Matt Jones – When health and safety is tested in the real world, most systems fail.
I work with mission-critical New Zealand organisations where failure is not an option — helping leaders understand where they truly stand, what matters most and what to fix first.
Matt Jones
Advanced Safety Founder
Founder, Advanced Safety · HASANZ-registered · Trusted by councils, infrastructure owners and complex project teams since 2016
Know where you stand in 15 minutes — no obligation, no sales pitch.
Practical health and safety leadership — when the consequences are real
If health and safety matters to your business because the consequences are real, you’re in the right place.
I work with New Zealand organisations where systems must stand up in the real world — not just on paper and not just for audits.
My role is simple: to help leaders understand where they actually stand, what matters most and what to fix first — without noise, theatre or unnecessary complexity.
I don’t sell compliance.
I help organisations build confidence in their systems, decisions and leadership.
How I create clarity when it matters most
Health and safety breaks down at the intersection of regulation, reality, and leadership. That’s where I work.
Seeing what your systems can’t tell you — until it’s too late
Most organisations don’t need more documents.
They need to know whether what they already have actually works.
I specialise in uncovering:
• gaps between documented systems and real work
• controls that no longer match current risk
• assumptions that expose leaders to scrutiny or failure
This is the foundation of the Compliance Compass — a practical way to understand where you stand and what direction actually reduces risk.
Explore the Compliance Compass →
ISO 45001 — only where it actually adds value
ISO 45001 should bring structure and confidence — not cost, complexity or distraction.
I support organisations to assess true readiness against Clauses 4–10, prioritise what genuinely reduces risk and avoid over-engineered systems that fail under pressure.
In some cases, that means progressing to certification.
In others, it means explicitly choosing not to — because certification would add cost without improving safety, leadership confidence or defensibility.
The goal is never the certificate.
The goal is clarity that holds up when decisions are questioned.
When contractor systems become the problem
Contractor management and prequalification schemes are meant to provide assurance.
In reality, many organisations end up stuck in a cycle of rework, marginal passes or repeated failures — without any meaningful improvement in safety.
I help organisations recover control of contractor systems across schemes such as SiteWise, Tōtika, Impac Prequal and Qualify365 — aligning requirements to real work, real risk and realistic capability.
The result is fewer surprises, fewer escalations and systems that actually work on site.
Trusted advice when leadership carries the risk
Some health and safety challenges aren’t technical problems.
They’re leadership problems — involving judgment, accountability, and decisions that may later be scrutinised.
I work alongside senior leaders, officers, and boards as a trusted advisor — helping translate complex risk into clear options, consequences, and defensible decisions.
This support is deliberately limited and tailored.
It’s for organisations who value clarity over comfort.
Discuss advisory support →
My unfair advantage: visibility across the system
My consulting doesn’t exist in isolation.
It is informed and strengthened by:
Health and Safety Unplugged – New Zealand’s longest-running health and safety podcast
NZHSP – New Zealand Health and Safety Professionals (4,000+ members)
The Safety Summit – an annual leadership-focused conference
Safety Connect – a premium learning and community platform
This ecosystem keeps my work grounded in what is actually happening across industries, regulators and the profession.
A private check on where you really stand
A short, practical self-check designed for leaders who want clarity before conversation.
Learn about the business
Most organisations don’t know they have a problem until someone else points it out.
Compliance Pulse is a short, private self-check that helps you pressure-test your current position across core health and safety expectations — without judgement, sales pressure or obligation.
In a few minutes, you’ll gain:
• a clearer sense of where your systems are strong
• early visibility of potential gaps or assumptions
• insight into whether further action is warranted — or not
No one sees your results unless you choose to share them.
Private. Free. No follow-up unless you ask for it.
This page is not a service list – and that’s intentional
If you’re looking for detailed service descriptions, you’ll find them across the Advanced Safety site.
This page exists for a different reason:
to give context to how I think
to explain where I add the most value
to help you decide whether working together makes sense
If it does, the next step is clarity – not commitment.
Trusted by organisations where scrutiny is real
“Matt helped us see where our system looked good on paper but didn’t reflect how work was actually done. The clarity was invaluable at a critical point.”
— Chief Executive, Colliers Project Leaders
"We thought our systems were strong — Matt showed us how to raise the bar and future-proof our business."
— Operations Director, Duncan NZ Venison
Examples of where clarity mattered
Recovering confidence after a failed pre-qualification
An organisation had failed a key contractor pre-qualification despite extensive documentation. A targeted review identified misalignment between documented controls and site practice. Focused corrections restored confidence and improved outcomes — without rewriting the entire system.
Choosing not to pursue ISO certification
A leadership team assumed ISO 45001 certification was the next logical step. A readiness assessment showed certification would add cost without improving risk control. The organisation instead strengthened governance and operational controls — achieving defensibility without unnecessary burden.
Who this work is — and isn’t — for
This work is designed for organisations where health and safety decisions carry real consequence.
It is a good fit if you are:
• a senior leader, officer or board member
• responsible for decisions that may later be scrutinised
• operating in environments where failure is not theoretical
It is not designed for:
• small businesses looking for basic compliance help
• organisations seeking templates or “done-for-you” paperwork
• anyone wanting the cheapest or fastest way to tick a box
If you’re looking for reassurance without substance, this won’t be the right fit.
If you’re looking for clarity you can stand behind, it likely will be.
Matt Jones
Advanced Safety
E: matt@advancedsafety.co.nz
M: 027 710 7055
15 minutes. No sales pitch. Clear answers.
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021 194 3437
