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Marbles Newsletter April 2022

Posted on April 1, 2022October 30, 2025 by zoltan.mark

In this month’s issue, we’ll take a look at changes to the minimum wage, vaccination mandates in the workplace and a few fun facts about us!

Minimum wage – are you ready?

The government has confirmed that the adult minimum wage will increase, from $20.00 to $21.20 per hour on 1 April 2022 for adults. Starting out wages increase from $16.00 to $16.96 per hour, and training wages from $16.00 to $16.96 per hour. Please see below the following information from https://www.business.govt.nz/

Why: By law, the Government must review the minimum wage rates every year.

What you’ll need to do:

If you do have staff on minimum wage, send them a letter or email to let them know about the increase.
If any workers are on starting-out or training wages, now is a good time to check when they’ll be eligible to move to the adult rate.
If you pay staff minimum wages, recalculate your budget for the rest of the year, as you’ll be paying out more in wages. To work out the updated cost of your employees, use the Employee cost calculator.
Check that any affected employment contracts are updated.
Talk to whoever runs your payroll system to make sure they’re ready for the changes.

‘Objectivity,
Empathy,
Integrity.
This is how we partner with our clients’

UPDATE: Work requiring COVID-19 vaccination

The Government has recently updated the sectors where it is mandated that work be done by vaccinated people. According to Employment New Zealand:

Government vaccination mandates continue to apply for:

Health and disability sector workers (which includes aged care workers)
Prison staff
Border and MIQ workers

From 4 April 2022, Government vaccination mandates will no longer apply for:

Early childhood and schooling education workers
Workers of premises where My Vaccine Pass is used (food and drink services, events, close proximity services and indoor exercise facilities like gyms)
Work at tertiary education premises (which only applied at the Red level of the COVID-19 Protection Framework)

Government vaccination mandates are no longer in force for:

New Zealand Police workers (sworn members, recruits and authorised officers) unless working in an environment where a mandate is required
New Zealand Defence Force workers (Armed Forces and civilian staff) unless working in an environment where a mandate is required

To find out more or keep up to date with future changes visit: https://tinyurl.com/348net3h

A bit about us!

We decided to add a bit of fun and frivolity into our newsletter this edition… and maybe will again next time!
Here are 10 Q&A’s so you can get to know us both a little better

Jaime

What is my fondest childhood memory?
When I was about 9 – I had a friend whose father was the GM of a major toy warehouse. My Mum got a call to let me know that there had been a flood at the father’s place of work and only the boxes were damaged, not the toys. There were skip bins of undamaged toys and I was I was invited in to fill a black rubbish sack full of new toys. I got about 3 ‘My Child’ Dolls, 10 Popples, 20 barbies and heaps more. It was a dream! I was the child of a very disadvantaged single mother; I didn’t have much, and this felt like I won lotto. I will never forget it!

What is my favourite comfort food?
Macaroni Cheese – without a doubt – it reminds me of childhood, and my Mum. Also mashed potato is a close follow up!

What’s my favourite way to exercise?
Swimming and Walking – both allow me to meditate and close my mind off.

Am I a morning person or a night owl?
Night owl – Getting out of bed has always been an issue for me!

If I could have any superpower, what would it be?
I’d love to be invisible so I could listen in on people’s conversations (It’s the Investigator in me!)

Do I prefer cooking, baking, or neither?
Cooking is a no, no – I have a husband who is a wonderful cook. I like baking with my 9-year-old.

Am I an introvert or an extrovert?
Extroverted introvert. I am fine in a social environment for a short time and am very bubbly, but I recharge in my own space. I could happily be by myself for a week at home with books and Netflix and music and I wouldn’t get lonely or bored.

What superhero do I find most relatable?
I love Wonder Woman – She was so strong and so ahead of her time.

What is my favourite season of the year – and what do I love most about it?
I love winter when I get to cuddle in my trackies and PJs.

Am I more of a coffee person or a tea person?
Iced coffee without fail in the morning (summer or winter) and tea at night. I also like herbal iced tea with sparking water. Coffee is not my friend after lunch, so I have to restrict it.

