March Madness
Minimum wage rises to $23.95 on 1 April, alongside kiwisaver contributions. We’re launching new Employer and Workforce Hub apps with AI assistant Toby, and sharing a traffic management career story.
Hello from Ailsa and Beccy
Minimum wage will increase to $23.95 from 1 April 2026.
We’re also launching two new digital tools — the Employer Hub and Workforce Hub with AI assistant Toby — designed to reduce admin and improve communication between clients, temps, and our team.
This edition also features Desiree Craike’s career story from the Te Awa Kairangi Alliance and insights into the evolving construction industry.
Plus, we outline the major KiwiSaver changes coming in 2025–2026 that employers should be aware of.
Min wage set to rise
From 1 April 2026, the statutory minimum wage will increase from $23.50 to $23.95 per hour.
To keep things clean and straightforward, Key Skills will apply a rounded rate of $24.00.
No tricky maths. No awkward decimals. Just simple and transparent.
Why this matters
Wage adjustments don’t exist in isolation.
Over the past few years, employers have absorbed a steady stream of increases — expanded sick leave entitlements, legislative updates, payroll compliance changes, ACC shifts, supplier cost rises.
For fifteen years, we’ve worked hard to absorb as much of that impact as possible without passing it on.
But payroll-related increases at this level can’t be carried indefinitely.
To continue delivering reliable, compliant, high-quality contingent labour — without cutting corners — a cost structure adjustment is necessary.
And cutting corners isn’t how we operate.
What doesn’t change
• Our commitment to safety
• Our compliance standards
• The calibre of workers we send to site
• The speed and responsiveness you expect
If anything, this adjustment ensures we protect those standards properly.
Because good recruitment isn’t just about filling a gap. It’s about doing it legally, ethically, and sustainably.
The bigger picture
The labour market isn’t what it was 18 months ago. Expectations are different. Margins are tighter. Compliance is heavier.
But one thing hasn’t changed — good people still matter.
And paying fairly, staying compliant, and running transparent systems protects everyone: workers, employers, and projects.
If you’d like to talk through how this affects your current rates, reach out to your Key Skills consultant. We’re always happy to walk through it with you.
Thanks for backing us — and for backing local.
Launching apps
Key Skills are launching 2 new apps, 1 for employers and 1 for our workforce, details below
Employer hub
One simple place to manage your workforce with us.
The Key Skills Employer Hub is your direct line to everything you need — whether it’s booking staff, reporting an incident, organising a site visit or ordering PPE.
Scan.
Sign up.
Add to home screen.
Done.
What you can do inside
• Submit a temp job order in seconds
• Request permanent recruitment support
• Report an accident or incident immediately
• Access induction information
• Book ConstructSafe assessments
• Request PPE replacements
• Complete workplace start-up forms
• Organise a site visit (yes, coffee included)
• Contact us directly
• Subscribe to updates
• Connect to our socials
Everything in one place.
Available 24/7.
Why we built it
Because good partnerships shouldn’t rely on lost emails and buried forms.
This hub keeps communication clear, documentation tidy, and response times sharp.
Less admin.
More action.
Better outcomes.
The Key Skills workforce hub
This is the home base for every Key Skills temp on site.
The Key Skills Workforce Hub is built specifically for our workforce — the people turning up in the hi-vis, getting stuck in, and getting the job done.
Inside the Hub, our temps can:
Access key forms instantly
Complete inductions and site paperwork
Log learning records
Get important updates
Find answers fast
Stay connected to the Key Skills team
No digging through emails. No “where’s that form?” chaos. No excuses.
Just clean, simple, get-it-done functionality.
Meet Toby – Your On-Demand AI Assistant
And here’s the clever bit.
Say hello to Toby, our built-in AI assistant.
Toby is there 24/7 to help temps with:
How to complete forms
What to do before starting a new site
PPE requirements
Timesheet questions
Policies and procedures
General “what do I do now?” moments
He’s fast.
He’s friendly.
He doesn’t sleep.
And he never rolls his eyes when someone asks the same question twice.
Why This Matters
This isn’t about being fancy.
It’s about:
Raising standards
Reducing admin friction
Supporting our people properly
Showing clients we run a tight ship
Future-proofing how we operate.
Meet Desiree Craike
She moved to Wellington at 18 to chase an Olympic dream, but life had other plans. Today, Desiree Craike is a Traffic Manager at the Te Awa Kairangi Alliance, overseeing complex projects that keep our roads moving. Read how an unexpected career pivot led her into one of the most fascinating and misunderstood roles in infrastructure.
My Job, My Story
Desiree Craike
Traffic Manager at The Te Awa Kairangi Alliance
Started July 2025
How did you get to where you are today, what’s your story?
I originally moved to Wellington from the Waikato when I was 18 to wrestle for New Zealand. The coach was based here, so it made sense to relocate and focus on my wrestling. I had my sights set on the Olympics, but life took me in a different direction, so I began building my career and later, started a family.
I started working at McDonald’s and within five years I moved into a management role. I then wanted to earn more money, so I applied for a receptionist position at a finance company. That opportunity led me into the finance industry and from 2003 to 2008 I worked as a Loans Officer before being promoted to Branch Manager.
When I was made redundant, my boss sent my CV to someone she knew at Downer. I knew nothing about the role and had no idea what it even involved. I also knew nothing about the roading industry, I went to a small school in the Waikato and had no exposure to engineering. Before moving to Wellington, I had even considered joining the army as an officer.
Even though I had no idea about the role, I went to the interview and got the job! I was now the Maintenance Contracts Manager at Downers.
My father passed away when I was very young and he drove rollers for the Ministry of Works, which later became Downer, so it felt like I had come full circle.
