Is a Site Induction Legally Required in NZ?

Q: Who inducts contractors on a shared site in New Zealand?

Section 34 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 requires every business with a duty in relation to the same matter to consult, cooperate and coordinate. WorkSafe's contracting guidance expects the business leading the work to be in charge of inductions on site.

The short answer

A site induction is not a defined legal requirement in New Zealand. We found no use of the word induction in the General Risk and Workplace Management Regulations 2016, the Worker Engagement, Participation and Representation Regulations 2016 or the Major Hazard Facilities Regulations 2016, and the sections of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 that set these duties do not use it either.

Section 36(3)(f) of the Act requires a business to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable,

the provision of any information, training, instruction, or supervision that is necessary to protect all persons from risks to their health and safety arising from work carried out as part of the conduct of the business or undertaking

That covers workers, contractors and visitors. A business that lets a contractor start work with no information about the site's hazards, emergency procedures or controls has failed that duty, whatever it calls the missing step.

What providers claim

Several pages that rank for this question state it more firmly than the law does.

Securo's article on inductions for new employees says that under the Health and Safety at Work Act they are required.
Citation Group's New Zealand site says new workers must be inducted before they begin work, and calls a strong induction a legal obligation. The same page paraphrases section 36(3)(f) as information that is sufficient to protect all workers. The Act says necessary.
HazardCo says construction site inductions are required on every construction site, with no law cited.

The practical advice on those pages is sound. The legal description matters when a business decides what it can skip for a short visit or a small job.

Who is arriving, and which duties apply

Tick who is turning up on site. The duties come from the Act and regulations, whatever you call the briefing.

The four duties an induction meets

Information, training, instruction and supervision. Section 36(3)(f) of the Act, set out above.
Adequate training and supervision for workers. Regulation 9 of the General Risk and Workplace Management Regulations requires each worker to have adequate knowledge and experience or be adequately supervised, and to be adequately trained in the safe use of the plant, substances and equipment they use. Regulation 9(4) says training includes the provision of information or instruction. A breach carries a fine of up to $10,000 for an individual and $50,000 for any other person.
Working with other businesses on the same site. Section 34 requires each business with a duty in relation to the same matter to consult, cooperate with and coordinate activities with the others, so far as is reasonably practicable. A breach carries a fine of up to $20,000 for an individual and $100,000 for any other person.
Duties on the people being inducted. Sections 45 and 46 require workers and other persons at a workplace to comply with reasonable instructions given by the business.

A man in a hi-vis vest pointing out parts of a workplace to a new colleague as they walk through the building — An induction is the usual way a business shows it met section 36(3)(f) for someone new to the site.

Duty	Source	Maximum fine
Information, training, instruction, supervision	HSWA s 36(3)(f)	Through the s 36 duty offences
Consult, cooperate, coordinate on shared sites	HSWA s 34	$20,000 individual, $100,000 other
Adequate training or supervision for workers	GRWM reg 9	$10,000 individual, $50,000 other
Follow reasonable instructions	HSWA ss 45 and 46	Duties on workers and others
Site induction by name	No Act or regulation	None

Section 36(3)(f)

The provision of any information, training, instruction, or supervision that is necessary to protect all persons from risks to their health and safety.

The word induction appears in none of the regulations searched for this page.

Where WorkSafe uses the word

WorkSafe uses induction in guidance, and uses should. Its guidance for work on or near roads says:

Site inductions should be completed for every new worker or visitor to a site.

Its advice on contracting, PCBUs working together, lists being in charge of inductions on site as something it expects from the business leading the work. Its position on visitors says:

All PCBUs must give other persons at the workplace an appropriate and proportionate level of health and safety information and protection.

Appropriate and proportionate means the information scales with the work the person will do and the risks they will meet.

Small businesses and the 2027 changes

From 1 April 2027 the Health and Safety at Work Amendment Act 2026 limits the core duties of a business with fewer than 20 workers to critical risks. WorkSafe defines those as risks likely to cause death, serious injury, serious illness or long-term harm, and lists hazards such as machinery, working at height over three metres, excavations and hazardous substances as critical risks automatically.

For a small business the information and training duty will attach to those risks. Information about critical risks on site, such as machinery or work at height, stays part of that duty.

WorkSafe position on visitors

All PCBUs must give other persons at the workplace an appropriate and proportionate level of health and safety information and protection.

A short briefing can be enough for a low risk visit.

What a proportionate induction covers

Who is in charge on site, and who to go to with a problem.
The critical risks on this site today, and the controls the person must follow.
Emergency procedures, including alarms, exits, the assembly point and where to find first aid.
Site rules that apply to the work they are doing, including permits, PPE and restricted areas.
How to report a hazard, incident or near miss.
A check that they understood it, and a record of who was inducted, on what and when.

Regulation 9(3) requires training to be readily understandable by the person it is given to.

Common questions

Is a site induction a legal requirement in New Zealand?

Not by name. The General Risk and Workplace Management Regulations 2016 do not use the word induction. The Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 requires the information, training, instruction and supervision necessary to protect people, and an induction is the usual way to meet that duty.

Do visitors need an induction?

WorkSafe's position is that businesses must give other persons at the workplace an appropriate and proportionate level of health and safety information and protection. A short briefing may be enough for a low risk visit.

Who inducts contractors on a shared site?

Section 34 requires every business with a duty in relation to the same matter to consult, cooperate and coordinate. WorkSafe's contracting guidance expects the business leading the work to be in charge of inductions on site, but the others must still cooperate.

Do we have to keep induction records?

No law requires a record of an induction. WorkSafe says training records are not required but are useful, and a record is the simplest evidence that the duty was met.

Are construction site inductions compulsory?

No regulation makes them compulsory by name. The duties in sections 34 and 36 of the Act and regulation 9 apply to construction sites, and a construction site with several contractors is where an induction does most to meet them.

Sources

Current as at 17 September 2026. This article is general information about New Zealand law, not legal advice, and no training course makes a business compliant on its own. Check the current text of any legislation, regulation or guidance before you rely on it.

An induction course for new starters

Introduction to Health and Safety gives new workers the grounding a site induction builds on: how hazards are controlled, what the law expects of them, and how to speak up.

See Introduction to Health and Safety