Amy

What is my fondest childhood memory?
The Summer’s of the 90’s – camping trips to Papamoa Beach with my whanau. Waking up for early morning swims with my Dad, falling asleep at night with the sound of waves. Doing the ‘pipi shuffle’ then making Pipi Fritters, running wild around the campground with our friends and hanging out playing ping-pong in the games room, where all the older kids congregated – I thought they were so cool! The typical carefree kiwi camping trips, they were the best, and something I hope to recreate with my young family.

What is my favourite comfort food?
Vegemite and melted butter on Vogels toast. Yum!

What’s my favourite way to exercise?
Walking and running, free weights and HIIT classes (reminds me, I need to get back into all of the above!)

Am I a morning person or a night owl?
Neither really… I’m definitely not coping with 6am starts these days!

If I could have any superpower, what would it be?
Teleportation I like the idea of freedom of movement. It would make my frequent road trips to Tauranga – not to mention travelling to Europe, WHENEVER I WANTED!

Do I prefer cooking, baking, or neither?
I’m not much of a cook or baker for that matter, however, my hubby loves to cook so I feel like I’m winning. We would be terrible together on an episode of My Kitchen Rules!

Am I an introvert or an extrovert?
Extrovert – I’ll be honest, do get a bit of social anxiety when in a room full of strangers, but I love to be around people – I love being surrounded by family and thrive on planning a get together with friends.

What superhero do I find most relatable?
Wonder Woman, she’s bad ass, and has been considered a symbol of truth, justice and equality to people everywhere!!

What is my favourite season of the year – and what do I love most about it?
Summer – Beaches, Sunshine and Barbeques and Kiwi Dub/Reggae

Am I more of a coffee person or a tea person?
Coffee… way too much… ALL the time!

Marbles Newsletter December 2021

Posted on December 1, 2021October 30, 2025 by zoltan.mark

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Wishing you a Happy Christmas and long, beautiful, Kiwi Summer days!

It’s that time of year when your inbox gets chocka with sales and discount codes from the numerous newsletters you’ve signed up to over the year. Well just for a change, this is not one of them 🙂

Instead, we just wanted to wish you happy holidays, we hope you get some well-deserved time off from what has been a challenging year for all of us. Enjoy the chance to indulge in some Christmas Spirit, whether it be over-eating, binge-watching terrible Netflix series, playing board games or spending some special time with your loved ones – have an amazing holiday.

We will be shutting up shop from Thursday 23rd December to Sunday 9th January to take some time out with our whānau. We will then be working on reduced hours until 31 January. You can still email or call us during this time on 0800 100 347 or enquiries@marbles.org.nz and we will be happy to help.
We look forward to supporting you again in 2022 for all things HR & ER.

See you in the New Year!

Noho ora mai,
Jaime

Marbels Newsletter September 2021

Posted on September 1, 2021October 30, 2025 by zoltan.mark

Spring has Sprung! Spring offers a chance to check in with ourselves and look at new ways to boost our wellbeing and resilience. In this month’s issue, we’ll take a look at Mental Health Awareness Week, Burnout, plus some Marbles news! If you have enjoyed working with us in the past and have a minute to write us a review, that would be so appreciated! See the link at the bottom of the page.

‘Objectivity,
Empathy,
Integrity.
This is how we partner with our clients’

Mental Health Awareness Week (27th September – 3rd October)

We feel this is such an important time to talk about Mental Health, especially as we all continue to grapple with the effects of Covid-19, lockdowns, home-schooling and juggling work.

Mental Health Awareness Week runs this coming week (27 September – 3 October) and the theme for this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week is Take time to kōrero; mā te korero, ka ora – a little chat can go a long way.

It’s a theme that organisations can explore with their employees, and whānau through a range of resources.

This year’s Mental Health Awareness Week focuses on connecting with the people in our lives and creating space for conversations about mental health.

Mental Health Foundation (MHF) chief executive Shaun Robinson says it’s the little everyday conversations that can make a positive difference to our mental health.

“Over time, these small chats create meaningful connections, help us understand each other better and ensure we have people we can count on when times are tough,” says Shaun.

Head on over to: https://www.mhaw.nz/ to find some great resources you can use in your workplace, including Poster sets, Workplace Kōrero Card Sets, Mindful colouring templates and a colouring competition for your tamariki.

Burnout

We’re experiencing a dramatically evolving world at the moment. Over the past 18 months, people have had to get to grips with rapidly changing working situations – and have had to quickly adapt to Flexi working, teleworking, reduced hours, increased hours, restructures, redundancies, professional isolation, and stringent COVID level conditions. All whilst balancing their personal lives and dealing with lockdowns, families and home-schooling. If you’re feeling stressed, we’d say it’s justified!

