Ministry Of Business Research Articles

Exploitation in New Zealand’s hospitality sector

Disturbing accounts of exploitation in the hospitality industry recently reported in the media include: “Restaurant workers treated like modern-day slaves – judge” [1]; “Restaurant chain exploited, underpaid workers for years” [2]; “Christchurch restaurant to pay $70K for underpaying staff” [3]. Such headlines are not new.
 In December 2016, I released the findings from a research project entitled “Worker exploitation in New Zealand: A troubling landscape” [4] which I undertook for the Human Trafficking Research Coalition [5]. I interviewed 105 people, the majority of whom were migrant workers. What became quickly apparent was the vulnerability of workers in the hospitality industry, and, in particular, the food and beverage sector.
 Common amongst those I interviewed was the non-compliance by their employers with New Zealand employment law, including the Minimum Wage Act 1983 and the Holidays Act 2003. A number of interviewees were paid less than the minimum wage and/or for less hours than they had worked. For example, one temporary migrant typically worked 90 hours a week but was only paid for 45 hours. Another worked 80 hours a week earning just $350 to $450 a week ($4.37 to $5.62 an hour). Staff in one Auckland restaurant, located in an upscale suburb, were not paid for two weeks as they were told there was no money to pay them. For some, their legal entitlements to holiday or sick pay were denied.
 In some cases, workers were paid their legal entitlements through the formal wage system but had to return part of their wages back in cash. Others paid potential employers $20,000 to $40,000 in order to secure a job with the prospect of obtaining permanent residency (PR). One interviewee had a good job albeit one without the prospect of permanent residency. He was offered employment in a restaurant with the promise of support for his PR application. There he worked 80 hours a week, often for little or no pay. Eight months later his employer told him he would not support his visa application.
 A number of interviewees felt their employers took advantage of their vulnerability, stating that “they know your weaknesses” including their inability to obtain other employment as their working visa was linked to their employer. In some cases, employers threatened the workers that they would be deported if they complained.
 In April 2017, a new policy came into effect whereby employers who are found to have exploited migrant workers face a compulsory stand-down period in terms of hiring. In May 2018, 106 employers were listed on the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s stand down list, including some from the hospitality sector. The hospitality sector is a significant employer of temporary migrant workers, particularly those on working holiday or student visas. The contributions that migrant workers make to this sector must be valued and their entitlement to New Zealand employment conditions respected.
 The original report that this article is based on can be accessed here https://www.workerexploitation.com/report 
 Corresponding author
 Christina Stringer can be contacted at c.stringer@auckland.ac.nz
 References
 (1) Tupou, L. Restaurant Workers Treated Like Modern Day Slaves – Judge. Radio NZ, 8 February 2018, https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/349948/restaurant-workers-treated-like-modern-day-slaves-judge (accessed Jun 11, 2018)
 (2) Restaurant Chain Exploited, Underpaid Workers for Years. Radio NZ, 16 March 2018. https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/352684/restaurant-chain-exploited-underpaid-workers-for-years (accessed Jun 11, 2018)
 (3) Christchurch Restaurant to Pay $70K Fine for Underpaying Staff. NZ Herald, 20 April 2018, https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12036338 (accessed Jun 11, 2018)
 (4) Stringer, S. Worker Exploitation in New Zealand: A Troubling Landscape, 2016. Report prepared for the Human Trafficking Research Coalition. www.workerexploitation.co.nz (accessed Jun 11, 2018)
 (5) Human Trafficking Research Coalition (members: The Préscha Initiative, Stand against Slavery, Hagar, and ECPAT –End Child Prostitution and Trafficking). https://e2nz.org/tag/human-trafficking-research-coalition/ (accessed Jun 11, 2018)

Hospitality and tourism as a subject in secondary schools: A worthwhile choice or a ‘dumping ground’?

The tourism sector is now New Zealand’s number one export earner, contributing 17.4 percent to New Zealand’s total exports of goods and services [1]. In addition, the sector directly employs 8.4 percent of New Zealand’s workforce and a further 6.1 percent are indirectly employed [2]. Given the obvious importance of hospitality and tourism to both the national economy and local communities, one would expect that a potential career in the industry would be something for a young person to aspire to. Sadly, this is not the case, and recent research has found that much of the poor perception of a career in hospitality and tourism stems from the delivery of hospitality and tourism education in New Zealand secondary schools [3].
 In the New Zealand secondary school curriculum, secondary students gain New Zealand’s Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) by working towards a combination of achievement or unit standards. The Ministry of Education is the only developer of achievement standards, which are derived from the achievement objectives of the New Zealand Curriculum. Unit standards are developed by industry training organisations [4]. Both hospitality and tourism are deemed to be ‘vocational’ rather than ‘academic’ subjects in the NCEA structure and are delivered as unit standards. In a review of the list of approved subjects for University Entrance (UE) in 2011, only subjects delivered as achievement standards were eligible, hence the removal of hospitality and tourism after the revisions came into effect in 2014 [5].
 Students are often introduced to the study of hospitality and tourism at secondary school and therefore their early perceptions of a potential career are formed at this stage. These perceptions can be influenced by several factors, including the position that studying hospitality and tourism does not prepare students for further or higher education as effectively as other subjects might. Criticisms of hospitality and tourism as secondary school subjects include that the curriculum lacks both serious and relevant content and academic rigour. The idea that hospitality and tourism classes are used as a ‘dumping ground’ for the less academically able students is damning. The attitudes of teachers, career advisors, school management and parents also play a significant role in the development of a positive or negative perception of the industry, with some actively discouraging students’ interest. The removal of hospitality and tourism as UE approved subjects has only contributed to this poor perception both by students and the larger community, including parents [3]. There is an evident disparity between the importance of hospitality and tourism to the economy and local communities, and the perception of a career in the industry. Tourism Industry Aotearoa’s People and Skills 2025 report [6] identifies that an extra 36,000 full-time equivalent workers (approx. 47,000 jobs) could be required to service the visitor economy by 2025. The current delivery of hospitality and tourism education in secondary schools does nothing to enhance the perception of the industry, but instead contributes to its struggle for recognition and credibility. To address this disparity, there is an urgent need for discussion and strategic planning by all stakeholders. The government’s current review of the education system, including NCEA, provides this opportunity.
 Corresponding author
 Helen Andreassen can be contacted at helen.andeassen@aut.ac.nz
 References
 (1) Tourism New Zealand. About the Industry, 2018. https://www.tourismnewzealand.com/about/about-the-industry/ (accessed Mar 8, 2018).
 (2) Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE). New Zealand Tourism Dashboard, 2018. https://mbienz.shinyapps.io/tourism_dashboard_prod/ (accessed Mar 8, 2018).
 (3) Roberts, M. D.; Andreassen, H.; O’Donnell, D.; O’Neill, S.; Neill, L. (2018). Tourism Education in New Zealand’s Secondary Schools: The Teachers’ Perspective. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education 2018. https://doi.org/10.1080/10963758.2017.1413380
 (4) New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA). Standards, 2018. http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/understanding-ncea/how-ncea-works/standards/ (accessed Apr 26, 2018).
 (5) New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA). Processes for Maintaining the Approved Subjects List for University Entrance. http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-standards/awards/university-entrance/processes-for-maintaining-the-approved-subjects-list-for-university-entrance/ (accessed Jun 12, 2018).
 (6) Tourism Industry Aotearoa. People & Skills 2025, 2015. http://www.tourism2025.org.nz/assets/Uploads/People-Skills-2025.pdf (accessed Mar 8, 2018).

