ISO and IEC Technical Committee participation
Find out more about New Zealand's involvement in the development of international standards
On this page
International standards are developed by technical committees and subcommittees. There are three levels of membership for ISO and IEC committees. As a member body of ISO and IEC, New Zealand can choose to be either a non-member, observer member or a participating member of any of the ISO and IEC technical committees or subcommittees.
Options for involvement
- Non-member: No participation or observation of the standard(s) being developed.
- Observing member (O): This is a watching brief. O-members follow the work of a particular committee without committing themselves to active participation.
- Participating member (P): P-members are required to play an active role in the work of a committee, as well as vote on all official committee ballots.
In areas where there is significant interest from New Zealand stakeholders and there is a commitment to become participating (P) members, Standards New Zealand will establish an International Review Group (IRG), sometimes referred to as a national mirror committee.
An IRG is usually made up of a mix of individuals, organisations and associations. The IRG is consulted on documents circulated by the ISO technical committee to establish a New Zealand position. The convenor of the IRG then notifies Standards New Zealand which way the IRG wishes to vote and Standards New Zealand will enter the vote on the ISO or IEC website.
The establishment of an IRG requires a minimum of three members, preferably more. Standards New Zealand also looks to recoup its administrative costs by charging an annual administration fee for each P level committee. This administration fee is NZ$3,000+GST for the first year and NZ$1,500+GST for each subsequent year.
To become a member of a new or an existing IRG, individuals need to provide information which identifies their skills, qualifications, sector knowledge and experience, related to the standards being developed by a specific technical committee (TC) or sub committee (SC). This information is then presented to the Standards Approval Board (SAB), who make the final decision on IRG membership.
The SAB and the New Zealand National Committee of the IEC (NCNZ) approve IEC P committee memberships .
If you are interested in getting involved in the development of ISO international standards, complete the following form:
Apply to join an ISO International Review Group (IRG)
If you are interested in getting involved in the development of IEC international standards, complete the following form:
Apply to join an IEC International Review Group (IRG)
To become an observer (O) member of an ISO or IEC technical committee/subcommittee, an individual’s email address needs to be linked to the ISO Global Database or the IEC Expert Management System.
Actively recruiting
Standards New Zealand facilitates New Zealand stakeholder participation in international standards development committees, through our membership with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and membership of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), through the IEC National Committee of New Zealand.
If you are keen to be involved in international standards development activities, we welcome your expressions of interest - please identify any specific committee in which you have interest.
ISO committee vacancies
- ISO/TC 89 Wood-based panels
- ISO/TC 89 SC 3 Plywood
- ISO/TC 165 Timber structures
- ISO/TC 176 Quality management and quality assurance
- ISO/TC 176 SC 1 Concepts and terminology
- ISO/TC 176 SC 2 Quality systems
- ISO/TC 176 SC 3 Supporting technologies
- ISO/TC 181 Safety of toys
- ISO/TC 121 SC 1 Breathing attachments and anaesthetic machines
- ISO/TC 272 Forensic sciences
If you have enquiries about ISO committee membership email the ISO admin team.
IEC committee vacancies
- IEC TC 31 Equipment for explosive atmospheres
- IEC SC 31J Classification of hazardous areas and installation requirements
- IEC SC 59D Performance of household and similar electrical laundry appliances
- IEC SC 59M Performance of electrical household and similar cooling and freezing appliances
- IEC TC 79 Alarm and electronic security systems
- IEC TC 82 Solar photovoltaic energy systems
- IEC SC 121A Low-voltage switchgear and controlgear
- IEC SyC AAL Active Assisted Living
If you have enquiries about IEC committee membership email the IEC admin team.