Stress in the workplace is totally normal, and a small dose of stress can actually be healthy – like when you have a looming deadline, or a big project, or a campaign launch – stress can give you a healthy dose of Adrenalin to get you motivated and excited to meet the challenge.

BUT, and there is a BUT, if your workplace stress is starting to make you feel physically sick (nausea, fatigue, racing heart) or psychologically sick (anxious, depressed, suffering insomnia) or emotionally affected (disinterest, apathy, lack of motivation) – it might be a warning sign that you’re experiencing Burnout.

Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands (Psychology Today, NZ). Burnout is not something to just put up with for a week or two to ride out with a “she’ll be right”. It needs urgent attention. BURNOUT is extremely unhealthy and dangerous and can impact your long-term health.

If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s a huge tip-off that you need to reach out. Please find help from your manager, HR Department, a trusted friend/colleague, GP, or Employment Representative/Advocate. Changes may be able to be made to your job in such areas as tasks, hours, responsibilities, and resources.

You may be scared to speak out, but your employer has a legal obligation to minimise health and safety risks for their employees, including dealing with psychosocial hazards, such as Burnout. They may not realise it is impacting you so significantly, and it could be a fairly simple fix from their side.

If you feel you don’t have a voice to speak up, find someone with a strong voice who can do it for you. Don’t suffer alone. Burnout is not something to push aside.

Jaime Rose-Peacock

Managing Director / Kaiwhakahaere

Marbles Updates

Vote for us!

We are delighted to have been selected as finalists in the Nor-West Country Business Awards for 2021. If you’ve had an awesome experience with any of Marbles’ services, we would be super appreciative of your vote.

We want to congratulate all the finalists for being selected and feel privileged to work alongside and be surrounded by so many amazing organisations.

Public voting is open now, so click the link to vote for your favourite local businesses!
Click here to put in a vote for us!

Have you got new roles to advertise?! Have you checked out the ‘Job Hub’ on our webpage? This is a great way to get your vacancies promoted and is included in our recruitment process when you are advertising through us!

Check it out here: https://marbles.org.nz/job-hub/

Have you worked with Marbles in the past?

We hope we were able to provide you with everything you needed (and some)! Reviews help us to build an online presence and helps others learn about the team, the services we provide and how we might be able to help them, like we helped you.

Would you be willing to take a few minutes to leave us a review? You can click this link to leave us a review. Thank you in advance for taking time to share your experience with us.

From the Team at Marbles

Marbles Newsletter July 2021

Posted on July 1, 2021October 30, 2025 by zoltan.mark

In this month’s issue, we’ll take a look at changes to sick leave entitlements and essential skills work visas, plus some Marbles news! If you have enjoyed working with us in the past and have a minute to write us a review, that would be so appreciated! See the link at the bottom of the page.

Reminder about the changes to Sick Leave entitlements

From 24 July 2021, the sick leave entitlement increased from 5 days of sick leave per year, to 10 days per year.

Employees will get the extra five days when they reach their next entitlement date – either after reaching 6 months’ employment or on their sick leave entitlement anniversary (12 months after they were last entitled to sick leave). Employees who already get 10 or more sick days a year will not be affected by this change. The maximum amount of unused sick leave that an employee is entitled to will remain 20 days.

Now is a good time to communicate the changes to your staff as well as update your employment agreements and policies. If you require help with this please reach out to us at any time.

‘Objectivity,
Empathy,
Integrity.
This is how we partner with our clients’

Essential Skills Work Visa changes

According to immigration.govt.nz; From 19 July, changes are being made to Essential Skills visas to streamline application processing and increase visa duration. This includes:

Increasing the maximum duration of an Essential Skills visa for jobs paid below the median wage from 12 to 24 months
Removing the requirement to provide medical and police certificates if these have already been provided to Immigration New Zealand, even if they were provided more than 36 months ago

If the applicant is remaining in their current full time employment and not changing their role, employer or location of work

the employer will no longer need to meet labour market test and
applicants and employers will be able to make declarations in place of providing evidence that the requirements are met

To be eligible for the removal of the labour market test and new evidence requirements, you must also hold one of the following visas:

Any work visa (including a Working Holiday Visa)
A student visa to study Masters or PhD
A Critical Purpose visitor visa granted as a critical health worker, or granted for more than six months as an ‘other critical worker’.

