While storms batter the Wairarapa and cut communities off from work, there's another threat to Kiwi livelihoods that's been building for years — one that doesn't make headlines because it happens one worker at a time, in silence.

Compression syndrome. Carpal tunnel. Nerve damage in wrists, hands, and arms caused by repetitive movements and awkward positions. In 2024, 9,768 New Zealand workers filed ACC claims for these gradual-onset injuries — the highest number in 15 years. (Source: Stats NZ / ACC, work-injuries-by-industry)

Here's how we got here.

In 2009, at the tail end of the Global Financial Crisis, 9,686 workers developed compression injuries. Then things improved. By 2016, that number had dropped to 6,127 — a 37% decline as workplaces modernised and ergonomic awareness grew.

Then something shifted.

The numbers started climbing again. Slowly at first — 6,598 in 2019 — then accelerating through the pandemic years. By 2020, we were at 6,975. Then 2022 hit: 9,714 cases, nearly matching the 2009 peak. The trajectory hasn't reversed. 2023: 9,039. 2024: 9,768.

That's a 40% jump in just four years. And unlike a storm that rips through a region in hours, these injuries happen gradually — weeks or months of repetitive strain before the pain becomes unbearable, before the worker can't grip a tool or type an email without shooting pain up their arm.

The timing matters. The surge began just as New Zealand's workforce was being reshaped by COVID-19. More people working from kitchen tables with improvised setups. Supply chain chaos forcing workers to handle heavier loads with less equipment. Labour shortages meaning longer shifts and fewer breaks. Staff turnover disrupting the institutional knowledge that keeps workplaces safe.

And now, as the government moves to claw back welfare payments from ACC clients, these 9,768 workers face a new pressure: the financial consequences of an injury that might leave them unable to work for months.

Unlike a broken bone that heals, compression syndrome is often permanent. Surgery can help, but many workers never regain full function. A tradesperson who can't grip properly. A hairdresser who can't hold scissors. An office worker who can't type without pain.

These aren't dramatic workplace accidents. They're the cumulative toll of thousands of small compromises — the ergonomic assessment that never happened, the break that got skipped, the year working with equipment that wasn't quite right. And after 15 years of progress, we're back where we started.