The way we work is undergoing a seismic shift – across the globe and here in Aotearoa. Reports from the World Economic Forum, Deloitte, McKinsey, and others paint a picture of rapid transformation, where organisations must rethink leadership, culture, and what it means to create a thriving workplace.
Yet, much of this global thinking is framed in economic terms – where people are seen as human capital, resources to be measured and managed. In Aotearoa, we need a different approach. One grounded in manaakitanga (care and respect), whanaungatanga (relationships), and the understanding that businesses thrive when people thrive.
Here’s what’s shaping our workplaces in 2025 — through both global and uniquely Kiwi lenses.
1. From Workforce to Whānau: The Human Sustainability Shift
Global Insight:
- Deloitte’s 2024 Global Human Capital Trends report emphasises human sustainability – moving beyond extracting value from employees to creating value for them through well-being, equity, and long-term employability.
- The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 identifies supporting employee well-being as a key workforce strategy, with 64% of employers citing it as essential for attracting and retaining talent.
NZ Perspective:
The concept of human sustainability aligns naturally with manaakitanga, where organisations see themselves as stewards of their people’s well-being. While large NZ employers like Spark and Air New Zealand are embedding holistic leadership and well-being initiatives, many SMEs face challenges in balancing employee support with business viability.
💡 Key Question for NZ Leaders: How can we integrate human sustainability into our organisations in a way that is practical and culturally relevant?
2. Beyond Productivity: Rethinking Success in NZ Workplaces
Global Insight:
- McKinsey’s The State of Organizations 2023 highlights that traditional productivity metrics (such as hours worked) fail to capture the complexity of modern work. Instead, success should be measured in terms of value creation, innovation, and well-being.
- WEF’s Future of Jobs 2025 report shows that two-fifths (39%) of workers’ skill sets will be transformed or become outdated by 2030, emphasising the need for new ways to evaluate performance.
NZ Perspective:
New Zealand faces a critical productivity challenge. Despite working longer hours than the OECD average, our output per hour remains lower, highlighting an urgent need to shift from working harder to working smarter. According to the Productivity Commission, NZ workers produce significantly less per hour compared to other developed nations. This productivity gap has become even more pressing following HSBC’s assessment that New Zealand’s economy experienced the sharpest downturn among developed nations in 2024, putting increased pressure on businesses to find new ways to improve efficiency.
💡 Key Question for NZ Leaders: How can we define and measure success beyond hours worked and traditional productivity metrics?
3. The Trust Paradox: Transparency vs. Surveillance
Global Insight:
- Deloitte warns that excessive AI-driven performance tracking can lead to ‘productivity paranoia’, where employees feel watched rather than supported.
- SHRM’s State of the Workplace 2024 report finds that trust is the single biggest driver of employee engagement – but that trust erodes quickly when employees feel monitored rather than empowered.
NZ Perspective:
Kiwis have a strong sense of fairness and autonomy – workplace surveillance, such as keystroke tracking and camera monitoring, is unlikely to gain traction here. The resistance to Return to Office (RTO) mandates highlights that employees expect trust to be mutual.
💡 Key Question for NZ Leaders: How do we strike the right balance between transparency, autonomy, and accountability?
4. AI, Technology & Workforce Transformation
Global Insight:
WEF’s Future of Jobs 2025 report shows that:
- 60% of employers expect broadening digital access to transform their business by 2030.
- 86% of employers say AI and information processing will reshape their workforce, with robotics, automation, and cybersecurity skills in high demand.
NZ Perspective:
New Zealand lags behind in AI adoption (RNZ), and many organisations risk falling behind global trends. While sectors like agriculture, logistics, and banking are increasingly integrating automation and AI, most NZ workplaces are only beginning to explore its potential. Cybersecurity is also an urgent issue, with high-profile data breaches in recent years exposing weaknesses in digital infrastructure.
💡 Key Question for NZ Leaders: How can NZ businesses prepare their workforce for AI-driven transformation while ensuring ethical and inclusive technology adoption?
5. Climate Change & The Green Transition
Global Insight:
WEF’s Future of Jobs 2025 report shows that:
- 47% of employers expect climate change mitigation to transform their business in the next five years.
- 41% cite climate change adaptation as a major driver of business model transformation.
- The fastest-growing green jobs include renewable energy engineers, environmental engineers, and electric vehicle specialists.
NZ Perspective:
New Zealand is highly exposed to climate risk, and businesses must act now to integrate sustainability into operations. From agriculture to construction, companies are under increasing pressure to decarbonise, improve supply chain sustainability, and embed climate resilience into business strategy. However, a lack of green skills is a major barrier. The demand for environmental and renewable energy specialists is growing, but NZ faces a talent gap.
💡 Key Question for NZ Leaders: How can we accelerate climate adaptation and workforce reskilling to meet the demands of the green economy?
6. Leadership Evolution: From Control to Stewardship
Global Insight:
- McKinsey’s Future of Work 2024 finds that the best leaders of 2025 will shift from control to stewardship – developing people, fostering adaptability, and prioritising trust.
- The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs 2025 report identifies resilience, flexibility, and leadership as the top three soft skills required for the workforce of the future.
NZ Perspective:
This shift towards stewardship leadership aligns well with Māori leadership principles, where the role of a leader (rangatira) is to weave people together for collective success. However, many NZ businesses still operate under outdated, hierarchical leadership models. To remain competitive, leaders must embrace relational leadership, where influence is built on trust, shared values, and long-term commitment.
💡 Key Question for NZ Leaders: Are our leadership development programmes preparing leaders to be stewards of people and culture, rather than just managers of tasks?
Moving Forward: The 2025 Challenge for NZ Organisations
The trends shaping 2025 demand action, not just awareness. Global reports confirm that organisations must rethink culture, leadership, technology, and success metrics – but the challenge for NZ leaders is translating these ideas into our local business environment.
Three Actions for NZ Organisations:
✔ Invest in AI-readiness: Upskill teams for an AI-powered future.
✔ Build trust and autonomy: Balance transparency with psychological safety.
✔ Accelerate climate adaptation: Embed sustainability into workforce planning.
💡 Want to lead the way? Join our Catapult Leadership Programme, the Sustainability Leadership Programme we run in partnership with the Sustainable Business Council, or contact us at enquiries@catapult.co.nz to design a bespoke leadership or team development initiative.