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Beyond the Status Quo: Rethinking Workforce Development for a Competitive Future

David O’Connor, Head of Emerging Markets, The Learning Wave As a nation, we take pride in our innovation and adaptability. However, when it comes to workforce development, we still find ourselves lagging behind. The challenges are clear: a widening skills gap, ongoing productivity issues, a growing need for both transferable and technical skills, and businesses struggling to meet global competition demands. Are we ready to push boundaries and adopt effective solutions for today’s workforce and tomorrow’s needs? Or are we content to tinker at the edges of a broken system? Recent conversations suggest the latter. So, what can we do? It’s easy to blame outdated educational structures, funding issues, inter-agency hurdles, and slow policy changes. But are we truly held back by the system, or are we reluctant to challenge the status quo? Current structures, though well-intentioned, often miss the mark when it comes to evolving business needs. We need a shift towards flexibility, continuous learning, and strong industry partnerships. We must stop waiting for the government to solve the skills gap; we require more business-led initiatives. Relying solely on government action is unrealistic and short-term thinking. Instead of waiting for mandates or funding schemes, the government should incentivize businesses with tax breaks for upskilling and training their staff. The business community must lead the way. Organisations can – and should- drive change by partnering to source and fund necessary skills training. Many companies recognize the value of investing in their workforce, and there’s an opportunity to create a coordinated, industry-wide effort that harnesses the best training available. Small businesses often claim they can’t make an impact, but we can transform isolated successes into a nationwide movement. Collaboration among businesses is key to creating a more agile and responsive training ecosystem that meets the needs of both employers and their […]

Holidays Act reform – let’s get it done once and done right

By EMA Head of Advocacy and Strategy Alan McDonald It’s hard to think of a piece of legislation that has needed reform for as long as the Holidays Act. Successive governments have been aware of longstanding concerns over the Act among workers, employers and payroll providers alike and promised to fix the issues. But they have also largely failed to deliver any meaningful change. Businesses have long been calling for the Holidays Act to be scrapped and rewritten, saying it’s too complicated and is costing businesses time and money. Unfortunately, the approach to addressing those issues has been largely to ignore the main problems and tinker with existing legislation, adding further complexity. The main issue for many employers was how the Act calculates annual leave, public holidays, sick days, and bereavement leave. With the rise of different styles of work, it was challenging to accurately figure out how much workers were owed. The previous government had a go at reforming the legislation, and in March 2020, Cabinet endorsed in full the 22 recommendations for improvements to the Act made by a tripartite Holidays Act Taskforce. However, the draft bill was far too complicated and didn’t see the light of day. Now, the coalition government is attempting to reform the legislation and an exposure draft on the Holidays Act Bill was released for targeted consultation in September. The EMA was one of the organisations tapped to review the exposure draft and provide feedback. We’ve worked with select members of the EMA to make sure we canvassed a range of opinions across the business community. We also recently tested out thinking with around 500 members on a webinar and they largely agreed with the direction of our approach as it provides something efficient and simple for employers to operate. We have been under a non-disclosure agreement as […]

Can we be world-class leaders?

From October issue NZ Manufacturer magazine www.nzmanufacturer.co.nz -Ian Walsh, Partner, Argon and Co Recently, I had the opportunity to work with business leaders on New Zealand’s productivity performance and, how it compares to key trading nations and OECD members. Over the past 50 years, New Zealand’s ranking has fallen from being in the top five to the bottom five. It’s a tough reality, but more interestingly, the discussion centred around why Scandinavian countries and Ireland excel while we continue to struggle. Many attribute New Zealand’s lagging performance to factors like distance to market, limited access to capital, and the small size of our domestic markets. Undoubtedly these do play a role, but they are largely beyond a business’s control. No matter how efficient we become, we still face the challenge of shipping goods across the globe. If we focus on these external factors alone, we will continue to run the risk of overlooking the most crucial areas where we can improve – leadership and people management. Studies show that New Zealand consistently underperforms in these areas compared to other OECD nations, and this is not a recent development. Over the last 40 years, other countries have systematically invested in cultivating great leaders, while New Zealand seems to have fallen into five fatal assumptions about leadership. The Five Fatal Assumptions About Leadership in New Zealand: Promoting the best operator to leader will work out Many workplaces fall into the trap of promoting the best operator to leadership roles. While they are often respected for their technical skills, they may lack the ability to manage people effectively. This can result in the loss of a great operator and sometimes even a demotivated team. Leadership requires a different skill set—one that needs to be developed, not assumed. Leaders are born, not made The […]

We need to pay attention to completely natural, consumer quality-verified, unprocessed food

