1. New Zealand APLMF Economy report Kevin Gudmundsson
Legal Metrology Advisor Trading Standards MBIE New Zealand

2. Organisation and Structure
Specialty 
Legal metrology
Scientific metrology
Organisation
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE)
Callaghan Innovation
Business Unit
Trading Standards
Measurement Standards Laboratory
Manager
Stephen O’Brien
Fleur Francois
Location(s)
Head office – Wellington
Primary Laboratory – Auckland
Secondary Laboratory – Wellington & Christchurch
Wellington
The responsibility of maintaining legal metrology function in NZ remains with TS un the MBIE and the Scientific metrology function continues to be provided by Measurement Standards Laboratory,
The only notable change is that Dr Tim Armstrong, who was the chief metrologist that some of you might know, has retired and been replaced by Fleur Francois who she has a background Biochemistry and public policy and is regarded as a very positive replacement for Tim.

3. Organisation and Structure
Legislative changes -Weights and Measures Act
Minor update – to control hiring or leasing instruments. This is a relatively new trading practise in New Zealand.
Technical Policies
To provide clarity in areas of confusion in relations to the examination and testing of Instruments
Consolidated all Technical Procedures into a single document
Minor updates to the Weights and Measures Act are to be proposed but it is not expected to have major impact on the operation of legal metrology but will ensure that terminology and language is contemporary. The updates will include the relatively new trading practise in New Zealand where traders either hire or lease a weighing or measuring instrument for trade use instead of purchasing
A Trade Measurement – Technical Policies document has been developed and released to Accredited Persons
Trading Standards has released numerous technical policies and decisions in relation to how weighing or measuring instrument is setup and tested. The majority of these were related to clarifying the intent of the legislation and includes polices on aspects of instruments not covered in the Act but found within OIML Recommendations, for example auxiliary devices and printed and stored information and multiple instruments connected to one indicator.
The purpose of these technical policies is to provide clarity in which to avoid areas of possible confusion which may lead to non-compliance.

4. key Activities 2015/2016 Excreted fluid in prepacked chicken meat
Currently fluid exuded from the poultry after it has been packed forms part of the net quantity statement
Poultry meat absorbs water during processing
Product sampling has found up to 12% fluid in chicken breasts and 8% fluid in whole chickens
Trading Standards opinion – fluid should not be included in net quantity statement
Not considered food as not represented as food
Not considered meat within definition
An ordinary consumer unlikely to consider the fluid food
When an absorption pad used, the fluid is rendered unusable by a consumer
Trading Standards continues to investigate the Chicken industry over the inclusion of excreted fluid in prepackaged chicken into the net weight value
Trading Standards understands that water and other processing aids are added for hygiene and technical purposes during manufacture and that chicken meat will naturally absorb this water during processing; however manufacturers are required to allow suitable drip time, post processing, for this fluid to expel.
Sampling has found that the fluid which has either pooled in the packaging or absorbed into a soaker pad accounted for up to 8% of the weight of whole chickens and 12% of chicken breasts. We are of the opinion that this fluid is not considered meat and should therefore not be included in the net quantity statement.
There are a number of reasons to support this significantly that the fluid is:
Not considered food as it is not represented as food or falls within definition of meat
Furthermore we believe an ordinary consumer is unlikely to consider the fluid food and when an absorption pad is used, the fluid is rendered unusable by a consumer
Trading Standards is eager to see this matter resolved amicably without commencing legal action, however the association is maintaining an opposing position.

5. key Activities 2015/2016 Engaging with industry associations
Trading Standards continue to engage with industry  
To present at the annual NZ wine industry association
To present at Retail Meat NZ industry association
Ministry of Transport review how taxis operate in New Zealand
Consultation paper proposed to move away from requiring taxi meters to be verified and to adopt an approach based on fair negotiation and contract between the customer and the taxi driver or adopting an UBAR style system.
Trading Standards advised the Ministry of the OIML Recommendation
Engaging with industry associations
Trading Standards has engaged further with industry associations to filter our information and news to their members. Examples include being asked to present at the annual NZ wine industry association meeting; this followed a number of questions from the association on international marking requirements.
And Also, Retail Meat NZ, an association that represents 85% of all meat products sold by retail in New Zealand, have included our information in their newsletters and also introduced elements of the requirements of the weights and measures legislation into their apprentice butcher scheme.   
Ministry of Transport has reviewed how taxis operate in New Zealand
A consultation paper was released which proposed to move away from requiring taxi meters to be verified and to adopt an approach based on fair negotiation and contract between the customer and the taxi driver such as adopting an UBAR style system.
I attended a meeting with the policy makers and presented the OIML internationally recognised system for approving the taxi meters and verifying them
It was also highlighted to them the potential for consumers to be disadvantaged if the taxi meter could not be relied upon for its accurate recording of the fair.

