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From - MNZ:
Motorcycling New Zealand has as its highest priority the health and safety of its competitors and spectators.
CEO Trevor Gill announced a number of new measures adopted by MNZ recently.
\"Our sport is club based, our efforts are directed at the clubs who collectively run over 1200 permitted events each year.\"
All 70 of our club recently received, our Event Health and Safety Guidelines, which will become our minimum standard as from the start of 2003.\"
We have made a number of rule changes to make the sport safer. As from Jan 01 2003, MNZ is making full body armour compulsory for all off-road events except trials and trail riding.
Mr Gill praised the work of Mark Waters, MNZ\'s Safety Commissioner and Andrew Roigard the Stewards Commissioner. These two volunteers have been running safety development seminars in various parts of the country. This programme will be expanded next year.
There will also be changes to our insurance cover next year. MNZ has been served notice by its insurer that premiums will increase immediately and there will be amended cover arrangements. At this stage we are absorbing the premium increase and informing any new licence holders of the amendments to their cover. Existing licence holders have no change to their insurance cover.
The situation with international licences is very bad. MNZ can no longer purchase international insurance. It will be up to international riders to purchase their own insurance from now on, once this has been done MNZ will issue the international licence.
In an innovative move to get clubs and individuals more involved in health
and safety.
Mr Gill has announced that he will be posting the accident statistics on the
MNZ website.
\"We collect the statistics from the steward\'s reports. From now on I am
going to post them in consolidated form on the site
www.motorcyclingnz.co.nz. I think that part of facing up to the issue is the
own it and that \'s why I have decided to publish the stats\" said Gill.
\"I am also looking for a financial partner with an interest in health and
safety.\"
