Tōtika prequalification

Tōtika prequalification built on a system you actually run

A Tōtika pass opens the door to tender, however a pass built on paperwork nobody uses won't protect your people once the work starts. Advanced Safety works with contractors getting ready for prequalification and with the businesses that engage them, starting from what's really happening on site.

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Trusted across Aotearoa HASANZ Registered Safe365 Premium Partner since 2017 First Rescue's top providers through Tōtika Founder, NZ H&S Professionals (4,000+)

The gap prequalification leaves

Why contractor prequalification on its own isn't enough

Prequalification looks at the documents a contractor can produce on the day. It can't tell you whether the toolbox talks happen, whether the risk assessment matches the job in front of the crew or whether anyone on site has read the safe work method statement.

When the paperwork was written to get through an assessment, that gap stays wide open for the contractor and for the business that engaged them.

"Using a pre-qualification assessment doesn't mean your ongoing responsibilities to consult, cooperate and coordinate with other PCBUs are met."

WorkSafe, The work health and safety information needed before hiring contractors, June 2026

Two sides of the same contractor list

Whichever side you're on, the work starts on site

Contractors need a system that holds up after the assessor has gone. The businesses engaging them need a prequalification process that tells them something real about how each contractor works.

For contractors

DIAGNOSEGet Tōtika-ready on a system you'll keep using

Matt starts with a Compliance Compass, a clear picture of where your health and safety system stands and what's actually happening on your sites. You come away with the gaps in priority order and an honest view of the evidence you already hold.

Where you need hands on the ground to close those gaps, an Implementation Partner works alongside your team so what goes into your submission is something your crews use every day.

Read more about Compliance Compass and Implementation Partner.

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For businesses engaging contractors

DESIGNContractor Pre-qualification Reset

When did someone last check whether your prequalification questions tell you anything about how a contractor actually works? The Reset reviews what you ask contractors for now, then redesigns it around risk so the contractors doing your highest-risk work get the closest look and low-risk suppliers aren't buried in paperwork.

You end up with a process your team can run and defend, built to sit inside your wider contractor management and not replace it.

Want an independent eye on it every month? See Governance Advisory.

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Case study: First Rescue

Every participating provider achieved Tōtika

First Rescue, owned by AMI, wanted its roadside and pick-up network to show a genuine commitment to health and safety. AMI chose its top-performing providers by revenue, size and output and backed them to meet the standard.

Advanced Safety took those providers through the Safe365 Contractor Connect and Qualify365 platforms. Every participating provider achieved Tōtika. That's what happens when the business engaging contractors sets the standard and supports them to reach it.

Read the First Rescue case study

Tōtika questions

What is Tōtika?

Tōtika is New Zealand's shared standard for health and safety prequalification. A contractor assessed through one Tōtika-certified scheme can have that result recognised by clients using another. That saves a contractor submitting the same evidence over and over. You'll often see it written as Totika, without the macron.

Do you write the documents to get us through?

No, Advanced Safety doesn't write paperwork for a pass. The work starts with what's actually happening on your sites and the documents follow from that. What you submit is then something your team already uses.

Which prequalification schemes do you work with?

Tōtika, SiteWise, IMPAC and Qualify365, along with the onboarding processes run by major clients.

Does prequalification cover our duties when we engage contractors?

Not on its own, WorkSafe's June 2026 guidance treats prequalification as one part of contractor management and says you still need to consult, cooperate and coordinate with the contractors you engage. The Contractor Pre-qualification Reset is built to fit inside that wider picture.

More reading: What is Tōtika? and Tōtika prequalification made simple with Qualify365.

Not sure where to start?

Whether you're preparing a Tōtika submission or reviewing the contractors you engage, a call of up to 15 minutes with Matt will point you to the right first step.

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