6. key Activities 2015/2016 SOLAS SOLAS now fully introduced into NZ
Requirement that instruments have to be approved and verified that are used to determine the ‘verified gross mass’ of a container
Significant increase in the number of instruments submitted for approval in New Zealand
Following the introduction of SOLAS requirements - All shipping containers for export from New Zealand must have a verified gross weight statement before they can be loaded on a ship. This came into force on July
Shippers are responsible for providing the Verified Gross Mass and the ship’s Master cannot allow the container it to be loaded on to their ship without this information.
In NZ the gross mass statement must be determined on a trade approved weighing instrument that is verified and certified. Where class III or IIII weighing instruments are used, a maximum scale division of no greater than 50 kg is permitted and for class YB, a maximum scale division of 100 kg.
This has seen an significant increase in high capacity instruments being submitted for approval in New Zealand such as jacks, straddle cranes, top lifters and forklift scales.

7. Data Management System
key Activities 2015/2016
Data Management System
Recent developments in data capturing and analysing has provided significant efficiencies in reporting. Using and ipad with Iauditor to capture information in the field, it is then uploaded into our Data Management System. The data is then extracted into our reporting system called ‘business objects’ to provide reporting and trend monitoring.

8. key Activities 2015/2016
Examples include reports on premises visited / investigations and outcomes, enforcement actions taken, non-compliances detected, . This has been really good as it has automated all my weekly, monthly and annual reports saving me a lot of time. This information is also used to form targets for following years and It has also been found useful in tracking the outputs and performance of staff.

9. Future Focus Seeking Certification to ISO 9001 : 2015
July 2015 Trading Standards obtained certification to ISO 9001:2008
New revised Standard, ISO 9001 : Trading Standards is in the process of updating its system
The intent is to develop a branch wide system which will include: 
Trading Standards ISO mass standards Laboratory
Standards New Zealand
Consumer Protection
Occupational Licensing
Radio Spectrum
40th Anniversary of New Zealand being metric
The 14th December 2016 marks the 40th anniversary of New Zealand adopting the metric system. Trading Standards is preparing to recognise the occasion by holding a lunchtime event that will feature four speakers
Updates to our certification system
In July 2015, Trading Standards obtained certification to the Quality Management System ISO 9001: our Ministry’s Consumer Protection and Standards branch that Trading Standards is located within requested Trading Standards to lead a project to attain a branch wide certification.
With the recent release of the revised Quality Management System, ISO 9001 : 2015, Trading Standards is in the process of updating its system to reflect the new requirements
The 14th December 2016 marks the 40th anniversary of New Zealand adopting the metric system. Trading Standards has prepared to mark the occasion by holding a lunchtime event.
The event will feature four speakers providing a 10 min presentations each on ‘the importance of accurate measurement’ in their fields of expertise. This includes medical measurement, police calibration, electrical measurement and calibrating measuring instruments in space. This is hoped to be a fun little lunchtime event to raise awareness about metrology.

10. Future Focus All of measurement video for New Zealand
3 minute video to raise public and industry awareness to the measurement infrastructure New Zealand has in place and how the different organisations , legal metrology, scientific metrology and accreditation are interconnected
Incorporating updates to OIML documents into NZ legislation
OIML 79 - Labeling requirements for prepackages
OIML R87 - Quantity of product in prepackages
Guidance for defining the system requirements for a certification system for prepackages
An all of measurement video for New Zealand
A short three minute video is to be created to raise awareness to the measurement regime in New Zealand and how the different organisations involved, legal metrology, scientific metrology and accreditation are interconnected. The proposed concept is the lifecycle of ice-cream so as to make it relatable to all, using an animated infographic style video which highlights the different points throughout the cycle where each organisation impacts to provide a quality end product.
Finally onto Incorporating updates from the recently approved OIML package goods documents into NZ legislation
With the approval of both package goods documents OIML 79 and 87, Trading Standards intends to review the weights and measures legislation to incorporate these new requirements.
Trading Standards will also consider the introduction of a package goods certification system once the ‘Guidance for defining the system requirements for a certification system for prepackages’ document has been approved by the CIML president.

11. Thank You For Your Attention
Kevin Gudmundsson
Legal Metrology Advisor Trading Standards MBIE New Zealand