Exploring the link between Irritable Bowel Syndrome and the microbiome

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorder featuring chronic or recurrent abdominal discomfort, usually with changes in GI habit. However, the mechanisms responsible for IBS are poorly understood. Although alterations in the GI microbiome has been implicated in IBS, there is a lack of consensus on what the exact role of the microbiome is, and how it changes, in IBS. To gain a better understanding of the link between the microbiome and IBS, we undertook shotgun metagenomic sequencing of faecal samples from a case‐control study. The overall aim of the study was to identify microbial and metabolomic factors that provide mechanistic insights into functional GI disorders and increase the predictability of phenotypes for use in nutrition intervention studies. Faecal samples from 112 individuals with functional GI symptoms (cases) or those that were asymptomatic (controls) were shotgun sequenced using the Illumina NextSeq platform. Taxonomic classifications were determined using Metaxa2 and the SILVA 128 database. Gene functions were assigned with the MG‐RAST pipeline. Bacterial genera that discriminated case‐controls from IBS groups included Faecalibacterium, Blautia, Roseburia, Bilophila, and Streptococcus, which were relatively more abundant in certain IBS subtypes. For example, Faecalibacterium was relatively more abundant in individuals presenting with constipation associated IBS (IBS‐C; P<0.001), while Blautia was more prominent in those with the diarrhea form of IBS (IBS‐D; P=0.015). Gene functions that best separated groups included those related to carbohydrate metabolism (higher in IBS compared to case‐controls), protein metabolism, and virulence factors. Our results suggest that carbohydrate fermentation by the microbiome may be an important factor in IBS. This work shows that efforts to understand the role of the microbiome in IBS need to include consideration of microbial function rather than just microbial composition.Support or Funding InformationFunded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, New ZealandThis abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

Rapid developments in Artificial Intelligence: how might the New Zealand government respond?

Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have opened opportunities in a range of human endeavours (NSTC Committee on Technology, 2016). In response to the speed of these developments there has been a burst of analysis and dialogue in New Zealand. The New Zealand Institute of Directors commissioned a white paper (Chapman Tripp, 2016); the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment published Building a Digital Nation and the Strategic Science Investment Fund 2017–24 business plan (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, 2017, 2016), and supports the new Artificial Intelligence Forum of New Zealand.

Managing the opportunities and risks associated with disruptive technologies: space law in New Zealand

A key challenge for regulators is how to enable entrepreneurship and innovation while managing the risks associated with rapidly evolving technologies and associated market change. A number of technologies could be used to illustrate this problem, such as the internet, gene editing and driverless vehicles. However, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) recently had to face this specific issue in relation to space activities.

Recent changes to immigration laws: Implications for hospitality employers

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) recently announced changes to the skilled migrant residence and essential-skills work visas based on a strong association between skills and salary. This shift will impact both employers and migrants, especially in hospitality.
 According to the INZ, the hospitality sector was the fourth-largest recipient of skilled migrant residence visas in their last reporting year [1,2]. INZ expects migrants employed as chefs, café/restaurant managers and retail managers to be the hardest hit by these changes [1,2]. Residence under the skilled migrant policy can be gained for jobs in skill levels 1–3 as defined in the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO). Traditionally, hotel managers, chefs, and café/restaurant managers have been classed as level 2, and bakers at level 3 in accordance with ANZSCO. However, skills levels are now also assessed based on salary (at least $23.49 p/h) and specialist skills obtained through qualifications and/or work experience.
 Migrants paid a justifiable $35.24 p/h for a position previously considered unskilled (levels 4–5), or those with positions unclassified by ANZSCO, could gain residence under the new policy shift. While this could mean a residence visa for people whose jobs do not neatly fit within ANZSCO, INZ are not easily deceived. Indeed, the Labour Inspectorate reports that 20 percent of the published list of employers currently barred from recruiting migrants (due to breaches of employment and immigration laws) are in the hospitality sector. Accordingly, there is little to be gained by migrants claiming to be paid $80,000 for a housekeeping position. 
 Approximately 21 percent of essential-skills work visas issued by Immigration New Zealand in the last reporting year were for migrants in the hospitality sector [1,2]. Essential-skills work visas cover five skills levels (as indicated by ANZSCO) but now have accompanying salary thresholds. The main change affects migrants earning below $19.97 p/h because they will now be unable to sponsor their partner’s work visa or child’s domestic student visa. While their partner and child would still be able to apply for visas, the partner would have to meet the visa requirements in their own right to obtain a work visa, and their child could only obtain an international student visa – the costs associated with which would likely consume the ‘low’ salary of the migrant worker. Additionally, this ‘low-skilled’ migrant will only be able to obtain one ‘low-skilled’ essential-skills work visa of three-year duration before experiencing a 12-month stand-down period, during which they would be barred from applying for another low-skilled essential-skills work visa. This does not, however, prevent the migrant from applying for an essential-skills visa at a higher skill level or for a visa in another category entirely. Those in positions assessed as skill levels 4–5 under ANZSCO and paid below $19.97p/h will only be issued a 12-month work visa, and will be unable to sponsor a partner for a work visa or a child for domestic student status. There are some elements of the policy change that are not retrospective. It is, therefore, vital to seek specific advice in each case.
 Many employers will now be faced with the prospect of increasing salaries to attract migrants or expending more time and resources to recruit and train New Zealanders. However, it is recalled that many employers, particularly in the regions, have experienced recruitment difficulties for decades. It is, therefore, unclear whether these changes will produce the desired increase in job opportunities and salaries for New Zealanders or whether they will only add to the recruitment woes of employers.
 Corresponding author
 Stewart is a Senior Solicitor with Ryken and Associates (www.rykenlaw.co.nz). He assists in all aspects of immigration and refugee law, including advising on visas, deportation and humanitarian claims. He has experience in representing clients at the Immigration and Protection Tribunal, Family Court, District Court and High Court. Stewart is an active member of the Auckland District Law Society’s Immigration and Refugee Law Committee, where he engages with Immigration New Zealand, the Immigration Protection Tribunal, and other outside organisations, to help shape and inform discussion on immigration and refugee-related policy matters. His work has been published in the New Zealand Law Society’s official magazine (LawTalk) and the New Zealand Law Journal.
 Stewart Dalley can be contacted at: stewart@rykenlaw.co.nz
 References
 (1) New Zealand Immigration. www.immigration.govt.nz/about-us/research-and-statistics/statistics
 (2) Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Aide Memoire Information for Ministers: Composition of the Skilled Migrant Category – updated slide pack, May 26, 2016.

