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Business News – The Power of Three celebrate Wellington’s business community!

Source: Business Central and Wellington Chamber of Commerce

Last night at Te Papa, the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, Te Awe Māori Business Network and Wellington Pasifika Business Network hosted the 2023 Wellington Address.
The Wellington Address celebrates the business community of the city and honours those who contribute to it. Wellington is a compact city with a connected and agile business community. Business is done on the pavements and in the cafes just as often as in its boardrooms. The Address celebrated business life in Wellington and provided the opportunity to remind ourselves of why we love the city, despite the challenges we sometimes face.
The Wellington Chamber of Commerce, Te Awe Māori Business Network and Wellington Pasifika Business Network is a collaboration known as the ‘Power of Three’ and we celebrate it as a uniquely Wellington first. It was Wellington businesses people at the Chamber, Māori and Pasifika groups, who identified the opportunity to grow together and support each other.
Wellington businesspeople make a real difference to all of us fortunate enough to live here. Each member of The Power of Three, nominates two people to honour, all of whom have dedicated themselves to making a positive impact in our city, their hard mahi and relentless energy inspire us and help Wellington’s business community thrive and prosper. The six individuals honoured last night were:
– Lynell Tuffery Huria (of Ngāti Ruanui and Ngā Ruahine). As the first Māori patent lawyer here in Aotearoa, Lynell is a specialist in all aspects of trademark protection, management and enforcement.
– Jamie Williams (of Ngāti Kuri, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahu). Jamie is one of the founders of Kapura.
– Dame Kerry Prendergast DNZM, CNZM. Former Mayor of Wellington and former Vice-President of Local Government New Zealand.
– Rob Jury. Chief Engineer, Structural Engineering – Beca
– Michel Tuffery. Of Samoan, Rarotongan and Ma’ohi Tahitian heritage, Michel is one of the leading artists of his generation.
– Galu Letiu. Originally from the village of Va o Iva in Savai’i, Galu has spent his working career in building and construction.
Two honourees were selected by each of the constituent partners of the Power of Three: The Wellington Chamber of Commerce, Wellington Pasifika Business Network (WPBN), and Te Awe Māori Business Network.
“We too easily take for granted the sacrifice that goes into running a business, and the indispensable role it plays in Wellington’s success,” said Simon Arcus, Chief Executive of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce.
“The Wellington Address recognises individuals who have held high profile day jobs while distinguishing themselves in their communities. The honourees are people who have that service ethic well beyond their day job and who have contributed above and beyond to our business community. This year, we recognise the length and breadth of Dame Kerry Prendergast’s service to the city and we also celebrate the potential Wellington has to become a science super city and recognise Rob Jury’s service to engineering. I look forward to celebrating innovation and enterprise for years to come.”
Te Rau Kupenga, the newly appointed Te Awe Māori Business Network Chair, said “‘The Power of Three’ presents a real opportunity to further strengthen ties across the business community in Wellington and last night’s event clearly demonstrates the role the partnership plays in ensuring the successes of Māori and Pasifika business people are celebrated. All six honourees are inspiring role models and have shown high standards of accountability and good governance and are well deserving of the recognition they have earned.”
Paul Retimanu, Wellington Pasifika Business Network Chair, said “The partnership has come a long way since the inaugural Address last year and we have exciting plans to further deepen ties between our organisations.”
The 2023 Wellington Address would not have been possible without generous support from our sponsors. CentrePort Wellington & Capgemini sponsored the Wellington Chamber awards, AV Media sponsored Te Awe’s, and the Ministry of Pacific People’s sponsored WPBN’s. Stacey Shortall, one of last year’s honourees, delivered the 2023 address.
If you would like to find out more about ‘The Power of Three’, or would like to explore becoming a member of one of the constituent organisations, please contact Ed Gibbs (ed.gibbs@businesscentral.org.nz / 027 280 3622).
Te Awe Wellington Māori Business Network is a non-profit organisation that was established in 1996. It is the oldest Māori Business Network operating in New Zealand. Te Awe has a strong membership base representing small to medium-sized businesses through to large corporate companies. Te Awe’s purpose is to promote, assist and encourage Māori in business through regular networking Hui where Māori business owners meet and share their business successes and challenges.
The Wellington Pasifika Business Network started in 2014 with the passion of a small group identifying a significant gap in the market, particularly the lack of visibility of Pasifika businesses in the region. The Wellington Pasifika Business Network’s goal is to help grow Pasifika businesses in Wellington, to help create a community of like-minded Pasifika business entrepreneurs who can share ideas and successes, and to drive leading-edge for Pacific by Pacific innovation. The genuine commitment to bringing together the Pasifika business community was premised on the primary goal to encourage innovation, prosperity and growth of small business through quality network events and engagement whilst celebrating our successes and challenges in the world of business.
The Wellington Chamber of Commerce is a business membership association and has represented businesses in the Wellington Region for over 165 years, advocating for the interest of business and the development of the region’s economy. The Chamber provides export and trade, employment, health and safety, and human resources advice, along with professional learning and development training, business mentoring, and employment placement programmes. The Wellington Chamber is part of the Business Central Group, with around 3,600 members throughout Central New Zealand (Gisborne to Taranaki and down to Nelson) and includes Business Central, ExportNZ, and Porirua Chamber of Commerce, affiliated with both the New Zealand Chambers of Commerce and BusinessNZ networks.
The relationship between the organisations is founded on shared values and a genuine belief that the business community is stronger working together. The partnership aims to strengthen the voice of Māori and Pasifika businesses in the city.
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Environment News – Politicians must address the cow in the room this election – Greenpeace

