Benefits of standards
Standards help keep people safe, support trade and innovation, improve quality, and make it easier for organisations to work together.
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Narrator: E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā hau e whā, Tēnā koutou katoa.
[Visual: Shots of people working in different New Zealand industries. Graphics suggest where standards might apply.]
Narrator: There are standards that can help all types of business. Large or small.
Standards help businesses be better: more efficient, robust, trusted and compliant with regulation. They are a mark of good quality.
They help you win new customers and improve profitability
Standards help guide you with tried and tested good practice. They help you focus on both strategic and operational elements like safety, quality, efficiency, productivity, and resilience.
Standards build customer confidence that your products and services are safe and reliable.
Standards enhance brand recognition and help give customers and supply chain partners the assurances that your services and products are fit for purpose and reliable.
Whilst Standards are made by industry, for industry, they can also help you meet compliance requirements and show you are doing the right thing.
Introducing standards to your business can help reduce costs and sharpen your business processes, making your business more organised, productive and resilient.
There are standards to help plan for business continuity and manage risk so that in the event of a disaster, your important work can adapt and continue.
There are standards to manage information security, cybersecurity and privacy protections that can be applied to to businesses of all sizes.
And, by using internationally recognised standards in your business it can help gain market access across the world.
Health and safety standards give good practice guidance to protect people and help get everyone home safe and healthy each night.
Sustainability standards show customers you care about safeguarding the future and help preserve the world our tamariki will inherit
Standards are designed to be flexible and can be applied to all types of businesses of all sizes.
[Visual: Person searches Standards NZ website for standards.]
Narrator: At Standards New Zealand, we have thousands of standards covering all aspects of business and technology.
And we’ve made it easier for you to know where to start with curated collections of popular standards to help address specific business needs.
You’ll find them all on our website.
Prosperity and protection through trusted standards.
Mā mahi tahi, ka ora ai te iwi ki te pae kahurangi. Tihei mauri ora.
How standards benefit New Zealand
From the moment you wake up, standards are behind almost everything you interact with. With standards in place, people can enjoy improved wellbeing, and New Zealand has greater economic efficiency, and increased prominence on the international stage. Robust standards also help support our local communities by building a safer, more sustainable environment.
Standards provide potential solutions to issues, resolve problems, provide a means of compliance with legislation, and create commercial benefits such as trading opportunities.
Benefits for people, businesses and government
Standards benefit consumers, industry and government by:
- keeping people safe and preventing accidents and injuries
- increasing productivity and boosting economic growth and trade opportunities by connecting New Zealand to international markets
- minimising unnecessary duplication, confusion, and inconsistencies in processes
- encouraging best practice within sectors and supporting quality regulation, assurance and compliance.
Learn more about the economic value of standards in New Zealand and overseas:
How standards support trade, productivity and innovation
Standards are created by subject matter experts who bring different perspectives and work in different disciplines, who know and use the standards. This leads to content that is fair, inclusive to all needs, and trusted.
Whether international standards, joint Australian/New Zealand standards or New Zealand standards, they all support:
- Trade - with exporters and importers on the same page, there's clear understanding of quality, specification and interoperability so that things work across different countries or goods are as expected.
- Productivity - with guidance based upon learned practical experience and knowledge, this brings efficiencies and cost savings, saves time and prevents reinventing the wheel.
- Innovation - standards can serve as a catalyst for innovation by helping anchor new solutions into markets and value chains.
- Protection - by setting the requirements for the protection of people and management of risk, standards support health and safety, wellbeing and digital security.
When created with independent oversight, balanced representation on development committees and consensus decision-making, standards avoid monopolies so that they work for all users.
Learn more about where standards help diverse New Zealand industries:
Videos of standards in action
[Visual: The video begins with a series of clips showing Auckland. Then a series of concurrent clips around 2 seconds each follow showing civil engineering projects including slip repairs, roading, bridges, city construction, hydrothermal dams and wind turbines. Engineers are shown testing soil and looking at plans.]
Narrator: Every day, New Zealand depends on infrastructure built to perform for decades through earthquakes, floods, storms, and changing demands. When infrastructure works, standards are invisible. But when they're missing or inconsistently applied, the risks become very real. Standards aren't just guidance. They are the collective knowledge and experience of the engineering profession codified into proven repeatable solutions.
[Visual: A man appears on screen in an office environment.]
Richard Templer, CEO at Engineering NZ says, "Good engineering practice is typically defined in standards. It draws on the accumulated knowledge and experience of previous engineers to say hey this is the right way to design a portal frame. So you know it will stay up. So following standards is part of following good engineering practice."
[Visual: A different man appears on screen in an open plan office.]
