Managing Natural Hazard Risks
WorkSafe guidance for adventure activity and outdoor recreation providers on managing the risks from flooding, landslips, and snowfall.
Who this applies to
This guidance applies to all outdoor recreation providers — commercial adventure activity operators, outdoor education providers, and schools running outdoor programmes (EOTC). The legal framework is the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA), the Adventure Activity Regulations 2011 (for registered operators), and the General Risk and Workplace Management Regulations 2016.
Natural Hazard Categories
Flooding
- •Monitor river levels and weather forecasts before and during activities near waterways.
- •Establish clear go/no-go decision criteria for river crossings and waterway-based activities.
- •Have an emergency response plan for sudden flash flooding — including evacuation routes and communication protocols.
- •Document your flood risk assessment in your Safety Management System.
- •Rainwater upstream can cause flooding well below the visible rainfall zone — check catchment conditions, not just local weather.
Landslips
- •Assess terrain for landslip risk as part of pre-activity route planning.
- •Slopes that have been recently burned, logged, or saturated carry elevated risk.
- •Monitor GeoNet NZ and regional council alerts for ground instability warnings.
- •After heavy rain, treat all steep vegetated slopes as potentially unstable until assessed.
- •Include landslip hazard assessment in Activity Management Plans for tramping, climbing, and canyoning.
Snowfall & Alpine Weather
- •Use MetService mountain forecasts and the NZ Avalanche Centre (avalanche.net.nz) for snow and avalanche risk.
- •Assess and document avalanche terrain for ski touring, mountaineering, and snowshoeing activities.
- •Establish minimum visibility and wind speed thresholds for alpine activities.
- •Carry appropriate emergency shelter and communication for whiteout conditions.
- •Avalanche transceiver, probe, and shovel are baseline equipment for all alpine travel above the treeline.
What belongs in your SMS
For registered adventure activity operators, natural hazard risk management should be addressed in your Safety Management System. WorkSafe expects to see:
- A hazard identification process that explicitly includes natural hazards
- Go/no-go decision criteria for weather-dependent activities
- Monitoring sources (e.g. MetService, GeoNet, NIWA, regional councils) listed in your SMS
- Staff training records showing competence to assess and respond to natural hazard conditions
- Emergency response procedures specific to each natural hazard type relevant to your activities
Key monitoring sources
MetService Mountain Forecasts
Alpine weather and summit conditions
NZ Avalanche Centre
Daily avalanche hazard assessments
GeoNet
Earthquake, landslide, and volcanic hazards
NIWA Rainfall & Flood
River flow monitoring and flood forecasting
Regional Council Alerts
Check your region's council for local flood/landslip warnings
WorkSafe Natural Hazards Guidance
Primary guidance document (April 2025)
Natural hazard incidents may be notifiable
Under the Adventure Activities Regulations (Reg 19A), encountering a natural hazard not routinely encountered in your activity is a notifiable event — even if nobody is injured. You must notify WorkSafe as soon as practicable. Examples include an unexpected landslip, flash flooding during a river crossing, or an avalanche on a guided tour.
Notifiable events — what must be reportedNote for schools and EOTC coordinators
Schools running outdoor education programmes have the same duty of care obligations under HSWA 2015. The Ministry of Education EOTC Guidelines 2025 and EONZ resources provide complementary guidance tailored to school contexts.