Source: Greenpeace

With just fifty days until the 2023 election, Greenpeace Aotearoa is calling on all political parties to step up and commit to bold and urgent climate action. The organisation says that this year’s election must be a climate election, as the climate crisis hits communities around the world.
Christine Rose, Greenpeace spokesperson, says “From Tairāwhiti in Aotearoa to Maui in Hawai’i, we’re seeing the climate crisis unfold around the world. As we get closer to the 2023 election, people are calling for strong leadership on climate action. But our political leaders have not yet stepped up to the task.
“It’s time for all politicians to address the cow in the room. All political parties must have a credible plan to cut climate pollution from Big Dairy.
“When it comes to intensive dairy, both the National and Labour Party have kicked the can down the road over successive parliamentary terms, but we cannot afford more delays on tackling New Zealand’s worst climate polluter.
“Climate change hit home for New Zealanders this year. From Cyclone Gabrielle, to the Auckland Anniversary floods, and the severe drought experienced by much of the South Island, climate change is here and we need real action to address it,” says Rose.
“New Zealanders around the country campaigned for a ban on oil and gas exploration off our coastlines, and in 2018, we won. But even that is at risk, with the National Party committing to bring back the search for new offshore oil and gas to burn. It’s clear that this election will define climate action here in Aotearoa for years to come.
“It’s time for all political parties to deliver on the right to a safe and stable climate and healthy environment. This must be a climate election, because everything is on the line.”
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Local News – Extra ballot boxes popular with Porirua voters

Source: Porirua City Council

The introduction of big orange ballot boxes turned out to be a popular one in Porirua’s local body election last year, with close to half of all votes being cast via ballot box.
A report to Council yesterday included a debrief on last year’s local body election in Porirua, including where residents cast their votes.
A total of 11 ballot boxes, in the form of small orange wheelie bins, were purchased prior to the 2022 election and they were available to the public to cast their votes at in the weeks leading up to election day on 8 October, as well as on the day itself.
Out of the 15,640 votes cast, 45 per cent of them were dropped in the bins, which were placed in Council buildings and many of the supermarkets across Porirua.
Council’s front counter in its main admin building received the most in its orange bin (2109), but it was Countdown Porirua and Countdown Aotea which took second and third place for number of votes cast, at 1055 and 798 respectively.
Porirua Library and New World Porirua placed fourth and fifth in terms of most votes cast at the ballot boxes.
“Providing places for people to vote in areas they regularly visit, such as supermarkets, was one way we made voting more accessible for the community,” says Porirua City Council Manager Democratic Services, Jack Marshall.
Ballot boxes were also made available at regular community events, such as the Waitangirua Markets, during the voting period. They were also placed at Takapūwāhia Marae, retirement villages and rest homes for a day in the final week of voting, to allow residents to easily post their votes.
Council will retain these bins so they can be used again for future elections.
“The size and colour of the bins meant they were easy for voters to spot,” Jack says. “We’re already exploring ways to make voting more accessible for our residents in 2025, including what other locations these ballot bins can be placed in.”
Ballot box break down
  • Council front counter: 2109
  • Countdown Porirua: 1055
  • Countdown Aotea: 798
  • Porirua Library: 772
  • New World Porirua: 636
  • New World Paremata: 422
  • Whitby Library: 356
  • Pak’nSave Porirua: 322
  • Te Rauparaha Arena: 138
  • Cannons Creek Library: 180
  • Titahi Bay Library: 36
  • Pukerua Bay Library: 26 (there was a smaller ballot box at this location)
Other matters included in the report included efforts to increase voter turnout in traditionally harder to reach communities, and the introduction of a Māori ward for the first time.
Council also confirmed retaining the use of Single Transferrable Vote (STV) for the 2025 election, and the use of random order for the display of candidates’ names on ballot papers.
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Save the Children: Living on 27 US cents a day: Six years after fleeing violence, Rohingya families survive on rice and oil

