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A week in advocacy 

Upbeat about the economy
“Invest, grow, employ and train,” was the PM’s advice to businesses attending the BusinessNZ Year in Review dinner this week.  Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern gave an upbeat address to 350 CEOs attending the BusinessNZ event, outlining the Government’s key investments in 2019, and giving an optimistic outlook for the year ahead.

Fair pay agreements and unfair pay
Fair pay is incredibly important, but the proposed system of ‘fair pay agreements’ would mean unfair pay, BusinessNZ CEO Kirk Hope says.  Under the proposal, high-performing workers would get the same pay as poor performers, and individual strengths would not be recognised.  BusinessNZ’s submission on the proposal was lodged this week.  The Government is now to decide when to introduce the controversial system.

New trends in energy
Fast innovation, more renewables and ‘disruption as usual’ are dominating the energy sector, says Tina Schirr of the BusinessNZ Energy Council.  Outlining global energy trends at EECA Day this week, Tina said use of hydrogen is a fast-emerging trend, with the zero-emission fuel now being used in cars, buses and spacecraft propulsion.  


CFOs assess risk from climate change
Yesterday the Sustainable Business Council and Deloitte ran a workshop for Auckland CFOs on financial risks arising from climate change.  The UK, EU countries and others are moving to require mandatory reporting of the climate-related financial risks facing companies and organisations, and CFOs need to be prepared for this in NZ too, SBC’s Rob Perry says.


Migrant worker exploitation
Migrant workers are a vital part of the NZ workforce, and the relatively few instances of migrant worker exploitation don’t support punitive measures against all employers, argues BusinessNZ’s Rachel Simpson.  MBIE is suggesting regulating all employers to help prevent migrant exploitation, but changes to the rules for work visas which are yet to come into effect and more resources for labour inspectors are a more appropriate approach, Rachel says.

Buy NZ Day begins
A new NZ tradition started last week – Buy NZ Made Day.  NZ manufacturers and producers celebrated their awesome products, retailers took part in Buy NZ promotions and supermarkets tagged their shelves with special Buy NZ tags.  Buy NZ director Ryan Jennings says Buy NZ Made Day will now be celebrated in November every year. 

Coming up

  • Today BusinessNZ CEO Kirk Hope addresses the Labour Party’s Business Conference in Whanganui on the theme of confidence
  • Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr addresses BusinessNZ member companies at a member lunch in Auckland today
  • The Sustainable Business Council and ATEED host an Innovation Sprint in Auckland on Tuesday, driving action towards a sustainable, inclusive future of work 

 

Business Update is a weekly update of activity and advocacy by the BusinessNZ Network

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