News in brief

Spotlight on sustainability

As an organisation with people and the environment at its heart, MAS has added another way to make sustainability the focus. We’ve partnered with the Sustainable Business Network to develop Docket, a free online platform to help businesses assess their environmental impact.

Designed as a toolbox of resources and information in one handy spot, Docket can support organisations with everything from cutting carbon emissions and reducing waste to supporting workers’ rights by eliminating modern slavery in global supply chains.

Docket can help businesses at the beginning of their sustainability journey as well as those looking to build on work they are already doing. It’s also shareable, so organisations can encourage their suppliers and networks to be more environmentally responsible too. Access this new resource at sustainable.org.nz/docket

New Zealand Veterinary Association scores a century

The New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) is celebrating its centenary, marking 100 years of supporting veterinarians across the country. MAS has long been involved in the veterinary industry. In 1968, the first veterinary surgeons – G K and K C Bell – were invited to join the growing mutual. For the past 15 years, MAS and NZVA have been in a partnership, which is focused on supporting veterinarians’ mental and physical wellbeing, says MAS Head of Brand and Partnerships Nicola Airey. “We’d like to congratulate NZVA on achieving this impressive milestone and look forward to continuing to support their work well into the next century.”

Winning with water

When the 2022 Switch to Water campaign set the challenge to replace sugary drinks with water for 30 days, groups from around Aotearoa took up the cause.

Held in November last year, the ninth Switch to Water event ran alongside National Oral Health Day to shine a spotlight on the importance of H²O for overall wellbeing. As the face of the campaign, former Olympic hockey player and wellness coach Brooke Neal visited primary schools to help spread the simple but vital message.

“I wanted to be part of the Switch to Water Challenge because, when I was playing sport for New Zealand, I really learned the importance of how just changing the tiniest habits can make the biggest difference on your wellbeing.”

Over the four-week campaign, schools, whānau and workplaces achieved some stellar results, with Northland College decreasing their in-school sugar intake by 879 teaspoons and upping their water intake to 1353 litres.

Prize winners included Cobham School in Gisborne, whose video Why wai? documented their use of reusable drink bottles and educational kōrero about the benefits of drinking water, and RNZAF Base Woodbourne, who took out the workplace top spot and scored a $1,500 voucher towards a team-building activity.

The 2022 Switch to Water campaign was the most popular ever, with 79 schools, 600 individuals and 45 workplaces registering for the challenge. The YouTube video on the benefits of drinking H²O was viewed by 665,000 people, while more than 200,000 people interacted with the campaign on Facebook.

The 10th Switch to Water campaign will run in November 2023. There will be exciting prizes to win.

Find out more at nzda.org.nz/public/switch-to-water