State of a Thriving Nation 2026 report highlights progress and challenges
New Zealand is making progress on workplace health and safety, but preventable harm continues to impose a heavy human and economic cost, according to the Business Leaders’ Health and Safety Forum’s fourth State of a Thriving Nation (SoTN) report.
The report estimates workplace harm cost New Zealand $5.5 billion in 2025. Occupational ill health accounted for $3.1 billion (57 per cent) of that total, while fatalities cost an estimated $1.1 billion and injuries a further $1.3 billion.
There is, however, encouraging progress. Workplace injury claims have fallen 28 per cent over the past decade, with some of the largest reductions occurring in industries that have historically experienced the highest levels of harm.
The comprehensive 28-page report calls on government and businesses to:
-
Improve health and safety performance by committing to making the current complex system coherent
-
Acknowledge that the size of a business does not imply or define how safe or unsafe it is
-
Understand what the real toll of work-related road deaths is
-
Address the challenge of increasing rates of work-related mental wellbeing.
Take a look at the key highlights, read the report summary and download the full report below.
You can also read our media release here.