Chris Beasley, Design and Standards Manager at Auckland Transport, says, "Standards provide assurance to regulators and communities. They assure those that are charged with protecting the future that everything is built to the highest quality that it's built to a level where it won't fail early or it will deliver the benefits that the project and the infrastructure is needed to deliver. And that assurance means that politicians and the funders can also invest knowing that this infrastructure will last the test of time."
[Visual: A woman appears on screen in a dark room.]
Cate Quinn, Chief Advisor at NZ Transport Agency, says, "When you think about a life cycle of a project, certainly our projects are many years, multi-year from conception to delivery. With that, there are multiple people who are involved, multiple organisations. And standards create an enduring link. Standards are an embodiment of actually our collective knowledge about what works and what doesn't work. And when we don't follow that, we're in danger of reinventing the wheel or actually ending up with a substandard product."
[Visual: A series of clips follow showing sea wall defences, urban development, cycleways and roading, concrete spreading and road laying, aerials and piping, underground train tunnels and overground rails.]
Narrator: Using standards means safer infrastructure, more consistent quality and reliability, and better outcomes over the whole life of an asset. They reduce the need to reinvent solutions, saving time and cost with tried and tested solutions. Standards are also closely aligned with the New Zealand building code, providing a clear pathway to compliance, legal defensibility, and a quality built environment. There are many international standards available to New Zealand engineers. These standards reflect global best practice. They can improve performance, resilience and productivity across the sector.
[Visual: A man appears on screen in a large corridor.]
Stuart Tucker, Chief Technical Officer at Beca, says, "And from a consenting and compliance point of view, it makes it far easier for say the local council to come through and give you a code of compliance certificate if they can also see that the products that you're using meet a relevant national or international standard."
[Visual: A series of clips follow showing roading and bridges, water management, architectural plans, aerial views of roads and towns.]
Narrator: For asset owners and investors. Standards, including contract standards, reduce technical and financial risk, making infrastructure more reliable, more insurable, and more investable.
Richard Templer, CEO at Engineering NZ appears on screen again and says, "I can say from personal experience, the amount of time and energy you can save by using standard solutions as opposed to having developed solutions yourself will be vast and will be more than worth. Basically, the saving in time and energy will easily pay for the cost of getting the standard."
[Visual: More scenes follow of large earthworks projects, road and path laying, water tanks and bridges.]
Narrator: Standards focus engineering work where it's needed. They provide the foundation for safer, more resilient, and more efficient infrastructure built on proven knowledge, not guesswork.
Discover standards for civil engineering and infrastructure at standards.govt.nz.
Standards for renewable energy and energy efficiency
[Visual: The video begins with a series of clips showing various forms of renewable energy generation including wind and solar. Then a series of concurrent clips around 2 seconds each follow showing people presenting, industry, and computers displaying various graphs. Further clips show energy use in lighting, heating, solar installation, EV charging, appliance use.]
Narrator: New Zealand faces a challenge transitioning to a low-emissions, more energy-efficient economy. It's also a major opportunity. Businesses are under increasing pressure to demonstrate energy efficiency and environmental performance to reduce emissions and to operate sustainably.
Without clear and consistent guidance, performance is difficult to achieve, measure, compare, or be rewarded.
Standards turn sustainability and energy efficiency ambition into measurable, actionable outcomes. That can be as simple as how you light and heat your building or as complex as transitioning to a whole new energy source. They provide consistent methods to reduce energy use, manage and measure emissions, capture renewable energies, and ensure technologies work safely and effectively.
[Visual: A woman appears on screen in an office environment.]
Carolyn Shivanandan, Manager Standards and Technical at Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority says, "Standards make a really big difference both in our work and also for New Zealanders. So the standards that we use in our regulations have saved New Zealanders over $3 billion in national benefit but also they have saved the annual energy use of 2.9 million homes."
[Visual: Further clips continue showing alternative forms of energy generation including hydrogen used in NZ Post vehicles, and EV charging, and hydro energy and city scapes. A range of city scapes follow.]
Narrator: Having standards and voluntary technical specifications is very important to kind of lay the foundations for the kind of energy system that New Zealand needs to develop so that we can as a country make the most out of our renewable resources and use our energy wisely.
Energy efficiency standards help organisations improve performance and reduce costs. Often energy efficiency improvements are the fastest and most cost-effective way to cut emissions. That means lower energy bills, stronger operations, and improved productivity.
Standards also support emerging technologies from electric vehicles and solar panels to hydrogen and smart energy systems to work together safely and reliably. This interoperability is critical for scaling the energy transition. Increasingly, customers, investors, and regulators expect credible environmental reporting. Standards provide consistent ways to measure carbon, report performance, and back up sustainability claims with evidence. They also act as a passport to trade, helping New Zealand businesses meet international expectations and access global markets.
