Author Rachel Loo
New Zealand is sure to quickly follow new Australian workplace exposure limits for airborne contaminants following a review in support of PCBU. An airborne contaminant is a fume, mist, gas, vapour, or dust that can be harmful to health when breathed in. They may not be visible to the naked eye nor detected by odour and may arise from chemicals or materials used in the workplace or be generated by work processes.
Managers and owners are increasingly using Generative AI. If it is still a mystery for you The Havard Business Review Guide to Generative AI for Managers could be the best US$80 you will ever spend. Aside from the Ebook, inside the toolkit there are exercises, strategies, tips and frameworks to accelerate aspects of your work, including 11 worksheets to help develop the right mindset for AI, determining whether a gen AI task is best suited as a co-pilot or co-thinker
One of the major challenges in designing the Dinslaken Wood Energy Centre in Germany was handling the highly inhomogeneous waste-wood fuel mix, characterised by varying particle sizes, foreign materials and a high proportion of fine particles.The challenges were exceptional but, yes, it can be done ecologically. Building a waste wood incineration plant is a highly individualised process that responds to complex and specific project requirements.
Green List update: ten skilled trades added to Work to Residence pathway
Immigration New Zealand has announced that 10 additional trade occupations will be included in the Green List Work to Residence pathway from 18 August 2025, in a move aimed at addressing skill shortages and providing clearer residence pathways for in-demand trades professionals. Continue →
Property values overall increased by 0.2 percent in June, reversing two minor monthly falls in April and May, according to Cotality NZ. Property values remain 16.1 percent down from the January 2022 peak. Auckland and Wellington were stable, but there was a 0.2 percent rise in Dunedin, 0.3 percent in Hamilton and 0.6 percent each in Tauranga and Christchurch. An abundance of listings on the market means most buyers aren’t in a rush and can be quite tough when it comes to price negotiations.
In the eight months to January 2025, 62 percent of commercial honeybee colonies in the US died. In June, scientists announced that they had identified the culprit, viruses spread by parasitic mites. Every single one of the mites was resistant to amitraz, the only viable mite-specific pesticide. Researchers are trying to develop ways of attacking honeybee viruses directly, rather than focusing on controlling varroa mites. But promising experimental treatments are still years away from leaving the lab.
The need for another expensive enquiry into glyphosate, the active compound in Roundup, still draws different opinions from equally qualified experts. Whether or not another enquiry gets the green light will depend on the decision of the judge following a recent hearing where the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) was taken to court by the Environmental Law Initiative .
Proficiency with AI tools has quickly become a top skill, and companies are working to train their employees how to use it. At the same time, AI is also emerging as a useful training tool in its own right. Fortune says AI is helping companies create training materials faster and more efficiently, as well as allowing them to design new, more interactive methods to train workers
Experts call the launch of the Government’s five-year “whole-of-government” approach to preventing suicide in New Zealand as a good start but highlight a lack of detail.
New Zealand continues to face stubbornly high suicide rates, says the Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey. Continue →
Even in the countries with the most developed senior-housing markets, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States, only around five percent of seniors currently live in dedicated senior housing. McKinsey consultant Sam O’Gorman examines approaches in how operators can expand into the retrofit market and innovate with cutting-edge technology. He outlines approaches that could make senior housing more appealing, expand its reach, and enable better and more affordable care.
CBRE Research estimates that 74 percent of AsiaPacific hotel supply between now and 2030 will be aligned with one of the top eight listed hotel companies – a significant increase over the currently operational market share of 18 percent. With hotel brand penetration still relatively low compared to the US and Europe, the AsiaPacific has become a key growth market. The report analyses the current state of the hotel brand landscape, and explores the brand strategies that owners and operators are pursuing to adapt to ever-changing market dynamics.
The tyre recycling industry across the ditch is experiencing a significant transformation as companies embrace advanced sustainable recycling technology to meet growing environmental demands. In a new report from ISWA (The International Solid Waste Association, an international network of waste professionals and experts) RPM Automotive Group, a leading Australian automotive parts distributor, has partnered with Fornnax to revolutionise its waste processing capabilities through innovative shredding solutions.
Genetically modified cells known as chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cells have become potent cancer fighters, and scientists are now studying them as treatments for autoimmune diseases and other illnesses. But making them involves harvesting and transforming a person’s immune cells — a process that can take so long that patients sometimes die before the therapy is ready. A new approach induces the patient’s body to produce its own CAR-T cells, relying on the same messenger RNA (mRNA) technology that was instrumental for some COVID-19 vaccines.
Body creates its own cure
Genetically modified cells known as chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cells have become potent cancer fighters, and scientists are now studying them as treatments for autoimmune diseases and other illnesses. Continue →
Renters are, on average, $1400 better off per year than they were this time last year as national weekly rental prices continue to trend down. New data from realestate.co.nz shows the national average rent in May 2025 fell to $633 per week, a drop of $27 per week, or 4.1 percent, compared to the same time last year.
Auckland Council has completed a region-wide study to map landslide susceptibility, The maps provide information to planners, infrastructure authorities, owners, developers, and engineers so that they can understand and manage the risks from landslides. The study is an assessment of which factors may pre-dispose particular land to becoming unstable. These maps do not describe hazard or risk. This means that they do not show how many, or how often, landslides will occur (the hazard), or what the consequences could be (the risk).
You can now claim 20 percent deductions for the costs of new (or new to New Zealand) business assets that you bought – or finished constructing – on or after 22 May 2025. “Bringing new technology, tools and equipment into a business bolsters productivity, which raises incomes and fuels ongoing reinvestment. This is how we build resilience,” says Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing, Chris Penk. Inland Revenue has more information, including examples of what it means for businesses.
Researchers made the discovery while studying nurse sharks. Like humans, the marine predators rely on the pancreas to control blood sugar and produce digestive enzymes. But they also use it to make antibodies and fine-tune certain white blood cells against microbial threats, according to a study published last month in The Journal of Immunology. Sharks may not be the only animals to enlist the pancreas for defence, the study implies, and other organs could take on unexpected immune functions.
Sharks attack pathogens
Researchers made the discovery while studying nurse sharks. Like humans, the marine predators rely on the pancreas to control blood sugar and produce digestive enzymes. Continue →