Davis White is a Senior Trading Standards Officer at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), protecting consumers by ensuring the accuracy of weights and measures. We talked to him recently about how he got involved with the Core Knowledge qualification.
How long have you been working with regulation?
I have been working with, and enforcing, regulations for over 13 years. My experience would be over 16 years if you include my university studies, as these were specific to the work that I do as a Senior Trading Standards Officer and Legal Metrology Advisor, which involves the scientific study of and regulation of measurement. Ultimately my job is to ensure that the quantity of any goods purchased by a consumer is accurate.
When did you first hear about the G-REG qualifications and what were your thoughts?
It was either at a team meeting or an email from my manager informing us that we would be taking part in the pilot of the Level 3 Qualification, with MBIE one of the first to join the qualification. Having moved from Scotland to New Zealand the G-REG modules gave me a greater insight into the New Zealand legal system. Getting information from experts in the field was great, as without this qualification I would have had to do my own studies.
How has gaining the qualification impacted your day-to-day work and why do you think it is important?
It hasn’t had a large effect on my day-to-day work, as I found a lot of the information was common knowledge to me, due to my current role and previous experience. But I can see the benefit of getting everyone on the same page and speaking the same regulatory language. For those new to regulation, or who lack an understanding of the regulatory system in New Zealand, it’s a really helpful base of knowledge to ground yourself in and build your regulatory career.
