This guide is written for chief executives, managing directors and senior leaders who carry an officer duty under New Zealand health and safety law. It is short, plain-language and practical: understand what the law actually asks of you, read the whole risk picture, and finish with a Risk Leadership Action Plan you can act on. It is guidance for professional development, not legal advice.
Who is this guide for?
It is for chief executives, managing directors and senior leaders in New Zealand organisations who carry an officer duty and want to lead on health and safety risk with the same confidence they bring to finance and strategy.
It answers the questions leaders actually ask: whose job is health and safety risk really, what does the law ask of me as an officer in plain terms, and if I have a capable H&S team, am I covered?
What the guide covers
From the case for leading to a plan you can act on
Five short modules for leaders who already lead on risk. Tap each card to see what it covers.
Tap or select a card to flip it.
Five short modules
Each lesson is short and practical, with a plain-language explanation and a brief reflective activity.
- The risk leadership caseWhy leaders must lead on risk
- Leadership self reflectionThe CEO’s three questions
- Reading the risk pictureThe bow tie method and risk appetite
- Setting expectationsPolicy, roles and accountability
- Enable, monitor and actClosing the loop, then your action plan
In practice
The duty does not move to your H&S team when things get busy. It stays with you.
Good leadership here is not more paperwork. It is asking the right questions and backing the people doing the work, and this guide leaves you with a plan to do exactly that.
Kept current, new for 2026: the guide carries a researched addendum on the 2026 changes to the Health and Safety at Work Act, so what you learn reflects where the law is heading. This is general guidance for professional development. It is not legal advice and does not replace advice from your own advisers.
Lead on health and safety risk
Enrol online self-paced, about an hour
Short, self-paced, and built to leave you with a Risk Leadership Action Plan you can act on. There is no exam, just practical guidance in the voice of a peer who governs risk.
Guidance, not a test · about an hour · includes the 2026 HSWA reform
Common questions
Who is this guide for?
Chief executives, managing directors and senior leaders in New Zealand organisations who carry an officer duty for health and safety.
Is this legal advice?
No. This is general guidance to help you lead well and ask better questions. It is not legal advice and does not replace advice from your own advisers.
How long does it take?
It is short and self-paced. Most leaders work through it in about an hour, in one sitting or a few short sessions.
Is there an exam?
No. There is no test or pass mark. Each lesson has a short reflective activity and you leave with your own action plan.