Spark manages the Permit to Work form and corresponding system that many parts of Chorus utilise to manage works on Chorus sites and Chorus spaces on Spark sites.

As a reminder, our Colocation services onboarding packs refer to Permit to Work requirements, and these are submitted via the Spark managed Permit to Work system.

Spark is making a change to the Permit to Work system and introducing a new Digital Permit to Work user experience. All users (new and existing) will need to prepare for the introduction of the new Digital Permit to Work solution. This is a one-time activity to register.

Timeframe

This change came into effect on 11 December 2023.

Please note, the new Permit solution does not alter the need to request permits but does incorporate several additional enhancements to make the process more robust.  The new digital Permit to Work Portal, powered by Spark Work Permit Wallet technology, will revolutionize the way permits are issued and managed. Each permit will have digitally enabled credentials unique to it, which can be securely stored in your Spark Work Permit Wallet. This allows permits to be digitally bound to an individual, ensuring accountability and traceability. We are also addressing a gap to automate the current manual Health and Safety forms and link these to Permit requests.

Action Required

To streamline the permit process and enhance its efficiency the Person in Charge of work must register with a Digital Credential Wallet, specifically the Spark Work Permit Wallet. This will enable the seamless issuance and verification of permits through verifiable credentials. To enable you to use the new Digital Permit to Work changes you will need to download the Spark Work Permit Wallet from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store onto your smartphone. If you are just requesting work on behalf of the Person in Charge, then you do NOT need to download a wallet BUT you must be registered via the permit’s portal, which you can then also use to see the status of your permits. Use the following links to download the wallet appropriate to your smartphone.

Spark Work Permit Wallet	The Apple smartphone version of the Spark Work Permit Wallet app is not searchable within the Apple App Store, but is available for download from the App Store through this specific link.
	The Google Android smartphone version of the Spark Work Permit Wallet app is searchable within the Google Play Store.

The new Permit solution is still accessible from the same site as before, https://www.spark.co.nz/permits/ but the portal will look different as it now includes updated branding, new look and feel improvements, in addition to linking with Spark’s verifiable credential technology (the Spark Work Permit Wallet technology). The new portal will use the Spark Work Permit Wallet technology to provide digitally enabled credentials unique to each Permit and allow permits to be digitally bound to an individual.  

To assist you in becoming familiar with the new Spark Work Permit Wallet technology, Spark recommends you take some time to watch this Spark Permit To Work - PermitsOnline explaining the new process. There will also be FAQs and other reference material on the new Permits site to assist with this transition Welcome - PermitsOnline (spark.co.nz).

Now that the new permit solution has gone live, you will need to have reviewed the training video prior to submitting a new permit request. You will be reminded of this during the registration process.  

Contact

We would like to apologise for the delayed communication on this change. If you have any questions or concerns on above, please contact the Spark NOC on 0800 103060.

The Chorus Colocation team will continue to review Permit to Work applications where task codes AL201 (Wireless Colocation) and AL202 (Exchange Colocation) are selected.