Contractor information

Whanganui District Council is committed to providing a healthy and safe environment for our workers, contractors, subcontractors, and anyone else who may come into contact with our work.

We expect anyone working with us to plan and carry out work safely, in line with the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA).

Health and Safety

As a contractor, you need to show that you understand your duties under the HSWA. You must have clear policies and processes in place to keep your staff, subcontractors, and any council staff working with you safe.

The council uses SiteWise as our main health and safety prequalification system. Prequalification helps us set clear expectations for safe work on site.

Prequalification helps us to:

  • confirm that your business meets minimum health and safety standards

  • ensure that risks are identified, assessed, and well controlled

  • check that your workers are trained and competent

  • support clear communication and shared expectations between the council and contractors

If you are already prequalified with SiteWise at green or gold level, and you hold the required insurances, you will not need to complete the full process. We can add you to our list of prequalified contractors.

If you hold a current Tōtika, Impac CPNZ, SHE, or ISO 45001 certification, you can request an exemption. Please talk with your council contact and we will review your documents to confirm whether a SiteWise exemption applies.

Prequalification is renewed every year to make sure safety standards remain up to date.

View the contractor health and safety manual(PDF, 599KB)

Road work

If you work on or beside the road, including footpaths, berms, cycleways, and council-managed land alongside the road, you need to show that you are competent to do this work. You can find more details on our roading and footpaths page

Working with the council

Health and safety check

  • Contractors are asked to demonstrate their health and safety capability before any engagement is considered.
  • Accepted evidence includes SiteWise Green/Gold, Tōtika, Impac, SHE, or ISO 45001 certification.
  • If none of these are held, completing SiteWise may be required.

Supplier setup

  • Once the health and safety requirements are met, the council staff member you are working with can request a supplier pack.
  • The pack includes a DocuSign form and bank verification.
  • Finance reviews the information as part of establishing a supplier account.

Start work

  • When the supplier account is active, contractors may be added to the contractor list.
  • Work can then be arranged as required for council projects. 

Need Help?

If you have any questions about this process, please contact our Health and Safety team on 06 349 0001, email yourcouncil@whanganui.govt.nz, or speak with your usual council contact or relevant work department.

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