Source: Save the Children

Six years after 750,000 Rohingya people fled violence in Myanmar to seek safety in Bangladesh, the health and wellbeing of more than half a million children is at risk due to recent drastic cuts in food assistance, Save the Children said.
Rohingya refugees in camps in Cox’s Bazar – the world’s largest refugee settlement – now have a third less food than five months ago – and the child rights organisation fears people will be pushed further into hunger and illness without urgent additional funding.
Rohingya refugees have told Save the Children they fear they could even starve, with one 12-year-old boy saying he has not eaten a piece of fruit in three months. Parents say they regularly go without food to feed their children and cannot sleep at night due to anxiety about how their families will survive.
Since March 2023, the World Food Programme has been forced to cut food assistance to the one million refugees in the camps by a third – to just US$8 per month or US$0.27 per day – due to a massive funding shortfall. [1] The Rohingya refugees rely almost entirely on food aid to survive as they are not allowed to leave the camps or formally work.
In a recent assessment, several Rohingya refugee families told Save the Children how the US$0.27 a day only buys rice and a litre of oil and how their children are falling sick from the severe shortage of nutritious and diverse foods, like meat, eggs or vegetables.
Even before the first food ration cuts, 45% of Rohingya families were not eating a sufficient diet and malnutrition was widespread in the camps, with 40% of children experiencing stunted growth. [2]
After six years, conditions in the squalid, overcrowded camps are dire and inhabitants are increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of the worsening climate crisis.
Nearly 37,000 Rohingya refugees saw their flimsy bamboo shelters damaged or destroyed when Cyclone Mocha struck the camps in May. [3] Recent torrential rains and landslides destroyed even more homes and killed at least four refugees, including a child and her mother. Diseases are easily spread. Scabies cases are currently increasing with more than 40% of people affected. [4]
Children are increasingly victims of physical violence as the lack of money and food impacts families. Physical abuse has accounted for more than a quarter of all cases reported to Save the Children’s child protection team this year. Children also live in fear of armed gangs who engage in drug smuggling and human trafficking. [5]
Rakib-, 12, shares a shelter with his mother Mahbuba- and sister. Six years ago, his father was shot and killed in the violence in Myanmar.
“We used to eat fresh fish in our meals before (the food cuts). Now we can’t even buy enough lentils. Sometimes I feel angry and sad when I see just only rice for a meal.”
Mahbuba- is not allowed to leave the camp to earn money and is terrified that the food assistance her family relies on could be cut even further:
“We are hearing rumours that this will be cut down to US$6 [per month] soon. If that happens, then we will have no choice except starve to death. When I go to collect rice from the food assistance outlets, I feel like crying at having such a tiny amount.”
Zia-, 12, a Rohingya refugee child, said: “Last time I had fruit was three months ago. We can’t have good food anymore. We can only afford chicken once a month.”
Zia’s 5-year-old sister, Antora-, was in hospital for 2 months after losing weight and developing an infection.
” During the two months there, they gave us nutrition support, she recovered and got well,” said their mother, Mehrun Nesa-. ” But later on, when we could not provide her balanced diet, she fell ill again.”
After six years as refugees, their desperation is increasing. Thousands have used people traffickers to embark on perilous boat journeys to Malaysia and Indonesia, journeys that have cost thousands of lives. [6] There are fears that families will resort to any means to live, including child labour and child marriage.
Shaheen Chughtai, Save the Children’s Country Director in Bangladesh, said:
“After six years, there is no end in sight for the misery Rohingya refugees are having to endure. Half a million children’s lives are at risk from the food cuts. They – and their families – have lost all hope.
“The humanitarian response is at breaking point. The UN’s 2023 humanitarian response plan for the Rohingya refugees is only 30% funded. [7] This is a children’s crisis, and those children are in danger of becoming a lost generation.
“They cannot remain stateless and unprotected, living their lives in isolated limbo. The international community should demonstrate it has not turned its back on them – and to properly fund the humanitarian programmes in the camps.
“Most Rohingya refugees say they want to go back to their homes when conditions allow for a safe, dignified and voluntary return with a guarantee that their rights will be upheld. Until that happens, we must move beyond using humanitarian aid as a plaster. After six years, we cannot continue with a short term approach. The international community must show now that it has not forgotten the Rohingya refugees.”
– Names changed to protect identity
Save the Children New Zealand, with the support of the New Zealand Government, has supported health responses in Cox’s Bazar for several years. 
Save the Children conducted a qualitative study in the Cox’s Bazar camps from 26-31 July 2023. We spoke to 93 people which included 39 children.
Save the Children is one of the leading international NGOs working in Cox’s Bazar and has been there since 2012. It has reached about 600,000 Rohingya refugees, including more than 320,000 children, since the response began in 2017.
Save the Children, with the support of the Bangladesh government, is running over 100 centres that support children’s learning and well-being in their mother tongue – Rohingya. Now we are helping these children learn Burmese by using the Myanmar curriculum.
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Infrastructure News – CRL review offers lessons for future infrastructure projects

