Fenton Darien: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeFenton Darien: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 13 May 2014. Volume:698;Page:17746. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]11.DARIEN FENTON (Labour) to theMinister of Labour: Is he confident that the risks and safety of participants in adventure tourism activities in New Zealand are being appropriately managed?Hon SIMON BRIDGES (Minister of Labour): Adventure activities are inherently risky and the safety of those who take part is an absolute top priority for this Government. We put in place the adventure activities regulations that require all operators to have safety audits in place by 1 November this year. I am confident that this will lead to a stringent best-practice safety regime in our adventure tourism industry.Darien Fenton: How is he fulfilling the promises he and the Prime Minister made to grieving families to clean up safety in the adventure tourism industry when progress has stalled around safety audits because of his failure to properly resource safety audit providers?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: The resources are entirely appropriate for the job at hand. We are ensuring that we meet 1 November by having auditors put in place to do an excellent job in this area and also ensuring that tourism operators are supported by WorkSafe by making contact with all of them and that they are audit ready and motivated for the task that they must fulfil to bring this industry to world’s best practice.Darien Fenton: Will the outstanding safety audits be completed before the deadline of 1 November this year given that Outdoors New Zealand is the only provider left and has no money left to conduct the rest of the audits?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: I am confident of that. I characterise it as an initial slowing of the auditing system prior to speeding up again.Hon Members: Oh!Hon SIMON BRIDGES: And if members want to hear I am very happy to outline the position. Of course Outdoors New Zealand has transferred its audit business to another operator but there are other auditors coming into place through the recognition process—Darien Fenton: That’s not true.Hon SIMON BRIDGES: —at least two Miss Fenton—and I am very confident both that the auditors are in place for the job and that the operators are motivated and supported to do this job to ensure that we have world’s best practice.Darien Fenton: How can he get more than 400 audits completed in less than 6 months even if new providers or funding are available?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: Well as I have said by having excellent auditors who are going through the recognition process at the moment and by having motivated and supported providers of tourism activities. All of those things are in place. We have got the regime and we have got the resources the auditors and the operators so I am confident we will meet 1 November.Darien Fenton: Will he allow adventure activity operators to take the risk of operating their businesses beyond 1 November if they have not been audited for safety and if there have been no audits to ensure they meet the standards he implemented under the health and safety adventure activity regulations?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: Well given all of the answers to the previous primary question and supplementary questions I am confident we will meet 1 November so that question does not arise.