24/09/2026
A bit of Quality history in the classroom this week.
This week I had the privilege of delivering the New Zealand Organisation for Quality Internal Auditor Training Course in Tauranga over two days.
What made this one particularly interesting was the timing.
ISO 9001:2026 was officially published on 16 September, which meant this was my first Internal Auditor course delivered with the newly released edition of ISO 9001
And that generated some very good discussion.
We had people in the room representing QUANTEM Bulk Liquid Storage & Handling, Oranga Tamariki -Ministry for Children, Tauranga City Council, Times-7 and Napier Port, bringing experience from very different organisations, roles and industries.
That diversity is exactly what makes these courses valuable.
Yes, we covered the fundamentals: audit planning, audit evidence, interviewing, sampling, findings, nonconformities, reporting and follow-up.
But some of the most valuable learning came from the conversations around the table:
What are we actually trying to achieve when we conduct an internal audit?
Is it simply to demonstrate compliance?
Or should a good internal audit challenge the organisation to understand whether its systems and processes are actually effective, understood and adding value?
The release of ISO 9001:2026 makes that conversation even more relevant.
The revised standard maintains the established ISO 9001 framework but strengthens the emphasis on areas including leadership, quality culture, ethical behaviour and the consideration of risks and opportunities.
For internal auditors, that means we need to keep moving beyond the old approach of:
“Show me the procedure.”
Towards better questions:
“Show me how this actually works.”
“How do you know it is effective?”
“What evidence supports that?”
“What happens when it doesn't work?”
“And what have you learned from it?”
That, for me, is where internal auditing becomes genuinely valuable.
A big thank you to everyone who attended for the engagement, challenges, questions and very open discussions over the two days.
It was great to see people questioning interpretations rather than simply accepting them, because good auditors don't just tick boxes, they think, listen, follow the evidence and ask the next question.
And with ISO 9001:2026 now officially here, there is going to be plenty for the Quality profession to discuss, learn and put into practice.
Quality is changing. Our approach to auditing needs to keep changing with it.
Matt Hopson
