Them’s the rules, says BusinessNZ
all employers and employees to ensure the same outcomes for all savers.’’
AMP’s managing director in New Zealand, Blair Vernon, said his firm’s research showed people wanted employers to do more to help them with their savings.
More than half the full-time employed people it surveyed who were not contributing to KiwiSaver wanted their employer to do more to help them.
Half said that if their employer contributed more towards their KiwiSaver, they would too.
‘‘Pleasingly we found that most SME [small to medium-sized enterprise] owners are willing to help where they can and feel a sense of duty to at least try to understand and share basic KiwiSaver information,’’ he said.
‘‘But they would appreciate more support when it comes to talking to their employees about the benefits of the scheme, because they’re often not able to confidently have those conversations.
‘‘It’s clear that employers have an important role in ensuring their employees’ financial wellbeing, but so too does the industry in terms of continuing to help New Zealanders understand their rights when it comes to KiwiSaver, how to set up up their KiwiSaver to get the most out of it, and in supporting business owners to have those conversations and help their employees on their KiwiSaver journey.’’ Plastic-stemmed cotton buds are to be pulled from supermarket shelves later this year as companies continue to clamp down on plastic products.
Foodstuffs, which operates New World, Pak’n Save and Four Square stores, announced the new initiative yesterday to mark World Oceans Day.
The announcement comes as Foodstuffs presented a bench seat to Whale Watch Kaiko¯ura, made completely from recycled soft plastics and microbeads collected during a 2017 amnesty.
Microbeads were banned in New Zealand after it became clear the small particles could end up in the ocean, where they could be eaten by shellfish, fish and seabirds.
Foodstuffs New Zealand managing director Steve Anderson said the company cared about its community, its people and the planet.
‘‘Foodstuffs is doing everything we can to reduce our environmental footprint and nowhere is it more evident about how much this matters, than this wonderful place of Kaiko¯ura.’’
Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage attended the unveiling of the bench seat and said she was delighted at how quickly New Zealand businesses were tackling the waste challenge.
‘‘The announcement that Steve [Anderson] has made this morning of moving to ban plastic-stemmed cotton buds, following on from some of the initiatives in the UK, is quite a significant announcement,’’ Sage said.
‘‘The new Government is moving to catch up. We’ve got quite a lot of work in the waste space but it’s brilliant to see businesses taking initiative.
‘‘I haven’t unveiled a plastic seat before.’’