Wednesday 23rd of February 2011

What a difference half a day makes. We all saw how a few minutes in Christchurch at lunchtime yesterday created a segment of our adviser community facing a very different and distressing set of circumstances. Like most workplaces our immediate focus was on our staff and their families. Our contact centre people are based in Christchurch so for the time being the 0800 434 567 help line is being diverted here to the Commission in Wellington. Christchurch advisers readying for regulation now face unique issues and may require help in some way.  Since everyone’s individual situation will be different, we will deal with situations personally, on a case by case basis. The process we’ve put in place is for each adviser to record their application for authorisation by 31 March on the FSP Register, as originally planned.  However if you are having difficulty completing any of the licensing requirements supporting the application including competency assessments, please attach a letter to your online application explaining the difficulty, and we will deal with each case sympathetically to ensure you have sufficient time to comply with your licence obligations. If you need to talk to us, and we’re sure some of you will once you’ve ensured the safety of your families and colleagues, please use the 0800 434 567 number or email me on mel.hewitson@seccom.govt.nz. Our thoughts are with those in Christchurch and we want to help. Mel Hewitson