Monthly Archives: June 2020

Meke Meter and Dominys set to dominate wellbeing market

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Levi and Dana Armstrong have a strong desire to improve the mental, social and physical wellbeing of communities.

For over five years, the Armstrongs have worked with a team of researchers at EIT to develop the Meke Meter, www.mekemeter.org.

The Meke Meter is an indigenous quality of life self-assessment tool.

By asking people to think about their current physical, mental and social well- being, Levi and Dana are hoping to gain good insight into the country’s well- being.

Through completing the Meke Meter regularly, people can track any changes to their wellbeing. This empowers individuals to set goals and make positive changes to improve their quality of life.

“I come from a fitness background where it’s all about physical appearance but actually it’s a lot bigger than that – it’s also about mental and social well-being, which is crucial when taking a holistic approach to health.”

Levi, with the support of technology company Haunui, has been able to turn the Meke Meter into an online platform that enables people to rate out of 10 how they are feeling physically, mentally and socially in regards to 15 specific key indicators.

During COVID-19, more than 1,000 people regularly submitted their measurements with Levi and Dana validating the quality of the information as part of a study for Masters of Health Science.

Levi has already completed a Bachelor of Recreation and Sport at EIT while Dana gained a Bachelor in Education, majoring in Physical Education and Health, and a Diploma in Teaching (Conjoint) from Massey University.

“While COVID-19 has made its presence felt in Aotearoa, we thought it would be a great opportunity to understand the impact that COVID-19 is having on the health and wellness of New Zealanders.

“We have looked at other studies including the Christchurch Earthquakes and the Global Financial Crisis and how wellness was measured,” says Levi.

Levi said it helped not having a regular 8 am–5 pm job during lockdown, but instead spending time with his whanau, studying, keeping fit but without going to the gym, and achieving a personal challenge of not drinking alcohol for 100 days. All of which was measured via the Meke Meter.

“We’re all quite busy in life and didn’t have much time for many things but COVID-19 gave me the opportunity to take a step back, reflect and set some goals, and the Meke Meter has helped me immensely.

“We’ve also had our children using the Meke Meter, as well as many others, and the research has highlighted some of the key areas that we can focus on and hopefully we can share and disseminate some of this information back to some key stakeholders in the health and well- being space.”

Levi says the aim is to now commercialise the Meke Meter to organisations involved in health, social well-being and education.

It will also complement another lockdown project – a fitness centre pod called Dominys – which is being piloted with Wellington high school Taita College. The project has received funding support from Wellington-based youth development organisation Boys and Girls Institute (BGI).

Levi had been toying with the idea of a fitness centre in a shipping container for some time. It had come about when his first whanau fitness project Patu was struggling to pay rent for the gym.

“My cousin is an architect and at Christmas I told him about my idea to create a fitness centre within a shipping container.”

“My cousin is an architect and at Christmas I told him about my idea to create a fitness centre within a shipping container.

“The next thing, he sent me some drawings and we’ve now got a prototype and a project with Taita College.

“The aim is to provide it as a shared space, so anyone in the community can use it.

“For the college they will use the pod as part of their curriculum and the Meke Meter will measure how much of a difference the gym is making in the school and the community.”

Levi says Sport New Zealand research shows that there is a significant drop-off of high school students participating in active recreation and it’s something he wants to turn around.

“We are trying to get the Meke Meter and Dominys to work hand in hand.

“There is a big drop-off in participation between the ages of 12 and 14 years of age, so we want to flatten that so that we can be the ambulance at the top of the hill rather than at the bottom.”

The container is equipped with weight rack systems, Olympic bars and weights, skipping ropes and boxing bags. It has a sound system, lighting and uses an hydraulic system to open up the sides.

Levi knows the positive impact of physical fitness on mental and social wellbeing and says that with the pandemic crisis and thousands of people losing their jobs and businesses closing, it will be more important than ever to better understand how people are feeling.

“Post-COVID-19, mental health is going to be a really important factor to consider in the nation’s recovery. We know from the research following the Christchurch earthquakes and the GFC that there was more mental support services set up and there’s going to need to be similar action taken after this pandemic.”

Thinking change? – get the process right

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COVID-19 has caused many employers to consider making changes within their business. If you are a business owner who needs to downsize, or re-align to new market conditions, there’s an important process you need to follow if those changes have the potential to impact an employee’s employment, and while there’s a lot at stake for you, it’s just as important to consider the employee.

Plan and prepare:

Before embarking on any proposed changes, you should describe the genuine business reasons for the change in a clear and transparent manner. Even as a result of COVID-19, an employer needs to be able to describe the specific reason for the change, the problem you are trying to fix, and the outcomes you are hoping to achieve.

