A New Zealand income insurance scheme: a discussion document

Last week MBIE released a discussion document proposing a new way of better protecting workers and the economy: a New Zealand income insurance scheme.

NZ is one of only a few countries in the developed world that does not have some form of mandatory nationwide income insurance scheme or other protection, for people who lose their jobs.

The scheme – on which input from all New Zealanders is being sought – proposes that :

“… workers receive 80 percent of their usual salary for up to seven months. It will cover them if they are made redundant, laid off, or when a health condition or disability means they have to significantly reduce their work hours or stop working entirely. This will give them the time and financial security to find a good job or take part in training or rehabilitation.

The scheme will require people to look for work or take part in training and rehabilitation. It will be funded by levies on wages and salaries, with both workers and employers paying an estimated 1.39 percent each. ACC will manage the scheme.”

You can download the report here

A summary document and submission template can be found here

Submissions close 26 April 2022, 5pm

Digital Boost – support for small businesses

Digital Boost is a series of free, self-paced training videos prepared by MBIE for the benefit of small businesses.



These short – 3-5 minute – videos give you the full rundown on how to operate a business in today’s world.  There are hundreds available with printed learning summaries.

MBIE’s figures show that over 40,000 small businesses are participating in this free training initiative.  If your business isn’t one of them, sign up now.

Learn more here


Becoming an Age Friendly Business

In the last post I wrote about senior entrepreneurs.  Not everyone can or wants to run their own business though.  It’s a fact New Zealand has an ageing population and one in which dementia is a growing problem.

How can our existing businesses support this growing demographic?

MBIE has produced a series of documents on how to become an Age Friendly Business

Becoming an age friendly business book

Becoming an Age Friendly Business Implementation Guide 

Becoming an Age Friendly Business Action plan

Becoming an Age friendly Business self assessment toolkit

Additional resources are available on the Office for Seniors website.

If you need more information please contact the Prosearch team at the library. We can help you find information across a range of perspectives and resources. All enquiries are treated in confidence.