealand Environmental Protection Authority and led the implementation of a new regulatory framework. Phil replaces Nicole Rosie, who is taking on the role of Chief Executive at the NZ Transport Agency.
Vaughan Renner has been re-elected as the President of BusinessNZ, while Andrew Hunt, EMA President, and Andrew Leys, President of the Otago Southland Employers Association have been re-elected as BusinessNZ’s Vice- Presidents. The BusinessNZ Council members are David Welsh (Auckland), Jugdis Parbhu (Auckland), Margaret Gracie (Auckland), Sara Lunam (Tauranga), Adele Rose (Hastings), Jo Healey (Wellington), Andrew Logie (Christchurch) and Benjamin Badger (Christchurch).
06 NZOUTDOORPOWEREQUIPMENT MARCH2020
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