I had my heart set on progressing my career in management, so when a role became available at Wellington City Council I was seconded there, and that is where my traffic management journey began. I worked there for a few years and then moved on to several turf management companies and other businesses.
At one point, I was managing the traffic operations for the trolley buses when the lines were being removed. Because there was not enough work at the time, they put me through a traffic management training course. I was effectively sidelined, but that is when I started teaching traffic management.
Through that experience, I gained my adult teacher diploma, which means I am qualifi ed to teach adults and deliver classroom based learning, including courses that use presentations and structured training material. That has become a sideline for me.
All of those experiences, working with Downer, the council, traffic management companies, and later being on TG for HEB Construction, are how I built my construction knowledge. Each of those roles has given me a different foundation, and together they have created the skill base I have today, which is probably one of the most unique in the country. Working across all those organisations has allowed me to bring a wide range of knowledge and experience into what I do now.
What does a typical day in your job look like?
My day usually starts with approving timesheets and making sure I do not forget that. After that, it is mostly meetings. There are a lot of meetings to gather information, and then that information needs to be fed back to the TMP designers or the crews on site, as well as providing feedback where needed.
I also spend time researching things that may or may not work, looking at different options and figuring out whether we can do something one way or another.
How do you think your job is perceived by others, and is it different from the reality?
I don’t think people really understand. They think I manage people, but in reality, I spend a lot of time on planning. It’s like a giant puzzle where I have to fi t all the pieces together. Closing a motorway, for example, involves months of planning to redirect traffic, ensuring minimal disruption while also meeting strict deadlines.
Do you have any daily rituals or habits that help you succeed at work?
Yes. I always trust my gut, if something feels wrong, it usually is. I also save and organise every email, even sent ones, because they’re valuable records and can prevent issues later. When sending emails, I focus on facts and keep emotions out, staying calm and professional. These habits have helped me stay organised, make better decisions, and handle work more effectively.
What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
The most rewarding part is seeing the results of what we’ve produced, especially on the bigger projects. For example, with this project, we installed permanent poles instead of stands and sandbags, so there’s no mess or clutter. I don’t have to have people out there every few minutes picking up signs or adjusting things. Approaching traffic management like this lets us see what it can really look like, especially on a long project like this one.
What advice would you give someone considering this trade or industry?
It’s not as it seems! It’s such a complex fi eld, like a big puzzle, with so many aspects and directions you could go. I was telling a lady I taught how to design a team piece that this is just the beginning for her, she could specialise in one area or move into assets and other areas. Roading has maybe a thousand different avenues where you can develop skills or really specialise. Take bitumen, for example: there’s the product itself, the chemistry of how asphalt is made, the testing process, and then the actual placement, including the machinery and the road temperature. It’s really fascinating.
What’s the best piece of feedback you’ve ever received from a colleague or boss?
To not simply tell people they’re wrong, try to compromise or come up with the solution together, probe their thinking and bring them along on the journey.
What do you think is the most important quality to succeed in your industry?
I think the most important quality is the ability to pivot and adapt. You have to be open to change and not resist it. Specifications and plans can be one thing one day and completely different the next, so adaptability is key. Some people struggle with change, but I enjoy it, it gives you the chance to push boundaries and even invent something of your own.
What’s one skill you’ve developed that’s had the biggest impact on your career?
I’m not sure it’s just one skill. I think it’s about having all of that knowledge, really embracing it, and putting it together, because it all fits at the end of the day. Even my time in McDonald’s management was really valuable, anyone doing the management program there would benefit a lot.
Knowledge is power, so I always research things for myself. I go and look up information when I need it. I used to have tabs upon tabs of things saved, but I don’t try to read it all at once. When you need to know something, find that piece of information, and gradually you build up a memory bank. Reading a manual start to finish doesn’t work, you forget most of it. Focusing on what you need at the time is much more effective.
What do you do to unwind after a busy week?
I have 2 children although they’re not children anymore! I’ve just moved house with my partner and we enjoy the Speedway in the summer months. I like a good concert and shopping.
If you could swap jobs with anyone for a day, who would it be?
I really enjoy cooking and would love to have a café. I enjoy feeding people, and I like to think that if I had a big kitchen, unlimited ingredients, and the best tools, I could be pretty good at it.
Bonus question! Why does NZ use so many cones in roading!
I went to an NZTA conference once, and the late head of NZTA kind of summed it up: New Zealanders are rule breakers by nature. It’s just part of who we are. I don’t know why or how it came about, but people in other countries tend to just comply, whereas New Zealanders don’t. That’s why we have to add all these extra measures, to make sure people actually pay attention!
Thank you to Desiree for taking the time to chat with me.
Beccy
Major 2025-2026 KiwiSaver changes
Changes include increasing default contribution rates to 3.5% (from 3%) on 1 April 2026, rising to 4% in 2028, with options to opt-down.
Government contributions (member tax credits) are reduced to $260.72 maximum from 1 July 2025, with high earners ($180k+) excluded. 16/17-year-olds get employer matching from 1 April 2026.
Key 2025-2026 KiwiSaver Changes:
Contribution Rates Increase: The default employee and employer contribution rate increases from 3% to 3.5% on April 1, 2026, and further to 4% on April 1, 2028.
Temporary Reductions: Starting February 1, 2026, those unable to afford the increase can apply for a temporary reduction to remain at 3% for 3 to 12 months.
Government Contribution Reduction:
From July 1, 2025, the government contribution is reduced to 25 cents per dollar contributed, with a maximum annual payment of $260.72
High Earner Exclusion: Individuals with a taxable income exceeding $180,000 per year will no longer receive the government contribution, effective July 1, 2025.
Youth Eligibility: From July 1, 2025, 16 and 17-year-olds become eligible for the government contribution, and from April 1, 2026, they also qualify for mandatory employer contributions.
See more here
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