THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Our collaborative team works hard to keep up to date with all the latest employment issues of the day. Please have a read of the insightful articles below.
STOP PRESS: Wage theft – now a criminal offence in New Zealand
Wage theft is now a crime in New Zealand, after the Crimes (Theft by Employer) Amendment Act 2025 came [...]
STOP PRESS – New laws targeting stalking and harassment on the horizon
On 10 December 2024, the Crimes Legislation (Stalking and Harassment) Amendment Bill (Bill) passed its first reading in Parliament. [...]
Just the right amount of notice
The Employment Relations Authority has considered an unusual personal grievance case in which an employee claimed that their employer [...]
Freedom to discuss remuneration
A private Member’s Bill aimed at protecting employees that discuss or disclose their own remuneration has been drawn from [...]
Sexual harassment in the workplace: claiming against the individual
In a recent decision by the Human Rights Review Tribunal, BGH v Kumar, the plaintiff took legal action against [...]
Pre-commencement discovery
When parties are engaged in civil litigation, generally they may seek documents and evidence held by other parties after the [...]
When a conditional offer of employment is withdrawn, is there a right to raise a personal grievance?
Under the Employment Relations Act (“ERA”), the right to raise a personal grievance is limited to an ‘employee’. Over [...]
Legislative amendments on health and safety representatives and committees
The Health and Safety at Work (Health and Safety Representatives and Committees) Amendment Act 2023 (“Amendment”) was passed and [...]
Comments on Act Party’s proposed employment relations changes
As we head towards the general election in October 2023, the ACT party has proposed a number of changes to [...]
Wage theft – should this be a criminal offence?
The Crimes (Theft by Employer) Amendment Bill has been introduced into Parliament and raises some important issues for discussion. [...]
Requiring employees to take annual leave under the Holidays Act
E Tū Inc and others v Carter Holt Harvey LVL Limited [2022] NZEmpC 141 Introduction The Holidays Act provides [...]
Fair Pay Agreements Act 2022 Update: Industry collective bargaining for the “hospitality” industry is on the way
The Fair Pay Agreement Act 2022 (“FPAA”) was enacted and came into force in December 2022. It represents a significant [...]
Freedom to contract: Whose interests does it serve?
In this article, we examine ACT’s recent policy for worker choice and freedom to contract and the practical implications [...]
Sexual harassment in the workplace: Extending the timeframe for raising a personal grievance
Employees who wish to raise a personal grievance generally have to do so within a period of 90 days under [...]
Compensating redundant “new-hires”
The environment in which businesses operate can change quickly and dramatically. Employees may be hired one minute when the [...]
Legislative Developments in New Zealand Employment Relations
In this article we will outline two legislative developments in employment relations in New Zealand – the Protected Disclosures [...]
Quiet quitting: are New Zealanders joining this trend?
The question of whether New Zealanders are joining the global ‘quiet quitting’ trend is answered by Jennifer Mills and [...]
Employment specialist on responsibilities of employers around sick leave
Jennifer Mills' interview with Mike Hosking on The Mike Hosking Breakfast (11 July 2022). Our Covid numbers are [...]
Covid-19 on the job: Warning to bosses over sick staff
This article was written by Grant Bradley and published on NZ Herald (10 July 2022). An employment lawyer has [...]
Kiwis can now use texts from the Ministry of Health as proof of COVID-19, causing headaches for employers
This article was published on Newshub (6 July 2022). To relieve pressure on general practitioners, on Tuesday the Ministry [...]
Combating modern slavery – let’s start here in New Zealand
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has issued a discussion document in which the Government is proposing [...]
“Fair Pay Agreements” are not “agreements” at all
The Government has introduced new legislation to provide a framework for the negotiation of sector-based and occupation-based “agreements” – which [...]
An ACC-style compulsory income insurance scheme is proposed by the Government
The New Zealand Government is currently proposing a compulsory income insurance scheme for all workers in New Zealand. If this [...]
Explained: New Zealand’s transition to phase two
Omicron case numbers have increased significantly over the weekend and, as a result, New Zealand will move to phase [...]
Working From Home in the Post-Pandemic World: Tips for Employers
As employers consider what their organisation’s post-pandemic return to work might be, one thing is certain: working from home arrangements [...]