New Zealand is the first country in the world to adopt the zero-tolerance stance to false starts that will be made compulsory by the International Athletics Federation next year.
In August, the International Athletics Federation announ-ced that from January 2010 a zero-tolerance stance to false starts will be adopted.
Athletes making false starts will immediately be disqualified.
The Athletics New Zealand board decided to implement the policy from the start of the 2009-10 season.
"We wanted to get our athletes used to the new policy from the start and did not want to change to a new policy in the middle of the season," New Zealand's top starter, Warren Hastings, of Christchurch, said.
Hastings was at the Caledonian Ground on Saturday with Trevor Spittle, the deputy chairman of Athletics New Zealand and an international technical official since 2005, to instruct Otago and Southland officials about the new rules.
The policy has been adopted to eliminate the time-wasting practices and gamesmanship that used to be common in the sprints.
Hastings said there would be some leniency in combined events such as the decathlon and heptathlon where one false start per race will be allowed.
"We intend to implement and co-ordinate a national protocol on starting procedures at all athletics meetings from children to seniors.
We want all athletics meetings to adopt the same procedures," he said.
A starters' referee will be appointed by athletics centres to control the start at all meetings conducted under the auspices of Athletics New Zealand.
"The referee will be able to over-rule a decision of the starter," Hastings said.
"An athlete can make a verbal protest and be able to start the race.
"The decision on disqualification will then be made by the starters referee after consultation with officials and the athlete."
Hastings and Spittle monitored the starting procedures at the Caledonian Ground and were pleased by the way the athletes had adapted to the new rule.
There was only one false start during the meeting.
Spittle said there were three false starts in the 10,000m at the world championships in Berlin this year.
"The zero false start policy doesn't just apply in the sprints.
"It will be implemented for all events," he said.
The two Canterbury officials were pleased with the large turnout of athletes at the Dunedin meeting.
"I rate the Caledonian Ground as the best athletics venue in the country," Spittle said.
