Inaugural health and safety scholarship recipients congratulated

Building a better culture for health and safety in New Zealand workplaces will be greatly assisted by the inaugural recipients of the HASANZ Scholarship Programme, says Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Iain Lees-Galloway.

“The Health and Safety Association of New Zealand’s Scholarship Programme will raise the profile of health and safety as an attractive career option and ultimately help make our workplaces safer.

“Developing a pipeline of qualified health and safety professionals means Kiwi businesses will have better access to good health and safety advice to reduce workplace harm.

“More than 100 people applied for HASANZ Scholarships. I congratulate the 18 inaugural HASANZ Scholarship recipients and wish them every success in their studies.

“It’s just over three months since I launched the HASANZ Scholarship Programme in September and to see it gain traction in such a short time shows there is a real need for it.

“The scholarships create a career path for people coming into health and safety as a profession and I applaud HASANZ for their foresight and commitment to safer workplaces in New Zealand.

“Better health and safety in our workplaces is a huge part of this Government’s commitment to improving the wellbeing of all New Zealanders.

“Every New Zealand worker has the right to return home, to their whanau and friends, in the same health as when they started the day. The HASANZ Scholarship Programme will play an important role in keeping Kiwis safer at work,” says Iain Lees-Galloway.

Notes for editors:

• Starting this year, HASANZ Scholarships will be awarded annually to people already working in health and safety who want to expand their skills by undertaking a higher-level qualification, and to graduates who want to pursue a career in health and safety.
• For more information, go to www.hasanz.org.nz/page/scholarships