The 2026 survey ran from 2 to 31 March, with 3,500 people interviewed across 58 public sector organisations. Results are weighted to reflect the New Zealand population by age, gender, region, ethnicity and household income.

WorkSafe's results this year

WorkSafe's overall reputation score is 69, an eight-year high and four points up on last year. This places WorkSafe 14th out of the 58 organisations in the survey, three points ahead of the average.

The index measures reputation across four areas:

• Trust: 68
• Social responsibility: 70
• Leadership: 68
• Fairness: 69

The biggest gains since 2025 were in fairness, environmental responsibility, being easy to deal with digitally, and being seen as forward-looking and well run.

Awareness and understanding

Awareness of WorkSafe remains high. Among those aware of us, 39% report a good understanding of what we do, recovering from last year and above the average for public sector organisations.

What this tells us

The results point to real progress in how New Zealanders see WorkSafe, particularly on fairness and organisational competence. They also point to an ongoing opportunity to help more New Zealanders understand WorkSafe's mahi, not just recognise its name.

WorkSafe will continue to track these measures over time, alongside other research, to understand how our work is landing with New Zealanders.

Read the full report: