Workplace safety failures cost NZ $5.4b, report finds

New Zealand's workplace death rate is where Australia's was 16 years ago. (Image: Marty Melville)

Mon, 08 Sep 2025

A new report states that New Zealand’s workplace safety shortcomings are costing the country billions of dollars annually.The State of a Thriving Nation 2025 report, released by the Business Leaders’ Health and Safety Forum on Monday and produced by economist Shamubeel Eaqub, estimated the total cost of workplace harm reached $5.4 billion in 2024.That figure includes fatalities, injuries, and long-term illness, and has risen by about $1b in real terms over the past decade. It was $4.9b in 2023.Despite some progress in...

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