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NZMTA NEWS MOSS AND QOL – AN EERIE SILENCE T MARGARET WIND EXECUTIVE OFFICER NZMTA his month's article opens with a warm welcome to our new members, some of whom attended the September Marine Operator Seminar in Wellington. As always, the opportunity to network with fellow industry peers was enjoyed through a pleasurable cocktail hour hosted by Maritime New Zealand, followed by the traditional MTA dinner. The seminar itself was conducted over a shorter period of time than usual, this being to take advantage of the launch of the 'independent' Sector Reference Group and Maritime New Zealand's World Maritime Day celebrations. Members enjoyed an interesting morning with industry speakers covering areas such as accident/incident reporting, crew training and maritime legal perspectives. This was followed by a warm introduction and presentation from Maritime New Zealand's director Keith Manch, about the philosophical direction and yet further restructure of staff at Maritime New Zealand. Baz Kirk's liaison team gave an excellent progress report on the Code of Practice projects they have been working on, but apart from that, Maritime New Zealand's afternoon agenda lacked any real substance and offered very little information. The MOSS rule continues to be veiled in a shroud of secrecy that has become all too familiar over the past two years. Despite showing progress in improving their liaison role with industry, this needs to provide substance. Industry representatives at every level, continue to ask the same questions about process, logistics and operating costs for this and the qualifications project. More importantly, we still seek information about cost/benefit analysis and/or a regulatory impact statement, both critical to many of us in terms of effective business planning. This leads me to reflect on the Government Statement on Regulation, released by Hon Bill English and Hon Rodney Hide on August 17, 2009, which includes the following quotes: • We will introduce new regulation only when we are satisfied that it is required, reasonable and robust. • We will review existing regulation in order to identify and remove requirements that are unnecessary, ineffective or excessively costly. I leave it to you to decide whether they are delivering on this. In other news, welcome to the new face of the Marine Transport Association. The Association and its newly re-elected committee have been dedicated to modernising and upgrading the image and service offered to members in the future. Check out the new website on www.marinetransport.co.nz to see the latest news and continued members benefits over the next few months. MARITIME RULE TIMELINES: 40D AMENDMENTS This updated rule relating to survey, design and construction is now in force. Some members have asked us to summarise the areas that have changed such as radio survey periods and battery configurations. We will post this on the MTA website over the next couple of weeks. MOSS Maritime New Zealand report that further policy work, including non commercial use provisions, has been done in response to feedback during the last consultation. Revised rules were due to go to the Ministry of Transport by October. We have no further information to report on the content at this stage. QOL3 The rules bringing the new QOL framework into effect will go out for public consultation in October. FUNDING REVIEW CREW VOLUNTEERS WANTED Help keep the call of the by-gone era of steam alive. We are looking for enthusiastic volunteers, men and women, to join our crew so the old hands may pass the skills of yesteryear to the next generation of guardians of our heritage steam tug William C Daldy. No experience necessary. Are you interested in working boilers, steam engines or just being on deck to learn new skills or refresh the old, be it steam, engineering or seamanship? Do you enjoy making new friends and the camaraderie of the sea? If you answer yes, then please contact: Alex Franklin, 027 568 8623 or Richard Parmee, 021 659 800 www.daldy.com 72 Professional Skipper November/December 2012 Maritime New Zealand reports that much of the costing information for MOSS and QOL relies on work of the Maritime New Zealand funding review, which has been undertaken to ensure Maritime New Zealand is adequately and appropriately funded over the long term, for the things it is required to do. Maritime New Zealand has now released for public consultation proposed changes to fees and levies, following a funding review of the organisation. The need for a funding review was a key issue identified by a 2010 value for money review of Maritime NZ. That review found the organisation delivered value for money, although there were opportunities for improvement, including the need for clearer and more sustainable funding arrangements. Public feedback closes on 19 November, 2012. Papers outlining the proposals, and how to make a submission, are available at maritimenz.govt.nz/consultation or on request from Maritime NZ. We will keep you informed on progress through the MTA website and future articles. Have a great spring. VIP.S88