Decent Work New Zealand
Towards Decent Work - Charting our progress
Objectives 1 & 3: Activities, Strategies and/or Institutional Arrangements Developed to Address each Critical Success Factor
CSF 14: Workplaces are productive.
Activity:
Ensuring the maintenance of reasonable income for earners following injury in or out of the workplace
Description:
The Injury Prevention Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2001 ensures that all New Zealand workers with injuries acceptable for cover under the legislation continue to receive at least 80% of their pre-injury earnings during rehabilitation or recovery
Lead Agency:
Accident Compensation Corporation
Activity:
Financial incentives by levy adjustments for employers to encourage safer working environments
Description:
Four current Accident Compensation Corporation Workplace Incentive Programmes provide for downward or upward adjustments in workplace levies. Downward adjustments are available under three programmes; a “risk sharing” option that is generally most suitable for larger businesses, a three level downward levy adjustment that is most suited to medium to large employers and a programme specifically focused on small businesses in six key industry sectors. Another programme targets poor performing employers.
Lead Agency:
Accident Compensation Corporation
Activity:
Supporting early return to work following injury
Description:
The Accredited Employer Programme enables employers to maintain injured workers at work, or return them to work early in a safe and supportive environment.
Lead Agency:
Accident Compensation Corporation
Activity:
Workplace Safety Programmes
Description:
The Accident Compensation Corporation has developed injury prevention programmes for identified key high-risk industry sectors. This is in collaboration with supportive industry associations and employee representatives for the joint implementation of initiatives to reduce the incidence of work-related injuries of serious consequence.
Lead Agency:
Accident Compensation Corporation
Activity:
Public Safety Programmes
Description:
The Accident Compensation Corporation has developed and implemented, and continues to develop and implement, a range of programmes aimed at high-risk areas of non-work activities. These include falls, sport, home, school, road, cultural and recreational activities where either the number and/or severity of injuries occurring requires preventive action.
Lead Agency:
Accident Compensation Corporation
Activity:
Tripartite initiatives to create and maintain workplace safety initiatives
Description:
The Accident Compensation Corporation’s workplace incentive programmes promote and facilitate tripartite involvement in creating and maintaining safer working environments in individual workplaces. The Accident Compensation Corporation also activity promotes and supports the building of workplace health and safety capability through initiatives such as the provision of assistance to the NZ Council of Trade Unions and Business NZ for the development and delivery of employee health and safety representative courses.
Lead Agency:
Accident Compensation Corporation
Activity:
Regional labour market development
Description:
Collaborative development of strategies and action plans to address skills, productivity and participation issues at a regional level. This involves working with local government, business/industry associations, economic development agencies, training providers, unions and other government agencies.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
Sectoral labour market development
Description:
Collaborative development of strategies and action plans to address skills, productivity and participation issues at a sectoral level. This involves working with sector bodies, local government, business/industry associations, economic development agencies, training providers, unions and other government agencies.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
Support for small businesses
Description:
The Department of Labour provides information and assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the SME sector on workplace issues and opportunities. The Small Business Information Unit provides SME-targeted workplace practice information with and through Business NZ networks, such as Productivity Tool Kit workshops with Chambers of Commerce.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
National Advisory Council on the Employment of Women (NACEW)
Description:
NACEW is an advisory body providing advice to the Minister of Labour. NACEW is supported by the Department of Labour through the provision of an Executive Officer and advisory support to assist the development and implementation of their work programme. Currently this is via three subgroups focusing on precarious employment and particularly public contracting, pay and employment equity issues, Maori and Pacific women in enterprise and a joint DOL/NACEW decision-making project on balancing work and caring responsibilities
Lead Agency:
NACEW, Department of Labour
Activity:
Work/Life Balance Project
Description:
The Work/Life Balance project is developing a policy programme to promote a better balance between paid work and life outside of work. A three year work programme is underway which includes a pilot project with workplaces, further policy work on a range of issues, activities to influence change in workplace cultures, and practices and research into work/life balance issues.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
Work/Life Balance workplace project
Description:
The project identifies and promotes workplace policies and practices that help people to balance participation in paid work with the other activities that are important to them. An advisory group has been established to advise on proposed communications activities and products flowing on from the Workplace Pilots, identify opportunities for awareness raising around work-life balance and identify champions and influencers.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
Workplace Productivity Agenda
Description:
The Workplace Productivity Agenda lifts productivity through awareness raising, providing workshops through Chambers of Commerce and developing diagnostic tools for businesses. Evaluation will include responses to the diagnostic tool, feedback from Chambers of Commerce and identifying gaps in awareness-raising.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
Employment Relations Education Ministerial Advisory Committee
Description:
The Committee assesses applications for funding from the Employment Relations Education Contestable Fund; makes recommendations to the Minister of Labour around funding allocations; sets a strategic direction for the Contestable Fund; exercises the power delegated by the Minister of Labour to approve courses of employment relations education and courses of training for Health and Safety representatives. The Department of Labour provides secretariat support for this Committee.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
Workplace Health and Safety Strategy for New Zealand to 2015
Description:
The Workplace Health and Safety Strategy is a framework for action that sets out a vision, a set of principles, outcomes and an implementation plan for achieving healthy people in safe and productive workplaces. It also aims to reduce the work death toll in New Zealand.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
Industrial Relations Foundation
Description:
The Department of Labour provides secretariat support for the IRF. The IRF funds research into industrial relations related topics and is allocated annually through a Steering Committee made up of the Minister of Labour, Business NZ, the NZCTU, and DOL. The purpose of the funding is to promote the overall knowledge of better industrial relations within New Zealand.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
The Partnership Resource Centre
Description:
The Partnership Resource Centre helps employers and unions to build new positive workplace partnerships. These partnerships help employers and unions to respond to change, build capability and improve performance, worker contribution and the quality of the workplace for employees.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
Better Work Working Better (BWWB)
Description:
BWWB sets out the Government’s aspirations for high quality employment in productive and innovative industries, regions and businesses that drives sustainable economic growth and opportunities for all New Zealanders. Goals under BWWB are high levels of participation in high-quality, well-paid and diversified employment; a diverse, adaptable and highly-skilled workforce; high-quality and productive workplaces within an effective regulatory environment and high-performing sector and regional labour markets.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
Choices for Living, Caring, and Working Plan of Action
Description:
This ten-year plan improves support for children and families by increasing the choices available for parents and carers. This will enable people to have real choices about how they balance their caring responsibilities, involvement in paid work, time for leisure and learning, and time to be involved with friends, family and the community.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
Providing information for migrants and increasing awareness amongst employers on the benefits of employing migrants
Description:
The Auckland Chamber of Commerce delivers employment assistance and job-seeking services to migrants via presentations and seminars as well as one-on-one employment finding sessions with individuals as required. The Canterbury Migrant Employment Programme, run by the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce, provides a migrant employment recruitment service for skilled migrants to gain employment and opportunities to improve their job search strategy.
Lead Agency:
Chambers of Commerce, Department of Labour
Activity:
Increasing awareness of the benefits of migrant employment and increasing employment opportunities for skilled migrants throughout New Zealand and internationally
Description:
Effective management of the New Kiwis migrant recruitment service via the www.newkiwis.co.nz and www.nzrecruitme.co.nz websites. The newkiwis website focuses upon relationship building with potential and registered employers to promote the benefits of employing migrants in the workplace. While the nzrecruitme website complements the newkiwis service and matches the skills of prospective migrants to the business community.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour, Auckland Chamber of Commerce
Activity:
Literary, Numeracy and Language Strategy
Description:
The Department of Labour will continue to lead work focussed on changing employer and workplace practices around improving literacy, numeracy and language skills.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
Upskilling Partnership Programme
Description:
This programme will engage employers and workers in foundation skills training, and improve understanding of what forms of training work best and what the business benefits are from investing in foundation skills. It will contribute to the ongoing development of a medium to long-term strategy to improve the foundation skills (literacy, numeracy and language) of workers, unemployed people and groups close to the labour market.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
Metal manufacturing project in Rotorua
Description:
The metal manufacturing project started as a Department of Labour initiative and developed into a joint exercise with ACC, to ensure compliance and reduction in the number of ACC claims in the metal manufacturing sector.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme
Description:
The Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme is an immigration policy which facilitates the temporary entry of seasonal workers into New Zealand to fill shortages in New Zealand’s horticulture and viticulture industries when no New Zealanders are available. This scheme encourages Pacific people to return year after year, and build up their skills and productivity.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
Inspections on board vessels to protect working conditions
Description:
Inspection for compliance in accordance with relevant recognised ILO/International Maritime Organisation standards and parallel New Zealand standards.
