Quick Dips

Officially Metric

Despite two decades of metric usage, New Zealand has only just become a member of the international metric convention, the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures. It costs some $50,000 a year to belong to the convention, but DSIR Standards manager Andrew Corney sees it as a worthwhile investment.

It's particularly important to trade, according to Corney, with parts manufacturers, processors and industry in general being highly reliant on accurate measurement. Citing the potential for technical barriers to trade, Corney sees the BIPM membership as a means of ensuring New Zealand remains competitive in world markets.

As scientists develop more and more accurate ways of measuring such things as length, weight and temperature, people begin to take such things for granted, Corney says. However, temperature differences can see the rejection of container loads of canned foods. Weight changes can provide a fast indication of problems in processing. Manufacturers need to be aware of the value of accurate standards and measurements, particularly in the important area of quality control.

Membership of the BIPM will give the New Zealand standards community international data on measurement research. They'll also have custody of a platinum-iridium kilogram weight.