On 14 January FSC published a revised version of the 2023 FSS for New Zealand to address minor editorial irregularities. The latest version will not have a transition period and came into effect upon publication. It can be accessed on the FSC Document Centre and FSC ANZ’s webpage. A copy of the revised FSS with track changes can also be accessed on FSC ANZ’s webpage.
The most significant changes in the new version are:
-
The inclusion of Criterion 4.6, which had accidentally been omitted in the first version of the FSS. The Indicators under Criterion 4.6 were included in the first version and remain unchanged
- Fixing the bullet points under Indicator 7.6.2
Since the revisions are purely editorial, they will not affect conformity or auditing requirements, and there will be no changes to how nonconformities are addressed by certification bodies. Certified growers may wish to update any references they have in their management systems to the new version of the FSS, formally referred to as FSC-STD-NZL-02.1-2023 Plantations The FSC Forest Stewardship Standard for New Zealand.
Certification bodies are also required to inform their clients formally about the new version of the FSS, so growers may have already been notified about these editorial changes.
Clarification regarding the living wage requirement in the FSS
The Indicators under Criterion 2.4 of the FSS include a requirement that the organisation pays workers the living wage as determined by the New Zealand Family Centre Social Policy Unit. In response to uncertainties about the applicability of this requirement, the Standards Development Group responsible for developing the FSS has clarified that the living wage requirement is applicable to all workers, including contractors, in-training workers and foreign workers.
For any questions, please reach out to info@au.fsc.org.