Lead Agency:
Maritime New Zealand
Activity:
Industry-based solutions to health and maritime safety issues
Description:
Groups made up of employer/employer/researcher interests are convened for different sectors and act as a focus for health and safety awareness and develop industry-based solutions to key risks. Maritime NZ provides support services to these groups.
Lead Agency:
Maritime New Zealand
Activity:
Development of activity-specific codes of safe working practice on board ships, and associated injury prevention training
Description:
Maritime NZ, in partnership with Accident Compensation Corporation, the Seafood Industry Training Organisation and the commercial fishing industry, has developed guidelines for health and safety on board small commercial fishing vessels and associated specific health and safety training which is recognised by the NZQA. The guidelines are now being used as the basis for the development of guidelines for the domestic passenger and non-passenger fleet, and similar guidelines have been developed for the international fleet.
Lead Agency:
Maritime New Zealand
Activity:
Fishing Industry Safety and Health Advisory Group (FishSAFE)
Description:
FishSAFE is an industry-led partnership between Maritime NZ, ACC and the commercial fishing industry. It acts as a "clearing house" for a wide variety of issues relating to health and safety in the commercial fishing industry.
Lead Agency:
Maritime New Zealand
Activity:
Initiatives to reduce short and long term injuries in the stevedore work force when working aboard ships.
Description:
A stevedore industry based steering committee has been established to work in partnership with Maritime NZ, Department of Labour, and related agencies. The prime objective of the activity is to achieve a reduction in stevedore injuries. Stevedore injury statistics are currently being analysed. Outcomes are expected to include guidelines for the safe handling of ships’ cargoes, an efficient “alert” system of communication between NZ ports, and a benchmark pre-discharge/loading safety survey report.
Lead Agency:
Maritime New Zealand
Activity:
Small Business Advisory Group
Description:
This group provides ongoing advice to the Ministerial Group on Small Business on any issues affecting small and medium-sized enterprises. It identifies issues, suggests priorities, explores solutions, provides assistance and advice to government departments on dealing with SMEs and provides suggestions on ways for enhancing SME and government agency performance.
Lead Agency:
Ministry of Economic Development
Activity:
National training initiative to boost the numbers of home-based disability support (HBSS) workers who have foundation level training
Description:
This initiative aims to support the implementation of training and assessment for HBSS support workers to complete the National Certificate in Community Support Services, Level One.
Lead Agency:
Ministry of Health
Activity:
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Workforce Development Project
Description:
This initiative aims to implement a training and supervision programme for support workers and professionals (including families) who support children and young people with ASD in Child Youth and Family care.
Lead Agency:
Ministry of Health
Activity:
Environmental Support Services (ESS) for people with disabilities
Description:
ESS are available through Disability Services Directorate-funded ESS providers for provision of equipment and funding for vehicles/vehicle modifications and driving assessments. This support is available to disabled people assessed as eligible and having an essential need to enable them to undertake fulltime employment or vocational training.
Lead Agency:
Ministry of Health
Activity:
Development of training and qualifications in needs assessment and service co-ordination (NASC) for disabled people
Description:
The Ministry of Health’s Disability Services Directorate works with relevant training organisations to identify NASC-specific competencies that will develop into under-graduate and post-graduate national learning programmes.
Lead Agency:
Ministry of Health
Activity:
Development of training and qualifications in community-based residential services for disabled people
Description:
The Ministry of Health’s Disability Services Directorate works with providers and relevant training organisations to identify support worker-specific competencies that will develop into under graduate and post-graduate national learning programmes.
Lead Agency:
Ministry of Health
Activity:
Working for Families [external link]
Description:
Working for Families is a package designed to help make it easier to work and raise a family. It pays extra money to many thousands of New Zealand families. Working for Families is made up of three key components: tax credits administered by Inland Revenue and Accommodation Supplement and Childcare Assistance which are administered by Work and Income.