-Phyllis Tichinin, soil scientist, founder of True Health Ltd The health narrative is increasingly moving away from processed food, especially ultra-processed foods (UPFs). More emphasis is being put on vitamin and mineral, antioxidant and polyphenol content, also called nutrient density or ORAC. Consumers are becoming concerned about pesticides and packaging chemicals in what they eat. They are looking for food that fully nourishes and heals cells. Ultra-processed items are receiving bad press and labelled as the cause of chronic disease. In America, ninety three percent of Americans have some form of inflammatory chronic disease: cancer, diabetes, fatty liver, Alzheimer’s, allergies, etc. More than half of the population is obese. Seventy-seven percent of young men are unfit for military service. These figures are mirrored in health statistics worldwide. While sedentary screen time, air and water toxins, and stress are implicated, Influential functional medicine doctors and health celebrities are placing the majority of the blame on consumption of processed food. (Check out Dr Casey Means interviews on the Web or Spotify) Our NZ consumption of UPFs is only slightly lower than in the USA and the UK – around 50%, even for children under 5. This global trend has implications for NZ’s food and packaging industries. Most of the food we export is minimally processed, compared to the ultra-processed foods like packaged snacks, desserts, energy bars, etc. We are presently well positioned with a reputation for natural quality, but in most food categories Italy and France have international reputations superior to ours. We can’t cruise on our laurels in this space and we certainly can’t afford to lose any ground. Food wrapping and containers that preserve vitamins, minerals and flavour components without the use of any chemical, heavy metal, or plastic need to be a focus of innovation. Hand in hand […]

The only way is up: how Gallagher Security’s vertically integrated manufacturing model delivers

Global security manufacturer, Gallagher Security has a proud history of delivering its solutions to the world with uninterrupted movement and the assurance they can ship 95% of purchase orders the next day, worldwide. On the eve of World Manufacturing Day on October 4, Gallagher, a frequent award-winner for its manufacturing prowess, acknowledges its vertically integrated manufacturing and engineering capabilities which are backed by more than 86 years of entrepreneurial spirit. Gallagher Security Chief Executive, Mark Junge says, “Because our solutions are designed, engineered, manufactured, and distributed from our head office site in Hamilton, New Zealand, we have complete oversight of manufacturing and distribution, ensuring we maintain quality, and can quickly and easily make changes, invest in raw materials, and implement strategies to ensure continued availability.” With control over the full supply chain, Gallagher can rapidly respond to emerging challenges resulting in shorter lead times, guaranteed quality, full visibility, and the ability to deliver on demand. Such was the case with events of recent years which hit manufacturers around the world hard. The Covid-19 pandemic and associated supply chain and shipping complications pushed Gallagher to re-engineer its products with parts they could access to ensure continued supply. It’s this ability to pivot and their commitment to relentless innovation that minimises the risk of third-party limitations and global risks to people and organisations,’ echoing their customer centric approach and putting people at the heart of everything they do. And the world is watching. In 2023 alone, Gallagher took home five manufacturing awards across Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom at the Australian Security Industry Awards, US, and UK OSPAs (Outstanding Security Performance Award), Security and Fire Matters and Fire and Security Matters awards, respectively. Already in 2024, Gallagher has been awarded a further three Manufacturing awards at the Fire […]

Stop calling workplace safety failures ‘accidents’

By Paul Jarvie, EMA Manager of Employment Relations & Safety With the Government signalling that significant reform of our workplace health and safety regulations are on the way, it’s time to look at the language we use around preventable harms. For too long, ‘accident’ has been a blanket term that absolves responsibility. Whether at home, on the road, or in our workplaces, we’ve grown accustomed to shrugging off incidents as ‘accidents’. But are they truly random acts beyond our control, or is there more to the story? When we label something an ‘accident’, we imply innocence and inevitability. It’s a linguistic shrug that suggests nothing could have been done differently. But the reality, backed by extensive research, paints a different picture. Insurance companies that provide cover for ‘accidental damage’ base their premiums entirely on historical data of such events. They know these events will happen, how many, when and how. The premium setting process uses vast databases to ensure the number of claims do not exceed their premium income – that’s how they remain in business. It’s a similar system to ACC for injury claims. In 2023, ACC handled nearly 200,000 workplace claims, with many stemming from repeat incidents that were likely to have been identified in companies’ hazard registers. As such, they were neither unknown nor unforeseen. This data underscores the need for a more nuanced approach in our safety lexicon. In workplaces, terms like ‘incident’ or ‘near miss’ are often used interchangeably with ‘accident’. Yet, these terms don’t adequately capture the essence of what really happened: a failure in systems, procedures or human judgement that resulted in harm or damage. Take aviation, where research from the Pilot Institute found that pilot error accounted for 69.1% of plane crashes, with 17.2% due to mechanical issues and 13% of unknown […]