Develop a proposal:

The next step is to develop the proposal for change. Depending on the extent of the change, this could be in the form of an individual letter or a more comprehensive change proposal document. This should clearly describe the change being proposed, provide the potentially affected employees with access to information relevant to the proposed changes, and clearly set out how the employee(s) will be affected by
the change. The proposal should also set out the timeframes, how the employee can provide feedback and any support you will offer. If new positions are being proposed, or there is a reduction in the number of employees who hold the same position, you will need to clearly outline the proposed selection criteria for those positions.

Consultation:

Under the Employment Relations Act an employer is required
to consult with employees potentially affected by the proposed change, and allow them the opportunity to provide feedback on the proposal. Feedback could include any alternatives to the changes proposed.

Ideally, you should meet with each affected employee. This is an important discussion, so if you feel a bit nervous, prepare a script and follow that. Employees also find these discussions difficult and potentially upsetting, so should always be given the opportunity to have a support person or representative present.

Employees should then be given sufficient time to consider the proposal, seek independent advice if necessary, and provide

feedback on the proposal. There’s no fixed timeframe, but I generally recommend a minimum of five business days.

Once you have received the feedback, it’s important that you consider that feedback carefully, or any alternatives suggested. Often employees provide viable alternatives that you may not have considered or thought acceptable to the employee such as job sharing or reduced hours. You don’t have to accept everyone’s feedback or suggestions, but it’s important to show you have considered it.

Making the decision:

Once the consultation period is over and all feedback considered, the employer must decide what the final decision will look like. The final decision needs to be conveyed in person to each employee.

If an outcome is that an employee’s position is to be disestablished, you must comply with the terms and conditions of their employment agreement in regards to any redundancy entitlements or notice provisions. It’s also important to consider any opportunities for redeployment within the business.

Don’t undermine your brand:

While it’s important to get the process right from a legal perspective, it is also important to get the process right from
a humane perspective. Demonstrating genuine empathy during meetings, treating employee’s with respect and dignity, taking the time to meet individually with affected employees, being aware of the employee’s emotional state and being
able to respond appropriately to that, offering support or outplacement, allowing time off to attend job interviews or
to talk to professional advisors, considering requests for shortened or extended notice periods – all make this a better process for both the employee and the employer.

Businesses often spend years building their employer brand and recruiting the right people, don’t undo all that good work and good will by cutting corners through the change process.

This article deals with complex legal issues. If you are considering change management or restructuring, please seek specialist advice first.

A timely reminder to review your affairs

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As we slowly return to our day to day routines following the COVID-19 lockdown, it’s a good time to reflect on the lessons learnt from the paired back existence we experienced during these unprecedented times. One of the overwhelming messages to come out of the lockdown, was an even greater appreciation of our families and our desire to protect them.

It is at times like these, that we should take stock of our personal affairs to ensure that in the event that something happens to us, the very people we want to protect are not left behind to sort out our unfinished business. A timely reminder to review your personal affairs and ensure everything is in order. Below are some areas worthy of consideration:

Wills

Anyone over the age of 18 years should have a Will. A Will is a legal document which sets out how you want your estate to be administered upon your death. It is legally binding. Without it, your assets will be administered according to a formula set out by the law and this may not align with you or your family’s wishes.

If you have already put a Will in place, you should continue to review it and ensure it reflects your current intentions and wishes. Perhaps you have married since you last made a Will, and if so, you should check to ensure it was made in contemplation of marriage otherwise you may find that it’s invalid. Likewise, if you have recently separated or divorced, it is likely that the intentions for your estate will have changed.

Enduring Powers of Attorney (EPA)

Putting in place an EPA enables you to decide ahead of time who will make decisions for and about you if you become unable to make those decisions yourself. An EPA gives a specific person the legal power to act on your behalf if you become “mentally incapable”.

If you don’t make an EPA, and you become unable to make your own decisions, or unable to communicate your decisions to others, people close to you will need to apply to the Family Court to have the Court make various kinds of decisions about your life, or the Court may appoint someone to make those decisions for you.

You can put in place an EPA for personal care and welfare and one for your property and finances. You can have either type of EPA or both, it depends on your personal circumstances.

Memorandum of Wishes

If you have a family trust, putting in place a Memorandum of Wishes is one way that you, as the settlor, or creator of the trust,

If you have already put a Will in place, you should continue to review it and ensure it reflects your current intentions and wishes. Perhaps you have married since you last made a Will, and if so, you should check to ensure it was made in contemplation of marriage otherwise you may find that it’s

can signal to the trustees your intentions. A Memorandum of Wishes is read alongside the trust deed and trustees should have regard to the Memorandum of Wishes in the exercise of their discretionary powers in dealing with the trust assets and making distributions.

Lease Renewals

The compulsory shutdown of many businesses over the lockdown saw a number of leases being considered in greater detail. It is important that you review your lease documents
to ensure that you have current arrangements in place. If
the renewal or review dates have passed and the lease arrangement remains in place, it is likely it will be on a month by month basis with either party having the ability to terminate the lease with one month’s notice. This situation does not provide a great deal of financial certainty moving forward.