Southern Cross Health Insurance (SCHI), which has been recognised in Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand awards for 2024, has opened nominations for its 2025 Wayfinder Awards, an initiative aimed at recognising businesses that are leading the way in workplace wellbeing across New Zealand.
The awards, now in their second year, seek to highlight organisations that prioritise the health and wellbeing of their employees, an area increasingly significant as many New Zealanders face pressures related to the cost of living and workplace stress.
Southern Cross Medical Care Society CEO Nick Astwick said the awards were important for identifying and celebrating businesses that are making meaningful contributions to employee wellness.
“We know it matters. Our own research points to this. New Zealanders want their employers to acknowledge the stress and strains they are under, and support them to do their jobs well, and to do so in good health. We’re excited to unlock even more ideas on how we can look after our people in more workplaces throughout the motu,” he said.
The 2025 Wayfinder Awards are open to businesses of all sizes, with categories that recognise the efforts of small, medium, and large organisations, as well as individual leaders and innovators.
The awards aim to inspire more companies to adopt practices that improve employee health, with Southern Cross sharing insights and success stories from the nominations process to benefit the wider business community.
Astwick said that while many businesses are focused on managing costs amid economic challenges, supporting employee wellbeing remains crucial.
“It’s important to acknowledge how pressing these financial issues are, as they dictate the way we respond. As always, business leaders keep an eye on costs, but we mustn’t lose sight of the support our people need to enable them to be at their best. This support may come at a cost to businesses, for example, providing extra wellbeing days, training, and development and health insurance,” he said.
The judging panel for the 2025 awards includes returning judge Dr Denise Quinlan and Rob Holmes, discovery director at PaperKite, who was an inaugural award recipient.
They will be joined by Dr Ellen Joan Ford and Melanie Beirne, who will help evaluate entries based on their impact and innovation in the area of workplace wellbeing.
The award categories are as follows:
Southern Cross is calling on businesses across New Zealand to submit their nominations and showcase how they are supporting the health and wellbeing of their teams.
The insights gained from these submissions will contribute to a broader understanding of effective workplace wellness practices in New Zealand.
