Port Health and Safety Leadership Group
About the Port Health and Safety Leadership Group
The Port Health and Safety Leadership Group (PHSLG). is made up of port and stevedoring leaders, unions, the Port Industry Association, and Maritime NZ. We are working together to address the issue of serious harm and improve health and safety at New Zealand’s ports.
Health and safety for us is embodied by the whakataukī:
He waka eke noa – a canoe which we are all in, with no exception.
Our shared vision is: A high‑performing, resilient port sector where people thrive and worker health and safety is prioritised through high‑trust, tripartite collaboration.
Who we are
Our membership includes:
- Maritime NZ (Kirstie Hewlett, Chief Executive of Maritime NZ and Chair of the Leadership Group)
- Port Industry Association (Dave Wakelin, Chair of the Port Industry Association, and Jacqui Ramsay, Executive Officer)
- Ports (Roger Gray, Chief Executive, Port of Auckland; and Matt McDonald, Chief Executive, Port Nelson)
- Stevedoring companies (Paul Cameron, Chief Executive, Qube Ports NZ; Gavin Hudson, Chief Executive, C3; and Gavin McIntyre, Chief Executive, 3 Islands Intermodal)
- the Maritime Union of New Zealand (Carl Findlay, National Secretary)
- the Rail and Maritime Transport Union of New Zealand (Aubrey Wilkinson, National President).
Port Sector Insights Picture and Action Plan
In 2022 the PHSLG published the Port Sector Insights Picture and Action Plan to address the issue of serious harm on ports. The plan lays out the foundation for the group’s multi-year harm prevention programme.
Maritime NZ’s Extended HSWA Designation
Through the Port Sector Insights and Action Plan, the PHSLG recommended that the health and safety activities Maritime NZ already performs on ships be extended onto the land side of New Zealand’s 13 major ports. Following Government confirmation and approval, on 1 July 2024 Maritime NZ became the responsible health and safety regulator on New Zealand’s 13 major ports.
Education and Guidance resources
Access education and guidance resources developed by Maritime NZ in collaboration with the port sector and endorsed by the PHSLG to support better health and safety outcomes.
Resources developed include the:
Stay in the loop
We publish updates after each quarterly meeting of the PHSLG. Updates for 2025 - 2026 are linked below. If you would like copies of earlier updates from the PHSLG, please contact Maritime NZ below.