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MARITIME NEW ZEALAND NEW ZEALAND – COOK ISLAND SEARCH AND RESCUE UDATED The updating of an agreement between New Zealand and the Cook Islands will help ensure greater communication and collaboration during search and rescue missions, says Maritime New Zealand. Maritime NZ's Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand is responsible for incidents within New Zealand's 30,000,000sq km Search and Rescue (SAR) region, including the Cook Islands. RCCNZ and the Cook Islands Police are the implementing agencies for the updated agreement which takes the uncertainty out of coordinating SAR missions crossing between different countries. RCCNZ will also be looking to update agreements with other Pacific Island states over the coming year. COMPETENCY FRAMEWORK BEING DEVELOPED Maritime New Zealand's Qualification and Operational Limits (QOL) programme team is working with the industry training organisation Competenz to develop the competency framework to accompany the new QOL framework. The courses and training materials must then be approved by Maritime NZ before being included in training providers' curriculums. Most of the qualifications in the new framework are aligned with STCW or SCTW-F. The outcomes and model courses for these either already exist, or are being developed and Maritime NZ and Competenz will follow the international templates. After discussions with the industry and in response to feedback, two further qualifications are to be added to the QOL framework: a Master <500 GT Unlimited, and an Integrated Rating. The requirements for these qualifications are being developed along with the competency framework. Work is continuing on two other key QOL elements: defining the IT requirements for the online application capability and redrafting the maritime rules affected by QOL. Seven maritime rules will require amendment to a greater or lesser degree to remove duplication and ensure that rules are straightforward. Online application capability will streamline processes for both applicants and MNZ staff. The new qualifications will be added to the QOL framework before consultation on the rules takes place in September. Draft amendments will be completed by September 30, followed by a pre-Christmas consultation period, with the aim of having ministerial sign-off in February 2013 and the QOL framework in place by April 2013. MOSS RECONSULTATION UNDERWAY The Maritime Operator Safety System (MOSS) framework is currently out for consultation with the industry. A full range of documents is available from Maritime New Zealand's website: maritimenz.govt.nz. This includes: • the detailed summary of submissions from the 2010 consultation • MNZ's detailed response to these submissions • the amended rules • invitations to comment • advisory circulars • a simple guide to MOSS. As the new regulatory system for New Zealand's domestic commercial operations, MOSS will have a major impact on the maritime industry and on Maritime NZ. Make sure you understand what is proposed, and take the opportunity to have your say. TIME TO START TALKING ABOUT TRAINING By David Ledson, chair of the Maritime New Zealand Authority It has seemed to be a very long time since the beginning of the design advisors workshops for the Qualifications and Operational Limits review, and we are now beginning to see a document that has meaning for many of those in the industry. With the licence framework available on the internet at Maritime New Zealand's website and the "new from old" information, we are starting to see forward movement that is tangible to more people in the industry. The system we currently have in the New Zealand Validity area is a descriptive syllabus type. Many have battled with the often vague points that have been interpreted in a number of ways. There is no compulsion to prove a practical ability yet this ability may be required on the job. This type of disconnect gives the current syllabi a lack of credibility and relevance within industry. It has been a long pathway pushing for the development of the new licences to be written along the lines of competence. We are pleased that Maritime NZ has agreed to the framework for the development of those competencies and has added to the framework for the Unlimited NZ 500 ton licence. We are now in the process of identifying a broad base of competencies for the Skipper Restricted Limits along with the assessment The danger in failing to complete this part of the process is that all funding will be lost methodologies and their criteria. Once the initial drafts are prepared we look forward to robust industry input. We urge everyone to take the time to put forward their ideas and comments, whether they are a single-person operation or a large company. The document produced will be to serve the needs of the industry, so the industry's voice is vital to its relevance and validity. The system being developed will mirror the accepted international format that other foreign administrations would be familiar with. Even though these licences are principally designed to meet the needs of the local market, by falling in line with international moves to a competence descriptor, we assume a recognisable and more transparent licencing system. Running parallel with this work is the development of National Qualifications in the Maritime sector. It is vital that all parties work together on the creation of these qualifications as the funding available to industry and the student from government, is dependent on these being registered and approved. The graduate profile, or what you want the qualification holder to be able to do, as well as the competencies as set out by Maritime NZ will be needed. Once this is approved, pathways to achieve these can be developed. The danger in failing to complete this part of the process is that all funding will be lost and the industry will have to fully fund the cost of all training. Our message to industry is to start talking critically about what you do. What skills, knowledge and attitudes will be needed to carry this New Zealand industry forward and to ensure its safety, productivity and survival? May/June 2012 Professional Skipper 63