Lead Agency:
Ministry of Social Development
Activity:
Youth Development Partnership Fund
Description:
The Youth Development Partnership Fund provides an opportunity for the Ministry of Youth Development, territorial authorities and young people to work together to provide new and innovative local youth development projects.
Territorial authorities can apply to the Ministry for funding for projects that benefit local young people through a positive youth development approach.
Lead Agency:
Ministry of Youth Development
Activity:
Services for Young People Fund
Description:
The Ministry of Youth Development purchases Youth Development Services that offer young people (12-24 year olds) personal and social development and learning opportunities. These opportunities facilitate participation, inclusion and engagement, leading to achievement, awards or qualifications and long term economic and independent well being.
Lead Agency:
Ministry of Youth Development
Activity:
Learning Representatives Project
Description:
The Learning Representative Programme is a NZCTU-run project funded by the Tertiary Education Commission to enhance worker participation in learning and increase skills. The Project has completed its first phase with a strong initial focus on foundation skills and literacy and a longer-term focus on quality jobs and design of work.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
Activity:
Workplace Productivity Education Project
Description:
The NZCTU’s Workplace Productivity Education Project is designed to enhance productivity in New Zealand. Workshops have been run since October 2006, with more than 1500 participants attending from unions and sectors including banking and finance, food processing, engineering and manufacturing, saw milling, building and construction, tertiary education, rail and ports, air transport and other infrastructure, retail, health, central and local government.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
Activity:
Campaigning for improvements to work/life balance
Description:
Unions and the NZCTU campaign for improvements to hours of work, breaks, leave and other conditions through collective bargaining and discussions with the Department of Labour on improvements to the minimum code.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
Activity:
Public Service Association Partnership for Quality and Public Service Tripartite Forum
Description:
The Public Service Association has entered its third quality agreement with the Government. The Public Service Tripartite Forum allows regular meetings between union members to discuss key workplace issues and processes.
Lead Agency:
Public Service Association
Activity:
Representation on the Growth and Innovation Advisory Board
Description:
The NZCTU is represented on the Growth and Innovation Advisory Board that advises the Prime Minister, Government and others on growth and innovation strategies.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
Activity:
Advocacy and raising awareness on quality flexible work
Description:
The NZCTU conducts research, advocacy and awareness-raising on the issue of quality flexible work. Following the passing of legislation providing the right to request flexible work for those with caring responsibilities, the CTU will monitor its implementation and promote the extension of this right to all workers.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
Activity:
Industry development projects
Description:
The NZCTU runs projects in the forestry and food and beverage sectors and with Maori workers to increase worker participation in industry decision-making and develop improved industry standards.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
Activity:
Foundation learning programmes for adults
Description:
In November 2007 Cabinet agreed to initiate an “upskilling the workforce” strategy [external link]that builds on the adult literacy strategy, focussed on literacy, language and numeracy skills for New Zealand workplaces. This strategy aims to build the amount of literacy, language and numeracy provisions being undertaken, and enhance the capability of both tertiary education organisations and industry to build the skills of the workforce.
Lead Agency:
Tertiary Education Commission
Activity:
Industry Training for people in employment
Description:
Industry training [external link] facilitates structured training arrangements for employees, both on-job and off-job, linked to recognised qualifications on the National Qualifications Framework.
Lead Agency:
Tertiary Education Commission
Activity:
Modern Apprenticeships programme
Description:
The Modern Apprenticeships programme [external link] provides work-based education and training for young people and others wishing to start a new career. Modern Apprenticeships has a significant support function for participants, managed by a Modern Apprenticeships Co-ordinator.
Lead Agency:
Tertiary Education Commission
Activity:
Skill New Zealand Tripartite Forum
Description:
An agreement between the Government, Business NZ and the NZCTU, aiming to create greater awareness of industry training and workplace learning and the skills needs of industry. In 2007, the government and tripartite partners agreed to develop a unified Skills Strategy for New Zealand. The aim of the Skills Strategy is to build a clear consensus on the skill needs of New Zealand moving forward and what the contributions of the various partners are to ensure the skills needs are met.
Lead Agency:
Tertiary Education Commission