Setting The Standards For 80 Years!!

Happy 80th birthday, Standards NZ!!

Setting the standards for 80 years

Standards New Zealand (SNZ) is celebrating its 80th birthday. Its origins can be found in the aftermath of the Hawke's Bay earthquake on 3 February, 1931. The quake measured 7.9 on the Richter scale and killed 258 people, destroyed buildings and landmarks, dislodged the coastline, and the landscape changed forever. Then after the earthquakes, fire ravaged the towns of Napier and Hastings.

In 1932, the NZ Standards Institute (now known as Standards New Zealand) was established to ensure future events of this scale did not result in the same loss of life.

In 1933, the first standard was issued, NZS:1 The Colouring and Marking of Foundry Patterns. It had been adopted from a British Standard. In 1938, the first original New Zealand Standard was issued, NZSS:143 Galvanized (Zinc coated) Steel Fencing Wire (otherwise known as 'No. 8 wire').

Today, Standards New Zealand has a catalogue of nearly 3000 Standards covering a wide range of topics, including: health and disability, sport and recreation, energy efficiency, fire safety, and fertility services, to name a few.

LTG join NZOQ and congratulate Standards New Zealand on reaching this significant milestone.

This article has been taken from the Q Grow section of the NZOQ Q-zine October 2012 issue.