Adventure Activity Regulations

Adventure Activity Regulations

Ensuring student safety in adventure activities is essential. This page provides guidance on the Adventure Activities Regulations, the WorkSafe Register of Adventure Activities Operators, and good practices for working with external providers. Whether you’re partnering with a registered operator, hiring an independent contractor, or using school staff, you’ll find the key information and resources to support safe and compliant outdoor education experiences.

Adventure Activity Regulations & the Register of Adventure Activity Operators

The Health and Safety at Work (Adventure Activities) Regulations 2016 outline the requirements for commercial adventure operators and the adventure activities they provide. 

All Adventure Activity Operators must be registered for the activities they provide. Registration requires passing an audit of their safety management systems, ensuring their processes meet stringent safety standards. 

This gives your school confidence in the reliability and robustness of the operators' safety practices.

What is an Adventure Activity? Adventure Activity Operators Register

Activity Safety Guidelines

Schools are exempt from the Adventure Activity regulations unless they provide activities to non-students. However, it is crucial for your school's safety management to align with industry-recognised good practice standards. 

Most adventure activities have established guidelines that represent industry good practices. Adhering to these guidelines when planning or conducting adventure activities ensures safety and compliance with current accepted standards.

Activity Safety Guildelines

Good Practice Guidelines

Good Practice Guidelines (GPGs) are for organised outdoor activities that aren’t currently covered by the Adventure Activities Regulations or the associated Activity Safety Guidelines (ASGs).

They help schools to align their procedures and systems with good practice.

Learn More

Who should deliver Adventure Activities for your school

Ensuring that the person leading the experience has the appropriate skills and expertise is essential for the safe delivery of adventure activities. There are three options to achieve this: 

  • Partnering with a registered Adventure Activity Operator. 

  • Hiring an independent contractor with the necessary expertise.  

  • Utilising school staff with current and relevant qualifications. 

Partnering with a registered Adventure Activity Operator

Collaborating with any provider is a partnership that relies on regular, clear communication. This ensures that roles and responsibilities are well understood by both parties and that supervision structures are in place to safeguard all students at all times.

Establishing clear, written agreements is a critical step in ensuring effective collaboration. The EOTC External Provider Template serves as a valuable tool to facilitate this process.

EOTC External Provider Template

Hiring an independent contractor with the necessary expertise

A contractor may provide services to your school without being registered, provided they operate under your safety management plan. 

When contracting or hiring instructors to support the delivery of a programme or activity, schools should adhere to good practices. This includes ensuring the contractor's expertise aligns with the scope of the activity and verifying that they hold a current, recognised New Zealand qualification relevant to the activity. 

The same standards apply when utilising school staff to run activities.

Information about using contractors New Zealand Outdoor Instructors Association (NZOIA)