Should Pension Savings Be a Protected Property at Bankruptcy?

In 2015, the New Zealand Court of Appeal held, in Trustee Executors Ltd v The Official Assignee,[1] a test case brought by the Official Assignee (OA), that the OA could not access the KiwiSaver balances of a bankrupt. In response, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment released a Discussion Document in July 2016, proposing a law change to make some, or all, of a bankrupt’s pension savings available to the OA for the benefit of a bankrupt’s creditors. This article outlines the Court of Appeal decision and its implications within the context of both the New Zealand Insolvency Act 2006 and the KiwiSaver Act 2006. It then critically discusses the law change proposed in the Discussion Document and suggests that, given the significant difficulties with this proposal, more limited reforms be implemented to prevent bankrupts unfairly using the inalienability of pension savings to defeat the interests of creditors. 
 [1] [2015] NZCA 118.

Living in areas with different levels of earthquake damage and association with risk of cardiovascular disease: a cohort-linkage study

Cardiovascular disease rates are known to increase immediately after a severe earthquake. However, less is known about the magnitude of this increase over time in relation to the amount of housing damage. We assessed the effect of area housing damage from a major earthquake sequence in Christchurch, Canterbury province, New Zealand, on cardiovascular disease-related hospital admissions and deaths. For this cohort-linkage study, we used linked administrative datasets from the Statistics New Zealand Integrated Data Infrastructure to identify individuals aged 45 years or older living in Christchurch from the date of the first earthquake on Sept 4, 2010. Individuals were assigned the average damage level for their residential meshblock (small neighbourhood generally comprising 10-50 dwellings) using the insurance-assessed residential building damage costs obtained from the Earthquake Commission as a proportion of property value. We calculated the rates of cardiovascular disease-related hospital admissions (including myocardial infarction) and cardiovascular disease-related mortality and rate ratios (adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, small-area deprivation index, and personal income) by level of housing damage in the first year and the 4 subsequent years after the earthquake. The rate ratio association between earthquake housing damage and cardiovascular event was examined by Poisson regression, and linear test of trends across damage categories was done by regression modeling. We identified 179 000 residents living in the earthquake-affected region of Christchurch, of whom 148 000 had complete data. For the first 3 months after the Feb 22, 2011 earthquake, the Poisson regression-adjusted rate ratio (RR) for cardiovascular disease-related hospital admissions for residents from areas that were most damaged (compared with residents from the least damaged areas) was 1·12 (95% CI 0·96-1·32; test for linear trend p=0·239). In the first year after the earthquake sequence, for residents from areas that were most damaged (vs the least damaged areas), Poisson regression-adjusted RRs were 1·10 (1·01-1·21; test for linear trend p=0·068) for cardiovascular disease-related hospital admissions, 1·22 (1·00-1·48; p=0·036) for myocardial infarction-related hospital admissions, and 1·25 (1·06-1·47; p=0·105) for cardiovascular disease-related mortality, corresponding to an excess of 66 (95% CI 7-125) cardiovascular disease-related hospital admissions, including 29 (0-53) additional myocardial infarction-related hospital admissions and 46 (13-73) additional deaths from cardiovascular disease. In the 4 subsequent years, we found no evidence of an association of these outcomes with earthquake damage. Rates of cardiovascular disease and myocardial infarction were increased in people living in areas with more severely damaged homes in the first year after a major earthquake. Policy responses to reduce the effect of earthquake damage on cardiovascular disease could include pre-earthquake measures to minimise building damage, early wellbeing interventions within the first year to address post-earthquake stress, and enhanced provision of cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment services. Healthier Lives National Science Challenge and Natural Hazards Research Platform, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

