Why I Chose Not to Renew My Forklift Instructor Registration After 39 Years

In 1986, I became the youngest registered forklift instructor in New Zealand — at the ripe old age of 18. I have my boss, John Evans, to thank for that.

You see, I’d been caught doing some really stupid and dangerous stunts on a forklift. And it wasn’t my first offence.

At the end of a disciplinary meeting, John picked up a piece of paper and I thought, “This is it — written warning or worse.”

But instead, he said, “In May you’ll attend a five-day forklift instructor course at the Waterfront Training Organisation in Auckland. Accommodation, meals, travel — all covered. You’ll be one of twelve from the Dairy Industry around the country. It’s a new initiative, and I’ve selected you to represent the Northland Dairy Cooperative.”

It wasn’t what I expected, but it sounded a lot better than a kick up the backside.

Turned out to be one of the best work piss trips I’ve ever had — and I’ve had a few 🙊.

Best Punishment Ever

When I got back, John asked, “So, how was it?”

“John, that was the best punishment I’ve ever had!”

He grinned. “Right then, you’ve got two weeks to prepare.”

“For what?”

“To start training all those other dangerous bastards how to operate safely. Marge will help with the paperwork — make a list of what you need.”

That was when it hit me — that was the punishment.

The next youngest operator was twice my age, and the rest were old hands who’d been doing it their way for decades. None of them were remotely interested in hearing safety advice from an 18-year-old.

We’ve Been Doing It Wrong

The highlight of my first session was explaining that we’d been doing it wrong all along.

“You’re not supposed to race toward the stack at full speed with four tonnes of milk powder five metres in the air,” I said. “You stop at the face of the stack, anchor the machine, raise the load, then inch forward carefully before placing it.”

They laughed. They called me soft. They said it would “kill productivity.”

So I explained.

“Look, if I don’t see you doing it properly, I can’t tick the sheet. No ticks, no certificate. No certificate, no job. The company’s made it a requirement. Your choice.”

They grumbled — but they complied. Everyone got their operator’s ticket.

Back to Normal

The very next day, we went straight back to normal — fast and furious. Nobody cared, as long as the product was getting moved.

Until there was an incident. Then came the warnings, disciplinary meetings, and the usual finger-pointing, and then back to normal.

I've moved on to other jobs over the years all with instructor duties, and now I work for myself but that cycle — train, tick the box, revert to unsafe habits — still plays out in plenty of workplaces today.

Not This Again

So here I am in 2025, faced with yet another reminder letter from Competenz (on behalf of WorkSafe) that my three-year instructor registration is up for renewal.

Not this bullshit again.

It’s not that I think registration is without merit — it’s that the process is ridiculous.

Under the current system, even after 39 years of training experience, I still have to attend an operator’s refresher course every three years to keep my instructor registration valid.

Yes, you read that right.

To renew my instructor registration, I have had to sit a course I literally wrote, using training materials I designed, run by instructors I trained — and then complete the test I wrote, with answers I could recite backwards. I even get issued a certificate I created 🙄.

I’ve done it before, just to satisfy the system. But what possible benefit does that serve?

Triennially for more than 15 years, I’ve written to the authorities suggesting improvements, offering to sit on a review panel to fix it. Nothing. No change.

Enough Is Enough

As I age the limit as to how much bullshit I'll put up with seems to be shrinking, so this year, I took a different approach. I filed Official Information Act (OIA) requests with WorkSafe and NZQA to clarify the real requirements.

The responses confirmed what I already knew:

👉 Employers don’t have to use registered trainers or accredited training providers for any workplace training - it's just a recommendation.

PCBUs can use any competent person — including their own staff — as long as, when the proverbial hits the fan, they can prove the training delivered was as good as or better than what’s recommended in any Code of Practice or industry guideline.

And that’s not hard to do — in house training is superior in so many ways, but you do need solid documentation and a robust process — which is exactly what VerifyMe provide.

We provide free resources, templates, observation procedures and authorisation tools that help PCBUs cut out the expensive, box-ticking corporate training providers who sell unit standards that don’t actually prove competency (and may have been awarded fraudulently, see my "training rort" blog).

It’s about putting responsibility — and capability — back in the hands of the companies themselves. Like we used to do in the bad old days.

The only difference now is that under the Health and Safety at Work Act, we have to follow the rules every day — not just on training day 😒.

Closing the Chapter

So, I’ve let my instructor registration lapse, and my clients don't mind - they know I'm capable, I'm still qualified, experienced and damn good at what I do.

WorkSafe have acknowledged my offer to help improve the process and said they’ll keep me in the loop. When they fix it, I might consider renewing.

But what’s the point? I’m pushing 60 now. I’ve moved my focus to providing online refreshers and in-house training systems so organisations can train their people properly — without the paperwork circus and magical credits.

And besides, that leaves me more time for doing stupid and dangerous stunts…but only in a highly controlled safe environment, like a virtual reality video simulator aye 🤣.

Final Thought

After 39 years, I still believe in good training — but I don’t believe in pointless hoops. Safety should be about competence, not compliance. And thanks John, for seeing my potential and not sacking my arse back in 1986. Much gratitude mate 👍 Foot note

I have not yet retired and I'm still available for onsite training delivery. The only thing thats changed is my name is no longer on the Registered Forklift Instructors list. So, I am no longer associated with a group that awards a 70 hour qualification in one day, and other dumb stuff...