Manufacturing’s automation moment is here
Jo Verry, Senior Key Account Manager at industry training organisation, Competenz You lock up your warehouse at night, switch off the lights and press play on an autonomous drone. By morning, it has flown the aisles, scanned barcodes, completed stocktakes and delivered real-time inventory data before the first staff member […]
Australia’s Hidden Workforce: 13,000 Female Engineers Underutilised Amid Skills Shortage
New findings shine productivity spotlight on importance of retaining female engineers. Key insights from the Women in Engineering report include: Australia has more than 69,000 total qualified female engineers, with just over 34,000 women working directly in engineering roles. 13,000 more women would be in direct engineering roles, if employed at […]
Women Who Win: Celebrating courage, conviction and change
Antoinette Lattouf Across history, women were told to sit down, smile and stay quiet. Spoiler alert: they didn’t. They spoke out, stood tall – and ruined the patriarchy’s day. Because of them, women won. Journalist and human rights advocate Antoinette Lattouf takes us on a gripping journey through women who […]
Leadership in 2026 is about collaboration, not control
Manufacturing today is defined by speed, automation, AI and constant change. Yet in the experience of Sanela Lundqvist, Vice President of Human Resources at metal cutting tools and manufacturing solutions expert Sandvik Coromant, the most decisive factor for performance remains the same: people. Tools, systems and strategies all matter but, […]
Yesteryear: is this viral novel’s time travelling tradwife really ‘perfect at being alive’?
Cottonbro/Pexels Rachel Williamson Lecturer in English, University of Canterbury The film rights for Caro Claire Burke’s buzzy debut novel were sold to Amazon MGM Studios before publication. Adaptation plans are well underway, with Anne Hathaway, cited in the acknowledgements as “instrumental in bringing Natalie to life”, set to star and produce. […]
Profile: Kamales Lardi, Lardi & Partner Consulting
Kamales Lardi, CEO of Lardi & Partner Consulting, is ranked #11 in the Thinkers360 Top 150 Women B2B Thought Leaders 2026. With 26 years in tech advisory and 14 years leading a global AI transformation consultancy, Lardi helps Fortune 500 companies in financial services, manufacturing, and retail build the leadership […]
International Women’s Day 2026: Give to Gain
On International Women’s Day 2026, the message is clear. By giving time, experience, and encouragement to others, leaders not only help individuals grow, but they also gain new insights, stronger collaboration, and a more resilient industry. Each year on March 8, the global community recognises International Women’s Day as a […]
Staying plugged into the pulse of real life
Anna Wintour Anna’s early career at New York Magazine cemented her belief that great editors must stay immersed in real life. “Working at New York Magazine was thrilling,” she says. “I was surrounded by people who had absolutely no interest in fashion—and that was wonderful. They made me think about art, film, […]
Having It All: What Data Tells Us About Women’s Lives and Getting the Most Out of Yours
by Corinne Low PhD You’re not imagining it: Women aren’t getting a good deal at home or at work. There is evidence to prove it. This book gives you the power to change it. For women, the promise of “having it all” is an ever-elusive carrot. Faced with unsustainable demands […]
Bag Man: The Story Behind the Improbable Rise of Coach
by Lew Frankfort The longtime CEO of Coach shares stories and strategies behind the company’s stunning growth from a $6 million business to a $5 billion global brand. Lew Frankfort knew nothing about fashion when he became assistant to the founder of Coach. By the time he left, Frankfort had […]
China is empowering women and advancing ‘her power’
Thirty years ago, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, set the world on a new course, establishing strategic objectives and actions to advance women and achieve gender equality. On October 13 and 14 in Beijing, the Global Leaders’ Meeting […]
Funding HQ launches FundED: A game-changer for school fundraising in Aotearoa
Funding HQ, one of Aotearoa’s fastest-growing e-learning fundraising platforms, is proud to announce the launch of FundED—a new subscription-based programme designed specifically for the education sector. Created in direct response to growing demand, FundED equips schools with the tools, training, and expert support they need to build long-term, sustainable fundraising […]
Manufacturing’s automation moment is here
Jo Verry, Senior Key Account Manager at industry training organisation, Competenz You lock up your warehouse at night, switch off the lights and press play on an autonomous drone. By morning, it has flown the aisles, scanned barcodes, completed stocktakes and delivered real-time inventory data before the first staff member arrives. For some manufacturers, that future isn’t coming – it’s already here. Having recently attended the MAKE NZ industry conference at the engineering and manufacturing show EMEX – alongside spending the past few months visiting manufacturing sites across New Zealand – I’ve had a front-row seat to how quickly technology is evolving. From collaborative robots (co-bots) on factory floors to increasingly sophisticated AI and automated systems in warehousing and distribution, one message came through consistently: the biggest shift isn’t machines replacing people. It’s that the people alongside those machines now need different skills. There is still a persistent narrative that technology equals job losses. But across manufacturing floors, warehouses and engineering workshops, the reality looks different. Across many manufacturing environments, technology is changing jobs faster than it is removing them. Take robotic welding. A robot may handle repetitive work, but it still needs someone who understands welding quality, tolerances, and outcomes. Visit a distribution centre, and you’ll see technology moving stock, but humans still analysing outputs, monitoring systems and solving problems when things go wrong. Are the robots ready to fly solo? Recently, I visited a manufacturer trialling a machine designed to automatically pick up boxes, stack pallets and shrink-wrap them. Impressive? Absolutely. Faster than the person standing next to it? Not even close. The lesson is simple: technology still needs people. Technology is not a procurement decision – it’s a workforce project The strongest manufacturing investments happen when conversations about technology and workforce capability start early. If new technology, […]