Response of instrumented buildings under the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake

Six buildings in the Wellington region and the upper South Island, instrumented as part of the GeoNet Building Instrumentation Programme, recorded strong motion data during the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake. The response of two of these buildings: the Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) Harbour Quays, and Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment (MBIE) buildings, are examined in detail. Their acceleration and displacement response was reconstructed from the recorded data, and their vibrational characteristics were examined by computing their frequency response functions. The location of the BNZ building in the CentrePort region on the Wellington waterfront, which experienced significant ground motion amplification in the 1–2 s period range due to site effects, resulted in the imposition of especially large demands on the building. The computed response of the two buildings are compared to the intensity of ground motions they experienced and the structural and nonstructural damage they suffered, in an effort to motivate the use of structural response data in the validation of performance objectives of building codes, structural modelling techniques, and fragility functions. Finally, the nature of challenges typically encountered in the interpretation of structural response data are highlighted.

Integrated care for mental health social inclusion through job placement: Implementing IPS in Spain

Introduction: Individual Placement and Support (IPS) is an integrated social, labor and mental health intervention with an important component of evidence for its effectiveness in helping people with severe mental disorders. Its objective is to obtain and maintain competitive jobs, increase social inclusion and quality of life, and while consuming fewer resources. In Europe, IPS model (which began 14 year ago) is currently implemented in four countries which share background with Dartmouth College. This work aims to describe achievements and challenges of IPS implementation in Catalonia, Spain. Back in 2013, the project started with an agreement among three Regional Government Departments (Ministry of Health, Ministry of Business and Labor, and Ministry of Social Wellbeing and Family), “la Caixa” Banking Foundation, Government of Province of Barcelona, and the Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center. The goal of the project is to improve labor and social inclusion of people with mental disorders, with a pilot project of the integrated plan of care for people with mental illness and addictions (2014-2016), as one of the strategies to promote ordinary labor inclusion for people with severe mental disorders. Practice change implemented: The project aims to integrate efforts and workflow from three areas (health care, social services and labor) both at community and policy levels to develop supported employment. It is based on IPS principles, such as: zero exclusion criteria; personalized benefits counseling; competitive jobs; IPS and mental health services integration; rapid job search; IPS professionals building relationships with employers; continuous supports and follow-up’s; and respect clients’ preferences. The innovative challenge involves implementing a new community perspective to support people with severe mental disorders finding a job and keeping it. Changes implemented are based on a specific patient management system including integration of Employment Programs with mental health treatment teams, interventions at community level and in the workplace including local employers. They are measured through a “fidelity scale” validated by Dartmouth College. Facing stigma and social barriers for inclusion are also included. Actions taken include: 1) professional training, as specific competencies are needed to be developed in different professionals’ roles to work in multidisciplinary teams; 2) improving workflow integration between mental Health and Employment Services including periodic meetings, patient plans and training on benefits planning and coordination among main administrators; 3) on-site support and monitoring achievements through an ICT platform that allows on-time review of results; 4) quarterly follow-up meetings among regional leaders, Mental Health teams and Employment Services to identify opportunities for improvement and support and encourage local development. In addition, an individualized action plan is developed to improve practices in each Employment Service. Key findings: Since October 2013, 7 sites have adapted their own programs to implement IPS methodology in Catalonia. Up to June 2015, an average of 350 people with severe mental illness has participated in these programs quarterly. Although severe economic crisis, percentage of working people have increased 17.7% from the beginning of the program. The number of jobs found by people during this period is 344. Although first fidelity reviews (which measure adherence of work process proposed by IPS methodology) were poor, now they have increased 18.8% as average. Highlights: Main barriers found in implementation process are related to economic crisis background and stigma for people with mental illness; adoption of innovation, current funding for programs development, different reported indicators for different funding sources, and the need of further integration among Employment Services and Mental Health Agencies, including the lack of shared electronic records with confidentiality implications Facilitators involve strong government support for the pilot project, periodic follow up and facilitator support approach, friendly professionals’ network created, as well as their commitment to increase patients’ quality of life. Improving communication among services is a key practice to increase access to multidisciplinary resources, with a strong senior leadership that supports the integration of different services in a variety of levels. Conclusions: A strong local leadership and commitment is fostering the project with a territorial approach, and raising IPS as an important intervention to obtain and maintain competitive employment and recovery for people with a mental health condition. To achieve this goal, payment systems will probably need to be aligned. The possibility of a European Collaborative Network to share these practices and knowledge may improve sustainability and implementation in a European context, and allow testing its effectiveness in other patients groups.

