The NZ Arbor BPG saga continues… or is it just a simple typo?
Here's the situation to date: NZ Arbor launched the Best Practice Guideline for Arboriculture as a response to long delays in getting the industry Code of Practice ratified by the Department of Labour (Past NZ Arbor President Rick Mexted wrote an excellent article about this in the NZAA publication, Tree Matters).
Political spin suggested the launch of the NZ Arbor BPG was a planned outcome but there were some grumblings at the time to the contrary.
The concept was simple enough - the DoL Code of Practice was to set the foundation and the NZ Arbor BPG was to provide the detailed structure. Treetools believes the NZ Arbor BPG was designed as a 'work-in-progress' style document to allow for changes as the market evolved (sounds good so far).
Around the time of the NZ Arbor BPG launch there was talk of a similar document being prepared by WINTEC (presumably targeted at arb students?). On hearing about the WINTEC version some Auckland arb companies suggested they might follow the Waikato option and ignore the NZ Arbor BPG all together.
In response, NZ Arbor officials intimated that the WINTEC BPG was not in fact a Best Practice Guide for Arboriculture but a Best Practice Guide for Tree Climbing. They further suggested the WINTEC publication was specifically designed to work hand-in-glove with the NZ Arbor BPG as a sub category, so to speak.
The general idea was that other sub-categories would follow: say, Best Practice Guide for Tree Rigging, Best Practice Guide for Crane Assisted Removals etc and all this sounded like a good idea to most pundits.
And that's where New Zealand arborists thought it was at… until the release of the WINTEC flyer on Monday announcing a free seminar in Hamilton on Saturday November 26.
The title of the document states "WINTEC Best Practice Guideline for Tree Climbing" (as expected) but the detail says it is the launch of the WINTEC Best Practice Guide for Arboriculture.
Is this a typo or is it really the launch of an alternative BPG for the NZ treecare industry? One supposes you could have any number of 'industry' BPGs but all that seems a little silly.
Treetools has tried to contact WINTEC to clarify the situation but we have been unable to get any more information so, at this point, we are none the wiser. It could be either one or the other.
Whatever the answer, this should be a good seminar to attend, not only for tree climbers but for everyone involved in the NZ treecare industry.
Immediately following the launch of the WINTEC Best Practice Guide for Arboriculture (or Tree Climbing) there will be an update from the Department of Labour on the Arboricultural Code of Practice.
After lunch and with all the BPG debate out of the way participants will relocate to the gums at Lake Te Ko Utu in Cambridge for a 'climbing tall trees' session led by Andy Harrison.