Source: New Zealand Infrastructure Commission

The New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga, has today released an interim review of Auckland’s City Rail Link (CRL) project. The review offers a timely reminder of the significant challenges with delivering large, complex infrastructure projects and the consequences New Zealand faces when risks eventuate.
“It is important to reflect on what we have learnt so far from this project, particularly around business case processes, as we contemplate a significant number of new major transport investments,” says Blake Lepper, GM Delivery.
Te Waihanga commissioned this review to assist project teams and decision makers considering Auckland Light Rail and similarly complex projects to learn from the lessons of New Zealand’s biggest infrastructure investment to date.
The review was led by experts Graeme Joyce and Peter Spies, who studied project documents and interviewed team members. Joyce and Spies have either been involved in or have reviewed many of Australasia’s largest infrastructure projects, including both heavy and light rail and road tunneling projects.
“These multi-billion-dollar projects are complex, disruptive and can exceed a decade under construction. It’s critical we learn as much as we can from this experience if projects of this scale are going to become a more substantive part of our total infrastructure investment,” says Lepper.
“There is no doubt the City Rail Link will be a tremendous asset for Auckland City, delivering significant travel time, safety and urban intensification benefits. However, it is projected to cost more than double what was estimated in 2015, with many billions more to be spent across the Auckland rail network in years to come to realise the full design capacity of the project.”
The review highlighted opportunities to improve the business case process and recommended that future business cases be reviewed when expectations, scope or costs for a project change. The reviewers queried why more than a billion dollars of upgrades essential to delivering the benefits of the project were omitted from the business case altogether. It also emphasised stronger procurement planning, in light of the challenges involved in working with local and international contractors – who all have important, but different, roles to play in making projects a success. And that the community and businesses impacted should be made sufficiently aware of a project’s impacts.
Those interviewed by the reviewers generally agreed that City Rail Link Ltd is delivering in a timely manner and to an acceptable standard – putting this down to the cooperation and support of entities involved in the project. Reviewers were complimentary of many aspects including the project’s property acquisition approach which was a significant step forward on prior projects.
All up, the review contains 24 recommendations for future infrastructure projects.
While the lessons from this review generally mirror issues found internationally, one learning particular to New Zealand is a shortage of people who are skilled and experienced with projects of this scale and complexity.
“For CRL this issue is illustrated by the way in which the governance and oversight of the project needed to continually evolve and develop “workarounds” for the structures originally agreed. This was time consuming and created additional pressure on teams that needed to be focused on delivery,” says Lepper.
“A project of this type has never been completed in New Zealand. It is also the first large-scale integrated-transport-urban development project in New Zealand. If we want to get better at doing these types of projects, then we are going to have to get better at rolling this expertise from one project into the next and ensuring every project is set up better than those that came before.”
The need to build the capability of our major project leaders was a recommendation in the New Zealand Infrastructure Strategy released in 2022. Te Waihanga is currently working on a programme to address this.
What the review looked at
The review identifies key learnings that can be applied to future infrastructure megaprojects. It is not an assessment of the current City Rail Link initiative or the performance of City Rail Link Limited or any of the Sponsors. Also, note that the revision of project costings from $4.4b to $5.5b in 2023 wasn’t covered by this review.
Review key findings
The review noted major findings in the following areas:
– Foundation Documents – key foundation documents must be properly developed and understood before a project begins.
– Scoping – everything that’s needed to achieve a project’s benefits should be investigated and identified in the Business Case.
– Timings of Notices of Requirement and Resource Consents – early certainty of funding reduces a project’s timeframes and improves overall efficiencies.
– Property Acquisitions – a good property acquisitions process was supported through such things as high quality communication materials, advanced consenting that reduced uncertainty for landowners, and a non-binding, facilitated mediation process.
– Development of a Procurement Strategy – a robust, coherent Procurement Strategy should be part of the planning and consenting process.
Review compliments CRL Ltd performance