Global burden of stroke and risk factors in 188 countries, during 1990–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013

The contribution of modifiable risk factors to the increasing global and regional burden of stroke is unclear, but knowledge about this contribution is crucial for informing stroke prevention strategies. We used data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013 (GBD 2013) to estimate the population-attributable fraction (PAF) of stroke-related disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) associated with potentially modifiable environmental, occupational, behavioural, physiological, and metabolic risk factors in different age and sex groups worldwide and in high-income countries and low-income and middle-income countries, from 1990 to 2013. We used data on stroke-related DALYs, risk factors, and PAF from the GBD 2013 Study to estimate the burden of stroke by age and sex (with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals [UI]) in 188 countries, as measured with stroke-related DALYs in 1990 and 2013. We evaluated attributable DALYs for 17 risk factors (air pollution and environmental, dietary, physical activity, tobacco smoke, and physiological) and six clusters of risk factors by use of three inputs: risk factor exposure, relative risks, and the theoretical minimum risk exposure level. For most risk factors, we synthesised data for exposure with a Bayesian meta-regression method (DisMod-MR) or spatial-temporal Gaussian process regression. We based relative risks on meta-regressions of published cohort and intervention studies. Attributable burden for clusters of risks and all risks combined took into account evidence on the mediation of some risks, such as high body-mass index (BMI), through other risks, such as high systolic blood pressure (SBP) and high total cholesterol. Globally, 90·5% (95% UI 88·5-92·2) of the stroke burden (as measured in DALYs) was attributable to the modifiable risk factors analysed, including 74·2% (95% UI 70·7-76·7) due to behavioural factors (smoking, poor diet, and low physical activity). Clusters of metabolic factors (high SBP, high BMI, high fasting plasma glucose, high total cholesterol, and low glomerular filtration rate; 72·4%, 95% UI 70·2-73·5) and environmental factors (air pollution and lead exposure; 33·4%, 95% UI 32·4-34·3) were the second and third largest contributors to DALYs. Globally, 29·2% (95% UI 28·2-29·6) of the burden of stroke was attributed to air pollution. Although globally there were no significant differences between sexes in the proportion of stroke burden due to behavioural, environmental, and metabolic risk clusters, in the low-income and middle-income countries, the PAF of behavioural risk clusters in males was greater than in females. The PAF of all risk factors increased from 1990 to 2013 (except for second-hand smoking and household air pollution from solid fuels) and varied significantly between countries. Our results suggest that more than 90% of the stroke burden is attributable to modifiable risk factors, and achieving control of behavioural and metabolic risk factors could avert more than three-quarters of the global stroke burden. Air pollution has emerged as a significant contributor to global stroke burden, especially in low-income and middle-income countries, and therefore reducing exposure to air pollution should be one of the main priorities to reduce stroke burden in these countries. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, American Heart Association, US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Columbia University, Health Research Council of New Zealand, Brain Research New Zealand Centre of Research Excellence, and National Science Challenge, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment of New Zealand.

