 |
| The ACC will not cover medical costs for:illness, sickness, or contagious diseases, e.g., measles.stress, hurt feelings, or other emotional issues. Unless they are linked to an injury, ACC already covers.conditions related to ageing, e.g., arthritis.most hernias.injuries that happen over time, unless an activity at work is causing it.damage to items that don’t replace body parts. This includes hearing aids, glasses, pacemakers, and gastric bands.if you have appendicitis and need an emergency trip to the hospital.you get skin burn from the sun, wind, or snow.you have unexplained back pain that gets worse over time. |
 2. Employment indicators provide an early indication of changes in the labour market. Changes in filled jobs for the June 2025 month (compared with the May 2025 month) were: all industries – up 0.1 percent (3,487 jobs) to 2.34 million filled jobs primary industries – up 0.9 percent (934 jobs) goods-producing industries – down 0.2 percent (906 jobs) service industries – up 0.2 percent (3,072 jobs). By region, the largest changes in the number of filled jobs compared with June 2024 were in: Auckland – down 1.9 percent (15,409 jobs – highlighting the significance of the Auckland region.)Wellington – down 2.3 percent (5,961 jobs) Manawatū-Whanganui – down 1.9 percent (2,184 jobs) Hawke’s Bay – down 1.6 percent (1,278 jobs) Northland – down 1.1 percent (831 jobs). |
 3. CRA Roadshows CRA are considering trialling a new location in Karaka to capture South Auckland and Pukekohe members, who normally miss roadshows due to traffic congestion. We are also looking at trialling a different type of meeting in Greymouth, another area where the CRA struggles to get attendance.Ideas and suggestions are always welcome. Contact stewart@collisionrepair.co.nz.4. A recent FMA (Financial Markets Authority) report stated the NZ insurance industry is still not ready for climate-driven disasters. The review found delays, confusion, and oversight failures after the 2023 weather events. In early 2023, two weather events – the Auckland Anniversary floods and Cyclone Gabrielle – led to more than 118,000 insurance claims and nearly $4 billion in damage. The FMA examined how insurers handled this surge and found that while some practices have evolved, many policyholders faced confusion, delays, and inconsistent service during a time of crisis.  Among the biggest issues was communication. Many first-time claimants didn’t understand what their policies covered or how the process worked. The FMA found that only 43% of insurers included information on how claimants would receive updates, and cash settlement offers often came without a clear explanation that further claims might still be possible. 5. Australian court case – A dispute between a motorist and his insurance company, Suncorp, over paintwork repairs has been resolved in favour of the insurer, following a formal determination by the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA). The complaint arose after the vehicle owner made a claim under his comprehensive motor vehicle insurance policy when his car was vandalised. While the insurer accepted the claim and paid for the necessary repairs, the customer argued that the repainted panels did not match the rest of the vehicle. He insisted that the insurer either repaint the entire vehicle or rectify the repairs to achieve a uniform finish. The insurer maintained that the work was completed to a professional standard and that any mismatch was due to the car’s pre-existing condition. The vehicle, a 2009 model, had visible deterioration and fading on unrepaired panels, which the insurer said clashed with the freshly painted sections.An independent review from the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) accepted this argument, noting that the repaired panels had a cleaner, glossier appearance compared to the duller, faded finish of the older parts. It was concluded that the mismatch was not due to poor workmanship but rather to the age and wear of the vehicle. The determination stated that the insurer was only required to fix damage caused by the vandalism and was not liable for pre-existing wear or repainting unaffected panels for aesthetic consistency.  6. A 2025 AAMI Australia (part of Suncorp Group) survey asked Australian drivers about their experience with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), 20% admitted to turning these safety features off. Analysing more than 480,000 claims – AAMI found nose to tail crashes were the most common, with afternoons being the worst time of day. The 20% who admitted to turning safety features off also:Hit the “off” button because they found safety features annoying, distracting, and too sensitive (69 per cent).Believed they did not need the assistance of in-car safety features (23 per cent).Had concerns that they didn’t trust the safety features (13 per cent).  The safety features turned off most often, werelane departure warning and lane keeping assist – 45 per cent.adaptive cruise control 17 per cent.parking assist – 17 per cent.automatic emergency braking (AEB) – 16 per centand forward collision warning -11 per cent |