Interviewees were generally complimentary that CRLL is delivering the project in a timely manner and to an acceptable standard. Interviewees agreed that this would not have been achievable without the collaboration and support of the Sponsors, Auckland Transport and KiwiRail Holdings.
Interviewees complimented the willingness of all Public sector entities and individual representatives to continuously work together to evolve and improve the project governance with an overall aim of providing the best outcome for New Zealand as a driver.
There were more impacts on the public and business community than initially realised
The project underestimated how long the public and affected businesses would be impacted. Delays caused by the COVID pandemic exacerbated these community effects.
The network owners and operators have not been fully defined – which has impacted the project
There has not been an identified, documented and agreed Owner and Operator for the assets delivered by CRLL, which has impacted the project. This included minimal and inadequate ability by Auckland Transport and KiwiRail, as assumed Owners and Operators, to influence essential whole of life considerations regarding capital expenditure (capex), standards and decisions that may be required to minimise operational expenditure.
Project cost and time estimates and further investments
2015 – original estimation of project cost put at $2.5b and completion date of 2022
2017 – project costings revised to $3.4b
2019 – project costings revised to $4.4b (including a change to longer platforms) and completion date to late 2024
2022 – Office of the Auditor-General says that a further $7.5b will need to be spent on the rail network between 2022 and 2036 in order to realise the full benefits of CRL
2023 – CRL project costings revised from $4.4b to $5.5b and completion date to late 2025
Note: the $5.5b figure above relates to CRL Ltd scope only and excludes the balance of rail network improvements (est. $1.11b prior to opening and $7.5b out to 2036) that will be needed to realise the design capacity of this part of the network.
Extra investments will be needed for CRL to ‘open’
Auckland Transport and KiwiRail Holdings Group (KiwiRail) are responsible for the wider network improvements needed to integrate the City Rail Link into the existing transport network in Auckland. These wider network improvements include new trains, removing level crossings, and the Wiri to Quay Park upgrade. The budget for these wider network improvements is about $1.11 billion and allow the capacity to reach 27,000 passengers/hr at peak times, approximately half its design capacity.
Beyond opening, further work is needed to reach the network design capacity
While the City Rail Link tunnels and stations are being built with the capacity to handle 54,000 passengers/hr at peak times, the rest of the rail network that feeds into CRL is not currently able to handle that number of passengers. Once CRL is completed, the rest of the network would need to be improved to handle that passenger capacity at an estimated cost of $7.5b over the decade following opening.
What does the review mean for projects like Auckland Light Rail and the second Waitematā Harbourcrossing?
The review contains a number of lessons applicable to future infrastructure projects, including Auckland Light Rail and the Waitematā Harbour Crossing. In particular, this review strongly highlights the need for care and rigour up-front to ensure that project costings are appropriate and all of the scope necessary to realise the project benefits is included in the business case.
In the case of both these projects, we know from Te Waihanga research that tunnels in New Zealand seem to cost more than they do in other countries. Both the Auckland Light Rail and the second Waitematā Harbour projects have significant tunneling involved.
Is Te Waihanga doing any further review work on CRL?
The Terms of Reference for this high-level review were developed in late 2022 and are published on the Te Waihanga website. Work on the review began later that year. At that time, it was thought this work may feed into a phase 2 review, focusing on comparators and lessons for future projects. Te Waihanga is progressing the scope for this phase 2 work.
Who were the CRL expert reviewers?
Graeme Joyce
Graeme has undertaken over 150 Gateway Reviews across Australia and New Zealand, including many of Australia’s largest infrastructure projects including both heavy and light rail. Graeme’s combination of relevant New Zealand and Australian experience places him in a unique position to undertake a lesson-learnt review on City Rail Link. His experience will allow targeted questioning and comparison to other projects, and his experience on light rail projects will help ensure the information that comes out of the review is useful and informative for Auckland Light Rail, Auckland Second Harbour Crossing and Let’s Get Wellington Moving.
Peter Spies
Peter has participated on project management boards on most of New Zealand’s largest infrastructure projects, including Waterview Tunnel, and provides a depth of knowledge of the industry including governance, approvals, scope, commercial management, procurement and risk allocation. His experience will help ensure that the lessons learnt are fit for purpose for the New Zealand market.
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Consumer News – How much money is spent on groceries in New Zealand and other countries? – Picodi