Enhancing the tax system to halt the decline of nature in New Zealand

New Zealand is world-renowned for its nature – its lush forests, spectacular mountain landscapes, wild and scenic rivers, beautiful coastlines and extraordinary biodiversity. This natural heritage is the foundation of New Zealand’s identity and its branding, and the premier attraction for the tourism industry. It provides habitable environments, contributes to economic production and assimilates wastes, and is an important source of great enjoyment, health and well-being (Roberts et al., 2015). Nature contributes to the success of the nation’s fishing, farming, forestry and tourism industries, which provide about 52% of national export income (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, 2013). But these values and the well-being and prosperity they enable are being diminished and degraded at an alarming rate.

Teitiota v. chief executive of the ministry of business, innovation and employment

541Environment — Climate change — Rising sea levels — Threat to certain States — Nature of international law obligations — Whether person from threatened State entitled to refugee statusHuman rights — Economic and social rights — Climate change — Whether requiring person to return to country threatened by climate change would violate human rightsAliens — Refugees — United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, 1951 — Article 1A(2) — Definition of a refugee — Recognition as a refugee — Meaning of persecution — Whether climate change provides grounds for recognition as a refugee — Indiscriminate impact of environmental change — Environmental degradation and refugee status — Human agency and climate change — The law of New Zealand

Greenhouse Gas Emissions in New Zealand: A Preliminary Consumption-Based Analysis

New Zealand’s per capita greenhouse gas emissions are usually calculated by taking total emissions as reported under the Kyoto Protocol or the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and simply dividing by population. However this focuses on emissions associated with production within New Zealand. From the point of view of individuals, these are not the emissions they control, and hence can mitigate. Individuals can calculate their “carbon footprint” but tools to do this typically focus on a few categories of emissions (mostly electricity, direct fuel use and waste) and emissions footprints are not available for a wide range of households so cannot be used for comparative analysis. This paper explores how the carbon emissions related to the consumption categories of households in New Zealand vary with household characteristics. We use product consumption data from the 2007 Household Economic Survey. Consumption within each category is linked to a carbon intensity multiplier (tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per dollar of consumption) which is derived from: the official 2007 input-output table of 106 industries produced by Statistics New Zealand; energy data on carbon dioxide per petajoule of fuel in each industry from the Energy Data File; and the Energy Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report both provided by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Previous literature has used similar methods to calculate the incidence of a carbon tax (e.g. Creedy and Sleeman [2006]). This paper uses these methods in order to study which sectors of household expenditure offer the greatest opportunities for mitigation and how these opportunities vary with household characteristics such as income decile, region and household composition.

Workshop 2: The Integrated Data Infrastructure - Enabling Cross-Agency Research and Evaluation

tatistics New Zealand has created an Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI) to make a wide range of data more accessible to users. The IDI contains longitudinal microdata about individuals, households, and firms. By bringing together many data from a number of sources, the IDI allows for longitudinal analysis across education, employment, migration, welfare, and business, with potential for further datasets to be added and linked. The IDI will help us to meet user demands for more or new information and to respond more efficiently to changes in existing data sources. It also represents an exciting opportunity to reuse and add value to existing administrative data. The Enabling cross-agency research and evaluation workshop provided an overview of the IDI, including examples of research and evaluation currently being conducted, and a demonstration of the reach and versatility of the dataset. There were five separate presentations: Building and using the IDI – Guido Stark, Kyle Uerata, and Brendan Mai, Statistics NZ Swimming in the IDI – Che Tibby, Statistics NZ Determining the outcomes of tertiary education: The contribution of the IDI – Zaneta Park, Ministry of Education Migrant outcomes and the economic impact of immigration – Paul Merwood, Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment Using the integrated data – Sarah Crichton, Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment Building and using the IDI

Opening Plenary Speech: Labour Market Trends and Outlook

This paper summarises the Plenary Address from the 15th conference on Labour, Employment and Work in New Zealand. This paper is based on the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s (The Ministry) Quarterly Labour Market Report, which is a relatively new product that brings together a range of information on the economy and labour market. The first Quarterly Report was released in September 2012.

