Industry Guidelines, Resources & Guidelines

On this page you will find information on, and links to, guidelines, regulations and resources relating to running an exercise/fitness facility (the places) and exercise professionals (the people) in New Zealand. (For the purposes of this page “exercise facility” means any facility open to the public that offers exercise advice or demonstration – this includes gyms, fitness centres, PT studios, pilates/yoga/vibration studios, aerobic rooms/halls etc).

This page is broken into three main areas:

1. Industry Guidelines and Regulations (rules and regulations specific to the industry)
2. Industry Resources (things that help facilities to operate)
3. Industry Codes (code of ethics and behaviour specific to the industry)

(1) Industry Guidelines & Regulations:

There are a number of industry guidelines that should be followed when operating an exercise facility or operating as an exercise professional in New Zealand.  These include:

1. Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs):  This is the body that administers the registration system for exercise professionals and exercise facilities in New Zealand, and is the standard that all exercise facilities and professionals should meet. REPs is a member of the International Confederation of Registers for Exercise Professionals (ICREPs) and is recognised in over 30 countries as the international standard.   FitnessNZ strongly recommends that exercise professionals and exercise facilities register with REPs, and also that members of the public ONLY use facilities and individuals that are REPs registered.  REPs operates an online search engine for both facilities and individuals.   For more information on REPs, visit the REPs web site, www.reps.org.nz

2. Children in Exercise Facilities: FitnessNZ, in conjunction with ACC, and the support of SPARC, have developed national guidelines for children in exercise facilities.  These guidelines cover any person aged 17 or under when using an exercise facility open to the public.  Details of the guidelines can be found here (copies are free).

3. Occupational Safety and Health (OSH): As with all businesses, OSH is an issue that should be taken seriously. There are a number of specific OSH regulations that have particular relevance for the exercise industry. These include:

• Volume of music in group exercise classes (see below on common industry issues resource)
• First aid requirements (REPs is the correct contact for this)
• Industry codes with specific requirements for minimum staff levels, and pre-screening of clients before exercise (see below on industry codes)

All of the above industry guidelines should be followed and adhered to.  Non compliance with any industry guidelines in taken into account whenever OSH investigates an injury event.

(2) Industry Resources (for Exercise Facilities, or those thinking of opening one)

Fitness New Zealand produces a number of resources  that help facilities and exercise professionals in both legal requirements, as well as their day to day activities.  These include:

2a) Common Industry Issues*

This resources contains a whole range of useful information on the following topics/areas:

• Music Volume in group exercise classes
• How to calculate membership retention
• Laws relating to those under 18 and membership agreements
• Childcare regulations
• Using the disputes tribunal
• Rules for using radio frequencies (aerobics mics, and TVs through FM radio)
• Advice on minors (those under 18)
• Insurance issues
• Corporate Wellness Programmes
• IRD issues for contractors/employees
• Membership Contracts and Credit Contracts
• Intellectual Property Issues: Trademarks etc (Taebo, Spin etc)

2b) Best practice for membership agreements*

This resources outlines the best practice for written membership agreements in New Zealand.  Sample wording, along with options are provided and explained in detail in this document.

This is a very comprehensive document (20+ pages), covering all aspects of membership agreements in New Zealand, from legal to customer issues.

2c) Industry Survey*

Every two years FitnessNZ surveys the entire fitness industry and summarises the results.  Areas surveyed include:

1. Wage rates
2. Membership fees
3. Trends in services offered
4. Key Ratios such as advertising to revenue, members per square meter, members per PT etc
5. Key industry issues
6. Qualifications and training

2d) Employment handbook*

This handbook covers the following topics:

• Types of employment and legal issues
• Employment agreements
• Probation periods
• Fixed term agreements
• Minimum leave entitlements
• Notice periods
• Public holidays
• Ending an employment relationship (a simple flowchart of the correct process)
• Discrimination and harassment issues
• Health & saftey
• Simple flowchart for poor performance/mis conduct
• Simple flowchart for redundancy
• Simple flowchart for managing long term illness
• Check list for dismissal procedures
• Check list for workplace accident reporting

*  Items marked with a star are provided free to FitnessNZ members.  For more information on joining FitnessNZ, please see the joining page.

In development in 2012: A guide to 24 hour/unmanned exercise facilities.

(3) Industry Codes

There are two relevant industry codes in New Zealand.  One for facilities, and one for exercise professionals.

Facilities that are members of FitnessNZ agree to follow the FitnessNZ Code of Ethics (link opens a pdf file).

Exercise professionals registered with the NZ Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) agree to the REPs Code of Ethical Practice (link opens a pdf file).

For further details on both codes, and details of how to complain if you believe a person or business has breached a code, please see the complaints page.