This morning is about recognising achievement.

The people we are recognising today have all contributed a huge amount to their area of expertise.

Congratulations to:-

Brian Davey - services to fire protection

Ian Moreland - services to information technology

Vern Goodwin - services to environmental acoustics

Charles Clifton - services to structural steel standards

Richard Bean -services to traffic engineering

The work of the winners may often go unnoticed by the general public but they have all contributed enormously in their own way to improving the environment in which we live and work.

Standards NZ plays a critical role in many areas of New Zealand life.

The Department works closely with Standards and values its expertise.  As for its importance, take the standard NZS 3604. It is the most widely used building-related standard and is heavily relied on by designers and builders.

The Department is currently looking at whether this standard can be simplified as part of plan to update those which are important to meeting the requirements of the Building Code.

Its work has evolved over time and laid the basis of how we build in this country.

The Standards Association of New Zealand was formed following the 1931 Napier earthquake to produce building by-laws for local authorities to adopt.

Its role changed when the 1991 Building Act was enacted to consolidate and replace all building related legislation and bylaws by introducing the Building Code.

Today, its role has expanded and it has become the country's leading developer of standards allowing organisations to, among other things, enhance products and services, improve safety and quality, meet best practice and support trade.

Standards are integral to the Building Code

The New Zealand Building Code was among the first in the world to state the performance criteria buildings had to meet rather than specify exactly how they were built.

The building process in New Zealand is not prescriptive.

Designers and other professionals are free to use their own solutions in each instance of building work.

The Department produces compliance documents which are intended to act as a guide for all kinds of building work which, if followed correctly, will receive automatic building consent from local councils.

You cannot build in New Zealand without Standards.

Officials from my department sit on Standards committees to develop building-related standards especially those that are important for building control systems such as the main structural loading Standard and the various material design standards.

They provide tailor-made solutions which take account of New Zealand's building conditions.

And they often form the basis of many of the Department's compliance documents

The Department is negotiating a Memorandum of Understanding with Standards NZ

This will provide support for developing and reviewing standards. It will be underpinned by a three-year rolling programme of agreed work.