Ethical Employment Starts with Genuine Care
Recently, I attended the NZ Ethical Employers Conference here in Blenheim. With over 150 attendees, it was clear there’s a commitment in New Zealand business to do better by our people—especially those working under the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme.
Let’s be honest—the RSE scheme has copped a fair bit of flack in the media for the way some employers have treated migrant workers. But what I saw at this conference told a very different story. The employers in the room weren’t just ticking boxes—they were genuinely engaged, cared about their teams, and understood that sustainable success comes from treating people right.
One of the most memorable sessions came from Lynda Ashby and Toni Squire from Matakana Berry Co. They shared their journey in providing truly outstanding pastoral care to their workers. What stood out wasn’t just their compassion, but the practical benefits—like their incredibly high return rate of workers. That’s just one economic benefit: look after your people, and you won’t need to start from scratch every year.
That theme flowed easily into the next session with Kay Chapman from Chapman ER. She delivered some straight-talking, real-world advice on employment law—do’s and don’ts that every employer should hear. Her message was clear: treat people well, and you’ll avoid the pitfalls. Nobody needs a personal grievance (PG) on their desk, or a terrible headline about their business on the front page of the paper.
As someone who keeps a close eye on the bigger economic picture, the Economic Outlook session by Mohandeep Singh was another highlight for me. While his overall messages reinforced what I’ve heard from other economists recently, Mo’s example of the 2018 U.S. washing machine tariffs was hands down the best explanation I’ve heard about why these kinds of measures so often backfire. If you don’t know that story—look it up!
The day wrapped up with guest speaker Dr Ellen Joan Ford, whose words really resonated with those in the room: "Leaders create environments where people can thrive." Whether you're managing a small team or running a large business, culture starts at the top. If we create workplaces where people feel they belong, are given autonomy and purpose they will thrive. That thriving will then be directed into the required tasks and everything else—productivity, retention, innovation— will fall into place.
So, it’s no surprise that my overarching takeaway from the conference, from a wider business perspective, was that looking after all your people just makes good business sense – not just ethically, but for the bottom line!
This article was written as an opinion piece for Stuff in June by Executive Officer, Kylie Cornelius.