News & Media

Compulsory fair pay agreements risky for growth Compulsory Fair Pay Agreements risky for economic growth Fair Pay Agreements would bring risks to business and the economy, says BusinessNZ. The Fair Pay Agreements report released today proposes a system of industry-wide collective agreements for New Zealand workplaces. BusinessNZ was one of...

Engagement with business Greater integration with the world economy will reap dividends for New Zealand business, the Prime Minister told business leaders today. Addressing the BusinessNZ economic update meeting in Auckland this morning, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the EU and UK were signalling potentially speedy conclusions to free trade...

Vocational education needs to serve learners and businesses Vocational education needs to serve learners and businesses We need to make sure vocational education is serving the needs of learners and businesses, says Business NZ Chief Executive Kirk Hope. The Reform of Vocational Education, announced today by Minister of Education Chris...

Steady ETS development BusinessNZ has welcomed the announcement of the first tranche of decisions from the ongoing development of the NZ Emissions Trading Scheme. BusinessNZ Chief Executive Kirk Hope said the ETS needs a careful balance between contributing to emissions reduction and maintaining New Zealand as a prosperous economy that...

ACC levy reduction welcomed ACC levy reduction welcomed The reduction in the ACC work levy has been welcomed by BusinessNZ. The levy paid by employers and the self-employed will reduce from an average 72 cents to 67 cents per $100 of liable earnings from next year. BusinessNZ Chief Executive Kirk...

The political economy - the environment for doing business - changed somewhat in 2018 following the election of a coalition that many said would be bad for business. In fact, there have been some surprising policy moves led by the various Labour, NZ First and Green parts of the Government....
We're seeing media reports and allegations about bullying in a number of workplaces - a matter of some concern. Bullying in any workplace is hurtful and harmful. It causes stress, anger, anxiety and depression, and it takes away confidence. Bullying behaviour raises the need for workplaces to take action, and...

Changes to the Employment Relations Amendment Bill will make parts of the legislation more acceptable to business. A supplementary order paper lodged by the Government would address some key concerns, BusinessNZ Chief Executive Kirk Hope said. Areas softened in the Bill are provisions on union access and multi-employer collective agreements...

Positive changes to Employment Bill Changes to the Employment Relations Amendment Bill will make parts of the legislation more acceptable to business. A supplementary order paper lodged by the Government would address some key concerns, BusinessNZ Chief Executive Kirk Hope said. Areas softened in the Bill are provisions on union...

Concerns about privacy are growing as fast as new technology develops. Whether it's smart watches recording vital signs or smart TVs recording private conversations, the outcome always seems to be the loss of privacy. The trade-off between providing great customer benefits using customers' own data, and privacy loss, is a...