Source: Picodi

We juxtaposed the data from 105 countries worldwide – Picodi.com analyst team checked the statistical data from 105 countries and calculated how much money people spend on their groceries worldwide.

The collected data shows that, depending on a country, grocery spendings can vary from a few percent up to over half of consumer spending. For example, less than a tenth of spending on food and non-alcoholic beverages consumed at home can be found in countries such as the USA – 6.7%, Singapore – 8.4%, the UK – 8.7%, Ireland – 9.2% and Switzerland – 9.9%.

In this ranking, New Zealand ranked 13th out of 105 countries – food and non-alcoholic beverages make up 12.2% of spending on goods and services. This result is similar to the one in Australia (10.0%), Hong Kong (12.1%) and South Korea (12.8%).

Among the countries included in the ranking, the highest percentage of spending on groceries can be found in Nigeria, Myanmar and Kenya – 59%, 56.6% and 56.1% respectively.

“The data shows, that the more developed the country is, the less money is spent on food eaten at home,” said Mikołaj Kasiej, Content Marketing Manager at Picodi. “Such a low percentage of spending could also mean that citizens of more developed countries can eat out more often, and such spending was not included in this percentage.”

How much money is spent on groceries in the APAC region?

The highest grocery spending in APAC can be found in Hong Kong ($306/month), followed by New Zealand ($290/month) and Japan ($288/month), which can be explained by the overall high prices in those countries.

An average Kiwi spends $290 (NZ$466) monthly on groceries.

The lowest grocery spending can be found in Myanmar ($42/month), India ($37/month) and Pakistan ($32/month).

(See the data for the entire APAC region on the map below)

Methodology

In our report, we used the latest household food and non-alcoholic beverages consumption statistics from Euromonitor and official government websites. For currency conversion, we used the average exchange rate data from Google Finance for July 2023.

The entire dataset can be found here https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sjGFuneOEy6dULZn0acTp2YaZMjVgSe7vvPGj2xwodM/edit?usp=sharing

About Picodi

Picodi.com is an international e-commerce platform providing discount coupons for online stores and cashback to its users. Founded in 2010 in Kraków, Poland, it currently operates in 40+ countries.

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Australian workplace banter: is it good or bad for business? new survey

Source: Preply: https://preply.com/en/blog/aussie-banter-capitals/

A survey conducted by the e-learning platform Preply asked more than 1,500 residents of the 50 largest metropolitan areas about their perceptions of banter in the workplace.

Preply found that banter is only effective when used within the proper context – particularly when it comes to banter in the workplace. Being in an office environment can include banter, but it has to remain appropriate and professional.

The arguments for banter:

Employees’ psychological safety is a critical component of innovation, and one might reasonably assume that building friendships with colleagues may be conducive to this state. Many workers derive pleasure from workplace banter, which can benefit organisations. Banter can lead to friendships with colleagues that contribute dramatically to employee satisfaction.

Of the Australians surveyed in the Preply study, 52% thought that banter at work was acceptable as long as it remained light-hearted and playful. 36% of people surveyed felt that banter could create better relationships at work, allowing people to connect and make friends during the working day – as long as it didn’t get in the way of productivity.

Another Institute of Leadership and Management survey illustrates that most workers perceive clear benefits from workplace ‘banter’. These included getting to know their colleagues better, building team spirit, and making the workplace more fun.

The arguments against it:

The negative implications of ‘banter’ can be significant, in extreme cases even leading to individuals reporting it has adversely affected their confidence and mental health.

Of those surveyed in the Preply study, 44% felt that being offensive and disrespectful towards a colleague was unacceptable, highlighting that it can often go too far. And 15% of people thought that banter at work ran the risk of causing tension between employees, which could lead to two people finding it awkward to work together.

