Convene the Convenors 2026 - Supporting New Zealand’s international mirror committee convenors
In March Convene the Convenors was held as a hybrid forum bringing together convenors of ISO and IEC international standards committees to share experience, identify common challenges, and reflect on what supports effective and sustainable participation in international standards development.
The event was attended by 43 convenors, with 14 participating in person and the remainder joining online. The hybrid format supported participation from across the country and reflected the time commitments and constraints associated with international standards work.
The forum was designed as a discussion focused session, providing space for convenors to share practical experience and insights from their roles.
Context: international mirror committees
International standards committees differ from those developing New Zealand specific standards. They are standing committees that operate continuously, either across successive editions of standards or across suites of related standards/topic areas.
New Zealand participates in ISO and IEC work through International “Mirror Committees”. These committees:
- coordinate national technical expertise
- develop New Zealand positions on draft standards
- and vote on international documents throughout the development process.
International Mirror Committees play an important role in shaping outcomes early and ensuring standards are appropriate for Aotearoa New Zealand.
The role of convenors
Convenors lead International Mirror Committees and support their effective operation over time. This includes facilitating participation, supporting informed discussion, meeting procedural requirements, and helping ensure that New Zealand views are considered and are influential in international standards development.
Participants noted that convenor roles are typically undertaken alongside full time professional responsibilities and rely heavily on voluntary contribution and employer support. Convenors also manage engagement across long development cycles and international time zones.
Convene the Convenors provided an opportunity to reflect collectively on this role and on where clarity, connection, and practical support make a difference.
Some of the convenors during a break out session.
What we heard: key themes
1. Visibility and connection across committees
A consistent theme across discussions was that convenors often work in relative isolation, with limited visibility of other committees, their scopes, and areas of technical overlap.
Participants noted that this can result in duplication of effort, missed opportunities to collaborate, and reduced sharing of insights gained through international engagement.
Convenors expressed interest in practical, low effort ways to improve connection across the convenor community, including:
- clearer visibility of committees, convenors, and areas of expertise
- access to shared resources such as meeting practices, agendas, and balloting approaches
- simple digital tools to support awareness and information sharing.
2. Sustainable participation and national influence
Sustainability of participation was a strong and recurring theme throughout the forum.
Participants spoke about:
- limited or no funding for most committees
- reliance on personal time and employer goodwill
- overnight meetings driven by global time zones
- and difficulty attending international plenaries, where relationships and influence are often built.
Convenors noted that when New Zealand representation is inconsistent or absent, influence can be reduced. Reliance on other countries to reflect New Zealand perspectives does not always work where national positions diverge.
There was also concern about the risk of New Zealand moving from active participation to observer status in some international committees if sustained engagement cannot be maintained.
Alongside funding considerations, participants highlighted the importance of:
- recognition of contribution
- clearer articulation of the professional and national value of standards participation
- and stronger alignment between standards development, regulation, and domestic use.
3. Strong committees over time
The final discussion session focused on committee health, continuity, and succession.
Convenors described challenges recruiting new members, particularly in specialised technical areas, and managing succession as participation ages. Participants noted that clearer onboarding, mentoring, and role clarity support confidence and continuity.
The value of deputy convenor roles was identified as a way to share workload and build resilience. Participants also reflected positively on clearer guidance that supports consistent expectations for participation and voting.
There was interest in positioning standards participation as a professional development pathway, including opportunities to connect with industry bodies and tertiary education to support future contributors.
Summary observations
Across the forum, several shared observations emerged:
- Visibility of people, expertise, and activity supports collaboration and reduces duplication.
- Processes need to be proportionate and reflect the voluntary nature of participation.
- The value of standards participation is not always well understood by employers or stakeholders.
- New Zealand’s influence in international standards depends on coordinated and sustained engagement.
- Support can include clarity, recognition, guidance, tools, and connection, in addition to funding.
Participants also acknowledged positive developments, including improved onboarding resources, strong support from Standards New Zealand staff, and renewed engagement with Australian counterparts.
Ongoing engagement and support
Insights from Convene the Convenors 2026 will inform how Standards New Zealand continues to engage with and support international mirror committee convenors. This includes strengthening visibility across committees, supporting effective onboarding and continuity, and ensuring guidance and support remain practical and proportionate.
A further Convene the Convenors forum is planned later in September 2026, building on the experience led discussions from this session and focusing on practical ways to strengthen participation over time.
Information about participating in standards development is available on the Standards New Zealand website:
If you are interested in contributing as an international expert, please contact Ramola Duncan, ramola.duncan@mbie.govt.nz, Senior Advisor, International Engagement at Standards New Zealand.