Better Public Services: the advisory group report

On 15 March 2012 the Prime Minister released the report of the Better Public Services advisory and governance group appointed in May 2011 (the report had been completed in November 2011 but release was delayed over the election period) (Better Public Services Advisory Group (BPSAG), 2011). Public attention focused on the creation of a new ‘business-facing’ government department, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, and on the ten expectations that collectively made up ‘a new results-driven focus for the public service’, to which the prime minister devoted his speech of 15 March 2012 (Key, 2012). Other initiatives, such as the pooling of justice sector budgets,1 have attracted little comment in the media but open up possibilities for greater inter-agency collaboration.

Psychophysiological responses to cooperation: The role of outcome and gender

Instances of sustained cooperative behaviour in humans can be considered as an adaptive strategy that enhances the probability of reaching a goal. This study investigates psychophysiological responses to cooperation in healthy subjects, while considering outcome and gender as potential moderators of these responses. Salivary cortisol levels (Csal), heart rate (HR), skin conductance level (SCL), nonspecific skin conductance responses (NSRs), and mood states were measured at different points before, during and after a Lego house-building task in undergraduate men (n = 22) and women (n = 20). Once the task was finished, the experimenter informed the participants about the outcome obtained (positive or negative). Cooperation produces an increase in HR, SCL, and NSR responses. When the outcome is positive it produces a gradual diminution in Csal levels, but when the outcome is negative there is a significant increase in Csal levels after the task followed by a progressive decrease. Men with positive outcomes showed a lower area under curve (AUC) in Csal than women with a negative outcome. Men had more NSR responses in all periods other than the rest period. Several mood states are differently affected by the combined effect of outcome and gender. Our laboratory results can be generalized to other situations in which negotiation, mediation, and cooperative strategies are relevant for taking decisions and/or solving problems. The authors wish to thank Dr Tinca Polderman and John Rawlins for the revision of the English text. This study was supported by the Ministry of Business, Research and Science of the Valencia Regional Government (GVPRE/2008/260, GVACOMP/2010/250, and PROMETEO/2011/048) and the Ministry of Science and Education of the Spanish Government (PSI2008-04408/PSIC).

A study of flexibility and renewal in Danish companies

A research project has been initiated in Denmark by the Ministry of Business and Industry and the Danish Business Development Council which aims at giving a coherent picture of the situation for innovation by focusing on different levels of aggregation in the Danish system of innovation. An account of the main idea behind the project, its theoretical foundation and some results from the first part of the project are given in this article. The first part of the project is an investigation into the position and condition of flexibility and renewal in Danish companies. It is divided into two studies. The first study investigates the situation for flexibility and renewal in Danish companies and is based on a questionnaire. The second study follows up the results from the first study through a qualitative investigation in which the objective is to display some of the commonly seen and important factors that facilitate or inhibit the introduction of more flexible organizational forms in Danish companies.

A study of flexibility and renewal in Danish companies

A research project has been initiated in Denmark by the Ministry of Business and Industry and the Danish Business Development Council which aims at giving a coherent picture of the situation for innovation by focusing on different levels of aggregation in the Danish system of innovation. An account of the main idea behind the project, its theoretical foundation and some results from the first part of the project are given in this article. The first part of the project is an investigation into the position and condition of flexibility and renewal in Danish companies. It is divided into two studies. The first study investigates the situation for flexibility and renewal in Danish companies and is based on a questionnaire. The second study follows up the results from the first study through a qualitative investigation in which the objective is to display some of the commonly seen and important factors that facilitate or inhibit the introduction of more flexible organizational forms in Danish companies.