WorkSafe's latest campaign reminds Kiwis to stay vigilant as they return to work.

During lockdown, workplace accidents were down dramatically. WorkSafe NZ wanted to make sure we didn’t forget to keep up our health and safety practices once we all went back to work.

There’s a lot we’ve missed in New Zealand over the last couple of months; seeing friends and whānau, our beloved takeaways, and of course being at work. What we haven’t missed is the workplace incidents that injure or kill our workmates, friends and family.

During the lockdown and in the weeks since, WorkSafe have seen record low numbers of work-related harm. In April and May 2019, 19 people were killed in the workplace. At the end of May this year, two people have been fatally injured in April and May. Suggesting lockdown has saved lives in more ways than one.

WorkSafe Marketing and Communications Manager, Chris Green, says that as New Zealand looks to get our economy moving again by businesses returning to work, the risk of potential workplace injuries and fatalities will be heightened. For this reason WorkSafe launched a campaign encouraging all businesses and workers in New Zealand getting back to work to do so in a healthy and safe way.

“As New Zealanders return to work we want to show them what we missed, as well as the things we haven’t, the campaign seeks to remind all of us that we need to keep up the incredible work this team of five million has been putting in to protect our workmates, friends and whānau.”

The campaign wants to ensure New Zealanders are diligent as they return to work and keep an eye out for any risks that may impact their health and safety and speak up as soon as they notice them.

“It is really important that businesses and workers know to speak up if they see anything that may harm themselves or their workmates. We want to make sure people aren’t just focusing on the risk posed by COVID-19 but also the everyday risks in their workplaces to ensure they get home healthy and safe every day,” says Green.

The campaign features placements across television, radio, outdoor, online and social media.

Addressing the issue of unattended cooking with Josh Emett

Fire and Emergency New Zealand, together with renowned chef Josh Emett, address the main cause of house fires in New Zealand: unattended cooking. This issue is particularly relevant during NZ’s Level 4 lockdown timeframe, when the campaign was launched.

In the latest evolution of Mercury’s Energy Made Wonderful campaign we’re encouraging Kiwis to break up with their old gas guzzling partners and make the move to a cleaner, happier future.

Mercury’s new brand campaign, launching this week, calls on Kiwis to “kiss oil goodbye” and join the electric revolution.

The aim of the new campaign is to support a more sustainable future by encouraging Kiwis to break up with petrol and diesel vehicles in favour of the growing choice of EVs and other electric transport options.

Commenting on the campaign, Chief Strategy Officer, David Thomason said, “Kanye West’s ‘Jesus Walks’ was the soundtrack to our strategy session. We were all feeling so personally inspired and revolutionary that it almost seemed trivial to be talking about a brand campaign. But this is how customers must choose brands today. We’ve been building to this campaign for years. Mercury are being provocative because the cause is not a marketing bolt-on, like so many brands have done. The environment’s central to everything they do, and now they need New Zealanders to join in making it happen.”

Chief Marketing Officer Julia Jack says moving away from petrol and diesel cars is one of the most impactful changes we can all make to reduce our individual and collective impact on the environment.

“It’s time to say goodbye to our old modes of transport because there’s a better alternative. The electricity we generate and use in New Zealand is over 80% renewable and that’s growing. It’s a massive natural advantage we have over many parts of the world. We don’t need to be importing and burning fossil fuels for transport when we have better, healthier and cheaper options,” Julia says.

The campaign is told through the lens of typical Kiwis who all have fond memories of their old vehicles but kiss them goodbye and then find freedom and happiness with new electric options that are right for them.

The campaign includes TVCs, Out of Home including billboards, adshels and street posters, digital banners and a social campaign asking New Zealander’s to take the pledge and “Kiss Oil Goodbye”. Mercury’s website and content has also been fully redesigned to support the campaign.

The television commercial was directed by Nathan Price and edited by 2020 Academy Award nominee Tom Eagles (nominated for his work on Jojo Rabbit).

The campaign is substantiated by several initiatives to enable Kiwis to try electric transport including extending the Drive EV-by-subscription service, and partnering with a global operator, JUMP, renowned for innovative e-bike and e-scooters.  

 “We know there’ll be people who can’t easily say goodbye to their internal combustion engine vehicles or don’t want to, and that’s okay. It isn’t about pointing any fingers; it is about opening the door a little wider to those who are ready to consider a change in habits, and to get a few more to that point of consideration.

Through the campaign we want to show that while change might seem difficult, once you’ve taken the first step, it can be wonderful,” concluded Julia.

More than half of New Zealanders will experience mental distress at some point in their lives.

The National Depression Initiative needed to support these Kiwis to get to a place of mental wellbeing. Research showed we needed to motivate our audience to take control of their mental health – a particularly huge challenge when depression and anxiety elicits quite the opposite response. However, our small steps campaign did just that, with 66% of New Zealanders motivated by it.

More than half of New Zealanders will experience mental distress at some point in their lives.

The National Depression Initiative needed to support these Kiwis to get to a place of mental wellbeing. Research showed we needed to motivate our audience to take control of their mental health – a particularly huge challenge when depression and anxiety elicits quite the opposite response. However, our small steps campaign did just that, with 66% of New Zealanders motivated by it.

Every day, New Zealand teachers are using seemingly insignificant moments to teach lessons that go way beyond everyday subjects.

So, to inspire the next generation of teachers and show how they could make meaningful differences in our children’s lives, we found real life examples of these and brought them to life. ‘Taonga’ and ‘Turn Around’ are just two of these stories. ‘Taonga’ in particular targeted te reo Māori speakers and was broadcast solely in te reo.