Until 29 August 2021, you will need to use the paper based form. This can be accessed via the Immigration NZ website

From 30 August 2021 you will be able to apply online.

If you require help in developing or adding to your policies with relation to work visas please feel free to reach out to us.

Nominate us!

Marbles has the opportunity to be nominated for the Nor-West Country Business Awards for 2021. If you’ve had a great experience from a service that we’ve provided you, we would really be super appreciative of your nomination.

Click here to put in a nomination for us!

Check it out here: https://marbles.org.nz/job-hub/

Have you worked with Marbles in the past?

Would you be willing to take a few minutes to leave us a review? You can click this link to leave us a review. Thank you in advance for taking time to share your experience with us.

From the Team at Marbles

Marbles Newsletter June 2021

Posted on June 1, 2021October 30, 2025 by zoltan.mark

In this month’s issue, we’ll take a look at changes to sick leave entitlements, COVID-19 and staff travel, and a little bit about Marbles! If you have enjoyed working with us in the past and have a minute to write us a review, that would be so appreciated! See the link at the bottom of the page.

Changes to Sick Leave entitlements

A bill that doubles the amount of employer funded sick leave from five to 10 days passed its third and final reading in Parliament last month.

Most employees who have worked for an employer for six months or over are entitled to sick leave if they, or a dependent, are sick or injured. Currently, employees are entitled to 5 days of sick leave per year; however, from 24 July 2021 this will increase to 10 days per year.

Now is a good time to review your employment contracts and policies and make sure they are up to date with the new legislations. If you require help with this please reach out to us at any time

‘Objectivity,
Empathy,
Integrity.
This is how we partner with our clients’

COVID19 and staff travel?

COVID-19 has created various considerations for businesses to navigate, and it is important for all of us to stay informed and keep up-to-date with the most recent information and developments in this ever-changing environment.

While the New Zealand government will open travel bubbles with some countries, these can change very quickly, which can change travel plans and place those travelling in unexpected and inconvenient positions; therefore, you need to make sure that you are putting policies and procedures in place to ensure that your team, your organisation and your customers are safe and protected.

Companies should be constantly assessing and reassessing their response to COVID-19 and the current pandemic. See below for some information that might help you in building these new policies and procedures.

Consider how staff apply for annual leave travelling overseas?
As with all annual leave requests, staff should apply according to your organisations usual process as set in your policies.
If they are travelling overseas, we recommend that you also ask staff to provide the following additional information to their manager as soon as possible:

Details of which country (or countries) they intend to visit; and
The intended dates of departure from New Zealand and arrival back into New Zealand from that country (or countries).

We also recommend that you have your staff discuss with their manager a contingency plan should travel plans be interrupted due to the pandemic during their period of travel.

The purpose of collecting this information is to ensure that your organisation can meet health and safety obligations, be communicative with staff and meet your obligations as an employer.

What else should you consider?
Given the landscape of the ever-changing nature of the pandemic, we strongly suggest that your staff consider the possible implications of any travel delays or illness while overseas. This includes knowing what the current COVID-19 restrictions are in the country they are travelling to, as well as what health and safety precautions are required (or should) be followed. It is important to keep updated with the government’s travel restrictions and understand before your staff leave what their travel insurance does and does not cover.

Ensure your staff understand the importance of communication with their manager (for example if they find themselves in a lockdown overseas, or come into close contact with someone with COVID-19) to ensure you can meet your health and safety obligations, and also so you can appropriately plan alternative arrangements with staff and any potential impact this may have on their employment (including annual leave, sick leave or unpaid leave).

If you require help in developing or adding to your policies with relation to COVID-19 and staff travel please feel free to reach out to us.

Marbles Updates

Last month Marbles turned Five! Wow!

We have had some amazing clients over the last few years. We have supported you with a range of
people-related situations, and we are so proud of the mahi that we have done. Thanks to you all for your support!

Check it out here: https://marbles.org.nz/job-hub/

Have you worked with Marbles in the past?

Would you be willing to take a few minutes to leave us a review? You can click this link to leave us a review. Thank you in advance for taking time to share your experience with us.

From the Team at Marbles