[Visual: A man appears on screen in an urban environment.]
Andrew Eagles, CEO of NZ Green Building Council says, "When we invest in standards, it means we coalesce around the best way of doing things, which really drives forward our sector. When we have standards, we know the consistent approach. It ensures robust outcomes. People are safer. We have uptake of technology that's robust. And we all move forward together."
Narrator: When standards aren't used, businesses miss opportunities for cost savings, performance gains, consumer recognition, and market access.
[Visual: A man appears on screen in an urban office environment.]
Mike Burrell, Chief Executive at Sustainable Business Council says, "Anything that builds trust with our customer and our consumer is a good thing. And that's what standards do. Even though standards sometimes seem a little invisible, they're absolutely critical. Are the lifeblood really of our economy. They're what keep our economy functioning at a high level."
[Visual: A series of clips following showing piping and conduits of geothermal energy, office environments and a scene of Wellington.]
Narrator: Standards help New Zealand move faster and smarter, reducing emissions, improving efficiency, adopting new energy sources, and unlocking business opportunities.
Discover standards for energy efficiency and renewable energies at standards.govt.nz
Standards for digital and emerging technologies
[Visual: The video begins with a series of clips showing Auckland. Then a series of concurrent clips around 2 seconds each follow showing graphical interpretations of digital communications, technology being used including bio metrics, CCTV and x-rays and people talking while using computers, and mobile phones with narration overlaid.]
Narrator: Almost every organisation in New Zealand depends on digital systems from websites, email communications and electronic payments to data management, AI integration, cloud storage and digital trade. All of which are critical to how we operate and grow as an economy.
With digital systems come new risks. Cyber threats and data breaches are evolving. AI is advancing faster than governance frameworks and regulation. Data is moving across organisations borders and platforms. Without proven and consistent approaches, risk increases and trust breaks down.
Digital standards turn best practice into repeatable practice. They provide structure and specificity across security, privacy, authentication, data management, biometrics, and AI. So, organisations don't have to design solutions from scratch.
For organisations managing risk, standards provide clear, internationally recognised, and trusted guidance.
[Visual: A woman appears on screen in an office environment.]
Maria Robertson, Chair of Digital Identity New Zealand says, "Well, when an organisation relies on an internal framework rather than an international body of knowledge like a standard, it means that actually they can suffer from bias or blind spots. Having frameworks and parameters like standards actually provide some confidence that there are some guard rails for people and that they can rely on those to keep them safe, their family's data safe and ultimately their identities safe."
[Visual: The video returns to brief graphical interpretations of digital communications, technology being used including bio metrics and people using computers, and mobile phones with narration overlaid.]
Standards also create interoperability, allowing systems, data, and organisations to work together seamlessly. And they support assurance, enabling organisations to demonstrate compliance, security, and trust to customers, regulators, and business partners.
[Visual: A woman appears on screen in an office environment.]
Monica Greenan, General Manager at Government Digital Delivery Agency says, "So standards for digital technologies are fundamental to delivering tailored joined up services for New Zealanders. They provide a shared foundation that help agencies design services that are secure, accessible, reliable, and trusted."
[Visual: The video returns to brief graphical interpretations of digital communications, technology being used including bio metrics and people using computers, and mobile phones with narration overlaid.]
Narrator: Far from limiting innovation and emerging technologies, standards enable it. They reduce uncertainty, accelerate adoption of technologies like AI, quantum computing, and cloud storage and make it easier to scale securely. At a national level, standards support secure digital trade, stronger interoperability, and greater global competitiveness.
[Visual: A woman appears on screen in an office environment.]
Madeline Newman, AI Executive Director at AI Forum New Zealand says, "If you're dealing with personal private information, sensitive information, or if you're dealing internationally with organisations that may not even know where New Zealand is or may not know who your company is, they at least have this basic standard that they understand that you meet. That can be really important. That's the difference between getting a deal and not getting a deal."
[Visual: The video returns to brief graphical interpretations of digital communications, technology being used including bio metrics and people using computers, and mobile phones with narration overlaid.]
Narrator: In a digital economy, trust and consumer confidence is critical. Standards provide the foundation for that trust, enabling innovation, protecting systems, and driving competition, growth, and innovation.
From new startups to established global businesses, good practice starts with digital standards. Discover digital technology standards at standards.govt.nz.
[Visual: The video closes with a view of Wellington and the logo for Standards New Zealand, MBIE and NZ Government.]
Last updated: 28 September 2026