Zac is the founder of the Awareness Academy, which provides evidence-based leadership and staff training in mindfulness, wellness and resilience. Zac has spent over 25 years working in the business sector with many leading NZ businesses and was also a buddhist monk for six years. In this episode, we talk about Zac’s unique experiences and his work empowering a new style of leadership in today's challenging times; we delve into how he works with leaders and staff to be more fulfilled at work and be more productive. Zac provides practical tips on how we can enhance our own and others well-being, and gives examples of how organisations and leaders have successfully lifted well-being in their organisations. Finally, Zac covers why it is critical to focus on well-being in today’s competitive labour market, where you need to retain your best staff and attract new talent.

Kim Herrick is KiwiRail’s Diversity and Inclusiveness Business Partner. Prior to working for KiwiRail she had a global award-winning (HRINZ HR person of the year) HR career delivering innovative, strategic and operational HR, Learning, and Organisational Development projects across multiple sectors, countries, and roles. For the last 3 years, she has headed up KiwiRail's mission to become a more diverse and inclusive employer. In this episode, we talk about the reasons why KiwiRail has a strong diversity and inclusion focus, the strategies that have worked to enable the business to be more effective and the grit and support that is needed to keep diversity, equity and inclusion on the business agenda for multiple stakeholders.

In our latest EMACast, Lukas Sousa, Head of Employer Relationships for Malcolm Pacific Immigration, joins Joanna Hall, EMA's Senior Policy Advisor, to discuss the new Post-Accreditation Employer Compliance Checks and explore some of the common themes that members raised during our recent webinar with Immigration New Zealand.

Luke was the ANZ Director of a European startup that grew from a tiny team in Europe in 2016 to over 250 employees around the world in 2021 and was acquired by a global business, Workday, for over $1bn NZD.  Luke was employee number 16 in Europe in 2016 and spent the last 6.5 years helping to grow Peakon to a major player in the Employee Experience space globally.  Luke started the APAC business of Peakon from scratch in 2018, based in Auckland, and grew that business to over 15 people and 150 customers across the region before the Workday acquisition 3 years later. As such, we talk to Luke about the way in which businesses can benefit from listening to the employee voice well beyond the scope of the traditional employee engagement survey. Luke provides us with key advice on using insights from employee listening to enable change, talks about his own role in building a business in the tech sector in New Zealand and explores what he thinks are the upcoming trends that NZ businesses need to be ready for.

Simon Batters is GM of People and Safety at The Lines company, the Waikato-based utility company. Simon has over 20 years of experience in senior People and CEO roles in NZ businesses. We talk to Simon about his core work goal, “To create healthy workplaces that enable people to do great work” and the work he has led at The Lines Company to engage and retain key staff. We ask Simon about how The Lines Company identified their unique EVP in the utility industry. We find out how the project challenges some myths about the company and how a brave and progressive board have committed to new initiatives.

In this informative podcast we interview Alex Zhang, EMA Board member and CEO and Principal Immigration Adviser at Chance Immigration and Education. Alex shares some of his early working history in China, the challenges he faced when he moved to New Zealand and provides insights into how AI technology will impact businesses in New Zealand. Having completed an MBA, Using his knowledge, experience and skills, Alex now helps other migrants transition into NZ and is Executive President at Canton Chamber of Commerce in New Zealand and an Executive Member of New Zealand China Trade Association (NZCTA).

In our latest podcast, we talk to EMA Board member Hannah Young and discuss the future of work in New Zealand. With a background in health and her role as HR and Wellbeing Manager with Parallaxx, Hannah offers insights into workplace wellbeing and tips and strategies to keep staff mentally and physically well.

Grant Habgood is the Director of Robert Walters in Auckland. He has worked within the recruitment industry since 2006 in Japan and New Zealand. In this episode, we ask Grant about what trends he has noticed in the New Zealand job market in 2023. We discuss what is similar and different to the trends overseas and what is likely to come next. We explore what businesses can do to ensure that they attract and retain the critical talent they need to be successful.

The copy would be: COVID-19 forced companies into embracing remote working with little time to consider their responsibilities as an employer. With some alarming case law emerging overseas, this podcast explores the question of 'what is your duty of care for staff working at home' and how best to safeguard your business against possible related issues. Our guest speaker Paul Jarvie, Manager of Employment Relations & Safety at the EMA, is working with ACC, Worksafe and other key stakeholders to answer this important question.