Employers have become more creative and sophisticated with pre-employment questions.

Recently we have seen an increase in questions relating to potential employees' physical and mental health.

Employers say it is important to know of any potential risks in employing an applicant from a health and safety perspective. On the other hand, applicants may resent questions that intrude into their physical and mental health and that appear to be just plain nosey. More ...

In February the Government announced a royal commission of inquiry into historical abuse and neglect of individuals in state care. Last week the inquiry was extended to cover abuse and neglect in faith-based institutions.

During consultation on the terms of reference, the commission received over 400 submissions. Many sought the addition of faith-based institutions to the inquiry. The Government has listened to the people and is to be commended. More ...

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle won the hearts of many New Zealanders on their visit. They focused on issues that are important to us.

While many Kiwis are not monarchists, we seem to have been impressed with the royal couple's respect for Maori culture, their attention to mental health issues, and their support of women's suffrage and feminism. More ...

The National Party has been having a rough time of it. Party leader Simon Bridges faced scrutiny over his spending after someone on the inside leaked MPs' expenses to the media.

In the end the biggest question was who had leaked the information. The National Party commissioned PWC to carry out an inquiry into the identity of the leaker. More ...

Workers are becoming more aware of mental health and the need to protect themselves from psychological as well as physical harm.

You may have been harmed by things you have seen or heard. Those in the armed forces, police, and security firms witness the chilling effects of violence in their day-to-day work.

A video producer for NZ Police, George Brickell, succeeded in litigation in the High Court for post-traumatic stress disorder and harm caused to him through his work. Brickell was required to witness crime scenes and forensic work in search of material to use in police training videos. More ...

The newspapers have been full of the public sector's ties with private security and investigation firm Thompson and Clark.

It is reported a number of government agencies have used the firm to investigate or spy on people. A Crown-owned company, Southern Response, allegedly engaged Thompson and Clark to spy on Canterbury earthquake claimants. This prompted the Government to order a State Services Commission inquiry. More ...

Elon Musk, chief executive of Tesla, is overworking himself.

In a recent New York Times interview he said he was having an excruciating year of working up to 120 hours a week and taking a sleeping pill, Ambien, to get to sleep. He admits the stress is taking a heavy toll on him personally.

With all due respect, this is a terrible example for a leader to be setting. Surely Musk is not so crucial that he can't bring in others to do the work and support him.  More ...

Over the last 20 years, New Zealand has become a very cosmopolitan country, with people from many religions, cultures, and countries now making up our population.

Most New Zealanders respect different religions and cultures and embrace the challenge of accommodating different beliefs and ways of doing things. Unfortunately this is not always the case, here or overseas.

The travelling public may think the Greater Wellington Regional Council has missed the bus when it comes to providing a reliable public transport system for the capital city.

However any change in contractor will have teething troubles. Now is the union's best chance to leverage on this and try get greater membership and a collective agreement.

Reports of flaws in the new system pour in. Drivers don't seem to know where they are going; it is said one paid a school student $5 to tell them where to go.  More ...