Why BIM hasn’t reached its full potential in Aotearoa – yet…

From September issue of NZ Manufacturer magazine www.nzmanufacturer.co.nz By Dr Troy Coyle, HERA CEO Building Information Modelling (BIM) has been a promising tool in the manufacturing and construction industry for decades, yet it remains underutilised in Aotearoa. So, why isn’t it embedded more broadly in our industry? And more importantly, what can we do to unlock its potential? Since the 1980s, BIM has provided a comprehensive repository of data, enabling better decisions during design, build, and maintenance phases. Unlike traditional CAD models, BIM integrates information that allows computers to perform complex simulations. Yet in New Zealand, BIM’s capabilities are largely untapped. Old habits die hard One of the key issues is the way BIM is being used—or not used. Many in the industry continue to treat BIM as an enhanced version of 2D or 3D CAD, using it primarily for its visual modelling capabilities. While there’s certainly value in that, it misses the real power of BIM: its ability to drive collaboration across teams and improve project efficiency. To maximise BIM’s benefits, we need to adopt it as a process, not just a tool – one that promotes early involvement of all stakeholders, open communication, and collaboration. This means breaking down silos and ensuring all stakeholders, from designers to asset owners, work with the same integrated information. This means looking beyond isolated areas such as clash detection or design coordination, and instead – using it throughout the entire lifecycle of a project. Misconceptions around cost One of the reasons for slow uptake is the perception of BIM as a costly, complex tool that only large commercial projects can afford. The reality is that BIM can drive significant cost savings— with global studies suggesting time and cost reductions of 20% to 30% on projects that use it effectively. However, there’s hesitancy […]

Manufacturers have unique opportunity to bank talent

With forecasts from the Hanga-Aro-Rau Workforce Development Council showing the manufacturing, engineering, and logistics (MEL) sectors will need to fill over 157,000 jobs over the next 5 years, existing recruitment strategies need to be widened to include those with transferable skills from other industries. As NZ Manufacturer business advisor and director of Auckland public relations agency Impact PR Mark Devlin has found, recent government cost-cutting measures could provide an opportunity for manufacturers to access a resource critical for the sector’s future growth. With thousands of government and private sector workers made redundant during the recession and from public sector cuts in recent months, the opportunity exists for the manufacturing sector to create a talent bank of skilled workers. This could help futureproof the sector by accommodating thousands of new employees in manufacturing firms nationwide. A large proportion of the 6,000+ Government workers who are losing their jobs as a result of public sector cuts have highly transferable skills that are in short supply and could be absorbed by a wide range of manufacturing firms that contribute directly to the country’s economic growth. What we know of government workers is that they are well-trained in many of the key competencies in desperate need within the manufacturing sector. This includes people from government departments with an existing relationship with industry such as WorkSafe, NZTE, ACC, and MPI. With Māori and Pacific Peoples expected to make up a growing proportion of the workforce the sector needs to be looking to bring in greater diversity and more cultural awareness – and the Government workforce has an abundance of expertise in this area. As a nation, we have invested heavily in developing our government workforce and it is critical we move to retain these skills, many of which are unique to our ethnic and demographic […]

Editorial: Fires everywhere

From September issue, NZ Manufacturer We lead this issue with an energy story (Page 1) to “empower energy sovereignty”, the purpose of Mackwell & Co of Christchurch, with a focus on energy resilience and fossil-fuel-free transport. Mackwell realise the two concepts to achieve this are the use of accessible and low value biomass as fuel and a technology that can safely and cleanly convert this to useful work without relying on existing infrastructure. I have been trying to get my head around the deep concern being felt around the country regarding the cost of energy and the damaging effects this is having on domestic and business users at this time. With companies not being able to see a way ahead and closing, with the exorbitant price to the domestic market (where those disconnected have to find the money to be reconnected when they cannot pay the bill) what is the country meant to do? One thing, the energy companies need to be challenged on their pricing and why the return to shareholders is, at this time, more important than the wellbeing of the future of business in New Zealand. Another thing, make it affordable for all New Zealanders to have solar panels on their buildings and homes. How does a smart, innovative country like New Zealand find itself in the situation where with high power costs, imports will become more expensive? Where our reliance on the rural sector to succeed on export markets becomes a challenge; when the price of energy means their products become more expensive on world markets? Higher energy prices assist government coffers. But at what cost?…regions lose the financial input of (now) closed businesses whose staff leave and look afield to Australia. Regards, Doug Green, Publisher www.jezmedia.net

Feeding the Machine

From: September issue of NZ Manufacturer www.nzmanufacturer.co.nz The Hidden Human Labour Powering A.I. Callum Cant, James Muldoon, Mark Graham For readers of Naomi Klein and Nicole Perlroth, a myth-dissolving exposé of how artificial intelligence exploits human labour, and a resounding argument for a more equitable digital future. Silicon Valley has sold us the illusion that artificial intelligence is a frictionless technology that will bring wealth and prosperity to humanity. But hidden beneath this smooth surface lies the grim reality of a precarious global workforce of millions labouring under often appalling conditions to make A.I. possible. This book presents an urgent, riveting investigation of the intricate network that maintains this exploitative system, revealing the untold truth of A.I. Based on hundreds of interviews and thousands of hours of fieldwork over more than a decade, Feeding the Machine describes the lives of the workers deliberately concealed from view, and the power structures that determine their future. It gives voice to the people whom A.I. exploits, from accomplished writers and artists to the armies of data annotators, content moderators and warehouse workers, revealing how their dangerous, low-paid labour is connected to longer histories of gendered, racialised, and colonial exploitation. A.I. is an extraction machine that feeds off humanity’s collective effort and intelligence, churning through ever-larger datasets to power its algorithms. This book is a call to arms that details what we need to do to fight for a more just digital future.

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