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How they fit together

SiteWise and SiteKey, how they fit together

SiteWise grades a contracting business and publishes the grade. SiteKey checks the person at your gate on the day. One does not replace the other. Everything below comes from each organisation's own website, read on 20 September 2026.

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A grade, not a gate

SiteWise is run by Site Safe New Zealand. In their own words it is a prequalification system that grades a contractor's health and safety capability and publishes that grade in a database that main contractors and principal organisations can view. The contractor pays the fee and sits the assessment.

SiteKey is software a principal runs at the gate. The two answer different questions and a business can use both.

LevelPer yearWho it is for, in their words
Level 3, Sub-Contractors$250 +gstContractors and subcontractors who need to be assessed and have their results published in the SiteWise database. Three assessment attempts are included in the first year.
Level 2, Main and Sub-Contractors$795 +gstBusinesses who are sometimes the subcontractor and sometimes the main contractor. A Level 3 assessment scoring over 75 per cent unlocks it.
Level 1, Principals and Main ContractorsOn applicationMain contractors and principals who use a large number of contractors, with shortlists by assessment result, region or business type.

Read from sitewise.co.nz on 20 September 2026. Additional assessment attempts are $100 +gst. After the first year one attempt comes with the annual registration.

The grade gets them to the fence

What the grade tells you

That a contracting business was assessed against the SiteWise questions and scored what it scored, at the time it was assessed. Green is over 75 per cent.

What the grade does not tell you

Who turned up this morning, whether that person's training is current, when they arrived and when they left. A company grade is about the company.

Where SiteKey sits

At the gate, on the day. The compliance gate reads course completions for the individual and blocks the sign in when they are not current, and the on site list shows who is inside the fence.

Four things worth separating

Who pays

SiteWise is paid by the contractor, $250 +gst a year at Level 3. SiteKey is paid by the business running the site, $50 a month a worksite excluding GST.

Company or person

A SiteWise grade is held by a contracting business. A SiteKey training record and sign in belong to the individual who scans in.

How often it refreshes

A SiteWise assessment is annual, with one attempt included after the first year. A SiteKey check runs at every sign in.

What SiteKey does about prequalification

SiteKey runs its own automated pre-qualification on the WorkSafe WKS-14 form for contractors coming onto your site. That is a separate thing from a SiteWise grade and it does not replace one where a client asks for SiteWise.

Sources and disclosure

Read on 20 September 2026 from a New Zealand connection. SiteWise is run by Site Safe New Zealand and those names belong to them. SiteKey is not a SiteWise product and holds no connection to the scheme. This page is written by Capability Solutions, which builds SiteKey, so read it as one side's account and check the other website yourself. Nothing here is taken from a quote, a demo or any private material. SiteKey prices exclude GST.

Questions we get asked about this

How much does SiteWise cost? +

Their published fees, read on 20 September 2026, are $250 +gst a year at Level 3 for subcontractors, $795 +gst a year at Level 2 for businesses that are sometimes the main contractor, and on application at Level 1 for principals and main contractors. Extra assessment attempts are $100 +gst. Three attempts are included in the first year and one attempt a year after that.

Does SiteKey replace SiteWise? +

No. SiteWise grades a contracting business and publishes that grade in a database that principals can view. SiteKey checks the individual at the gate on the day and keeps the record of who was on site. If a client asks for a SiteWise grade, SiteKey does not satisfy that.

Can a business run both? +

Yes, and many do. The grade gets a contractor onto the approved list. The gate is what happens when their crew arrives on a Tuesday morning.

Does SiteKey do contractor pre-qualification? +

It does, as an automated questionnaire built on the WorkSafe WKS-14 form, run by the business that owns the site. That is a separate process from a SiteWise assessment, which is run by Site Safe and published in their database.

Who runs SiteWise? +

Site Safe New Zealand. Their pricing page shows the Site Safe New Zealand Inc copyright.

See SiteKey on your own site

Tell us how many sites you run and we will show you the sign in, the compliance gate and the on site list working together.

Book a free demo

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