Audit Process

1. What is Membership Auditing?

It is a process whereby your business and how it is operated can be compared against the Codes of Practice that should govern that business.

The purpose is not to ‘police' members. Auditing is simply a means of ensuring that companies comply with their relevant Codes of Practice and, if they do not, a mentoring process is put in place to enable them to comply.

2. Why audit members?

Being a member of a professional organisation like NZSA, is a point of difference that you will be able to promote to your clients. It shows that your company complies with the requirement of membership by complying with Codes of Practice.

Some companies, such as consultants and suppliers, do not have Codes of Practice and so do not have to be audited.

3. Who will be audited?

Applicants for Corporate membership, where there is a Code of Practice that is under the auditing programme; and Vehicle Security members. These operate under Codes of Practice.

4. Who pays?

There are four ways of being audited.

(i) There is an application for Corporate membership. If the applicant passes the audit, the Association pays.
(ii) Voluntary - where a company asks the Association that they wish to be audited. In this case the company pays.
(iii) Where the Corporate or Vehicle Security member is balloted to be audited. In this case the Association pays.
(iv) Where there is a complaint against a member and it is found that the member has contravened a Code of Practice, then the Board as part of the process, could request an audit. In this case the Company pays.

5. Cost of an audit

The Board sets the fee. If an applicant, for Corporate membership, does not pass the audit, the auditor can spend time assisting the applicant. If a re-audit is required, then the applicant will pay $240.00 plus $240.00 for each site visited, these amounts are exclusive of GST.

6. The Audit Process

Before being audited, a member is asked to ‘self audit' themselves against the Codes of Practice. If the Code of Practice does not have a note that it is auditable, then they do not apply. At present not all Codes have a ‘self audit' sheet at the back of the Code. If the balloted member or applicant has not self audited against the code of practice by the appointed time, then it will be completed during the audit.

The Auditor visits the company and undertakes the audit with the owner.

The Auditor will work through any concerns with the owner.

7. The Auditor

Auditors are appointed by the NZSA Board and are people that have skills and knowledge within the field of the audit. They are appointed for a period of twelve months and sign a formal agreement that includes confidentiality and an undertaking to acknowledge any conflict of interest.

After an Auditor has been selected a member can advise the Association if they see there is a conflict of interest and another auditor will be arranged

8. Auditors Report

The final report is passed onto the Association, with a copy to the audited company.

If the Auditor advises that the member complies, a Certificate of Compliance is sent to the company. On receiving the certificate the member is known as an Accredited Member of NZSA

Audit compliance is valid for three years.