Work-Life Balance News Release

Back to work, back to school and back to juggling the demands of everyday life. Balancing work and home demands is an increasing challenge for many New Zealanders. Kiwis have grown up helping in communities and schools, volunteering, enjoying recreation and sports. But are work and family commitments leaving no time for community and recreation in our lives? The Work-Life Balance Project wants to hear your views and ideas.

For more information see Work-Life Balance Project Website

Over 15,000 New Zealanders give their time each year as Trustees on School Boards. And according to SPARC, a quarter of New Zealand adults were involved as a coach, instructor, referee, official, administrator, or a parent helper in sport or active leisure activities in the year 2001.   

But many people now say they just don’t have enough time. Club sport makes way for weekend work. Community organisations say they’re often struggling to find people to keep going. This is at the same time as our communities need their organisations more than ever.

A study into what New Zealanders think about work-life balance shows that most people relate to the issue but it often takes a crisis to spur people into doing something about it.  The research was commissioned as part of the Work-Life Balance Project. (The full report is available on the work life website, http://www.worklife.govt.nz/ )

Work-life balance isn’t about being anti-work. It’s about having the choice and flexibility  to spend time on the things outside of work that matter to you, such as time with your family, voluntary or community work, school or church involvement, leisure or sport. The Work-Life Balance Project is led up by the Department of Labour. The Project is finding out what’s already helping people get that ‘balance’, and stimulating discussion about what else can be done. 

People who serve on school boards make important choices about their own use of time, and also observe what is happening for many school families.  Over February and March,  we'd like to encourage school boards to put work life balance on their agenda:  use our discussion pack to support sharing of ideas and views...and feed these back to the WLB project.

The project team wants to hear about the kinds of arrangements that enable individuals and organisations to be healthy and successful.   Get involved by contributing case studies, supporting discussion and completing the project response forms.

Discussion packs and response forms will be available in hard copy and via the website http://www.worklife.govt.nz/. 

You can also contact the project team by e mail: worklife@dol.govt.nz.

Watch the website also for announcements on forums, meetings and conferences.