Similarly, a survey from the professional body CISI revealed a remarkable 97% said they have felt uncomfortable with “banter” at some point. Two-thirds said they contributed less in meetings because of banter, and a third found it so unsettling it made them look for another job.

Leading the CISI banter survey, Stella Chandler said: “Banter can bring barriers down in teams, but as soon as it crosses the line, barriers go up, which can have a damaging and long-lasting effect on teams and individuals.’

Amy Pritchett, Culture Director of Preply, says:

“Humour in the workplace is essential — it can help boost morale and reduce stress. However, employees should be wary of making jokes that stray into offensive territory. People should think about how that joke would sound if said back to them and whether they would feel uncomfortable trying to justify the comments if questioned about them.

We surveyed over 1,500 residents of the 50 largest metropolitan areas in Australia. We asked them about the banter in their city, including who they enjoy bantering with, what they love about bantering, and topics people should avoid.

Our survey revealed the best benefits of banter are that it helps lighten a tense situation and make conversations more enjoyable. Banter is only effective when used within the proper context – particularly when it comes to banter in the workplace. Being in an office environment can include banter, but it has to remain appropriate and professional.”

5 tips for employers to ensure banter does not get out of hand:

1. Set the acceptable standard: Communicate your business’s standards as part of the culture, setting the tone and ensuring everyone knows what is acceptable and unacceptable.

2. Take steps to promote a positive, inclusive culture: Avoid banter getting out of hand, and start by setting the right tone in the workplace to encourage a safe, healthy and fair environment.

3. Keep policies up to date and review them regularly: Policies such as equal opportunities, anti-harassment, and bullying should be updated and reviewed regularly.

4. Provide training on banter and harassment: Employers and managers must protect their employees and have regular training, including a full briefing on the responsibilities of line managers about bullying, harassment and discrimination.

5. Deal with any issues promptly: If you feel certain behaviours or banter could potentially upset someone, it is vitally important that you address the issue promptly – don’t wait for it to get out of hand or escalate to a formal grievance.

Methodology:

From July 17 to 21, 2023, we surveyed 1,500 Australian residents of the 50 largest cities in the country. Censuswide conducted the survey; participants needed residency of at least 12 months. Of all respondents, 49% identified as male, and 51% identified as female.  

To calculate the best banter cities, we asked participants to rate the banter in their city. The higher the percentage of respondents rating the banter as good, the higher the banter level for the city.

To view ‘Australia’s Banter Captials,’ visit:

https://preply.com/en/blog/aussie-banter-capitals/

Sources:

– Chartered Insitute of Securities and Investment Survey https://appstaging.cisi.org/cisiweb2/cisi-website/about-us/press-release/2022/08/10/banter-negatively-impacting-97-of-financial-services-professionals-while-hr-departments-have-an-image-problem-says-cisi-survey

– The Institute of Leadership Management, Banter Survey https://leadership.global/resourceLibrary/press-release-it-s-no-joke-workplace-banter.html

– The Truth about Job Satisfaction and Friendships at Work https://www.nbrii.com/employee-survey-white-papers/the-truth-about-job-satisfaction-and-friendships-at-work/

About Preply

Preply is an online language learning marketplace connecting more than 32,000 tutors teaching 50 languages to hundreds of thousands of learners in 180 countries worldwide. With student-tutor matches suggested through a machine-learning algorithm, recommended tutors create customised lesson plans to suit the learner’s budget, schedule, and current knowledge.  

Preply was founded in 2012 by the Ukrainian team of Kirill Bigai, Serge Lukyanov, and Dmytro Voloshyn. Today, the company has over 400 employees of 58 different nationalities. Preply is a US company with employees in 30 countries across Europe, the USA, Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

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Business News – ExportNZ DHL Export Barometer: Canterbury results are in

