11 December 2006

'The participation of kiwi representatives in ISO (International Standards Organisation) development ensures local standards are in tune with those of our main export trading partners.'
Sally Ann Hughes, Marketing Manager, Standards New Zealand

To expand and grow our economy we need exporters and Standards New Zealand to be more involved in international standards issues.

Standards New Zealand works closely with Standards Australia and international organizations such as ISO. But we need to have more involvement to ensure exporters and importers can operate without significant trade barriers in applying or complying with regional and international standards.

Currently New Zealand participates on 43 ISO committees. We may be a country of small companies and business, but when we are able to participate, we punch above our weight in shaping international standards. Unfortunately there are a number of key areas where New Zealand is not represented such as nanotechnology, tourism and social responsibility. Our involvement is limited because Standards New Zealand does not receive government funding to participate on ISO. This means we are not able to financially assist New Zealand companies to participate on ISO committees either.

It is a huge advantage however, particularly with European trading partners, to have representation on international standards committees.
“We commissioned a survey through AC Nielsen that revealed that 50 per cent of exporters found ‘standards’ a barrier to international trade,” says Sally Ann Hughes, Marketing Manager for Standards New Zealand. “Specifically having to change the design of their product or service to be compatible with the standards in offshore markets is a problem.”

“It is therefore crucial that New Zealand companies start getting more involved in international standards development and have their say.”

FIND OUT MORE
To learn how your company can contribute to the development of international standards and how we can help you to export your product please contact:
Sally Ann Hughes, Marketing Manager, Standards New Zealand sallyann.hughes@standards.co.nz