Source: Canterbury Employers Chamber of Commerce

The 2023 ExportNZ DHL Export Barometer, released today, gives a snapshot of the operating environment for exporting businesses and highlights some of the persisting barriers impacting their productivity and growth.
Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive, Leeann Watson says “Canterbury businesses produce 15% of New Zealand’s export receipts, primarily from our strong agriculture and manufacturing industries.”
“The survey, completed by Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce network partner, ExportNZ, reflects what we are hearing anecdotally from exporting members and across the wider business community in Canterbury.
“Canterbury as a region has felt the pinch and what this survey shows, is that exporters are also struggling with the rising cost of doing business.
Over 45% of exporters said that the high cost of doing business in New Zealand has restricted their export growth, and they estimate that their costs have increased by around 20%.
“However, in true Canterbury style, around 40% of Canterbury Exporters are still expecting to grow their exports over the next 12 months, with many saying that New Product Development and more efficient processes will be key to this growth.
“This is reflective of the optimism we see from other sectors in Canterbury, despite the challenges they are facing.
“Through our in-house export advisors, The Chamber is set-up well to support export businesses as they start, grow and thrive, and I encourage any export business in Canterbury looking for that support to get in touch.”
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Health News – Thoracic Society calls on the next government to crack down on e-cigarettes

Source: Thoracic Society

The Thoracic Society is pleased to see the Labour government’s latest pledge to go further with its e-cigarette policy. 

“Regardless of which party takes office come October – as a lung health promotion charity with members who are leading researchers, physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals across New Zealand and Australia, we want to see our leaders do the right thing and tighten e-cigarette controls,” shares TSANZ CEO, Vincent So.

“It’s the only way to protect future generations of rangatahi from the harms of e-cigarettes”.

A 2023 Aotearoa New Zealand e-cigarette study showed vapers are just as likely to start smoking tobacco cigarettes as smokers who successfully quit by using e-cigarettes. 

“This data highlights that vaping may be a gateway for some young people to start smoking. We cannot see them as a totally harmless way to stop smoking. It is young New Zealanders who are paying the price for this health policy gap,” says TSANZ New Zealand Branch President, Dr James Fingleton.

Labour’s promise to cap vaping stores to 600, clamp down on licencing and store-front advertising requirements for would-be retailers, and increase penalties faced by any adult who sells to a minor are a sensible next step. 

The Society congratulates the Health Minister and her health agencies for the work it has done so far to protect more New Zealanders from a life-time of tobacco addiction and other health complications. “What we would like to see next from the incoming government is a promise to refuse re-licencing of vape stores within 300m of schools and marae, and for the existing nicotine limits for both multi-use and disposables to be reduced to 18-20mg/ml,” explains Dr Fingleton. Ultimately the only people who should be using vapes are those who are using them to stop smoking.

Seeing tobacco cigarette use in New Zealand continue to drop is fantastic, and we applaud policy makers for their role in this health win, but it cannot be at the expense of the silent uptake of e-cigarette addiction. New Zealand’s next government needs to plug the holes in the current health policies to protect New Zealander’s lungs both now and into the future.

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Government News – New Zealand part of global effort on data scraping

Source: Office of the Privacy Commissioner

The privacy of people online is being put first by international data authorities.
Today, the privacy protection authorities of New Zealand, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Norway, Columbia, Morocco, Argentina, Mexico and Jersey are issuing statements on data scraping, and how the public can protect their privacy.
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) is part of that global effort to highlight the illegal scraping of personal information belonging to members of the public as well as the need for protections.
Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster says social media platforms and commercial websites must protect consumers from data scraping.
Data scraping, or web scraping, is a process where an entity hoovers up the data and uses it for their own purposes. It has become a key source of training data for generative AI (Artificial Intelligence) technologies, which in turn allow data scraping to happen at a faster rate, sometimes with malicious intent.
Social media companies and website hosts have obligations under the law to protect the personal information on their platforms from data scraping. Mass data scraping incidents that take personal information can constitute reportable data breaches in many jurisdictions.
“From a consumer perspective, people use online services as part of everyday life, and don’t expect their personal information to be hoovered up by other agencies, private or public, when they go online.
“From a privacy point of view, agencies collecting publicly available data need to understand that just because people are putting things out on the internet doesn’t mean that the Privacy Act’s safeguards don’t apply.
“Any platforms hosting or collecting data need to ask themselves what individuals would have expected in terms of the use of their data when they originally shared it, “says the Commissioner.
“I would also urge the public to consider that every time they use the internet, they are leaving digital footprints. If money can be made from those footprints, there’s every chance someone is going to take that opportunity.”
The joint international statement from data protection authorities has also been sent directly to big tech companies such as Alphabet Inc, who own Google, Microsoft Corporation, who runs LinkedIn, and Sina Corp who run Weibo.
The capacity of data scraping technologies to collect and process vast amounts of individuals’ personal information from the internet raises significant privacy concerns, even when the information being scraped is publicly accessible anyway.