Employment Law

The Fair Pay Agreements Bill (“the Bill”) has passed its first reading.  Submissions on the Bill are open until 19 May 2022.  If passed in its current form, it will see a radical revamp of New Zealand’s employment laws. The Fair Pay Agreement (“FPA”) system will bring together employers and unions within specific sectors to […]

It has been a busy start to 2022, and in-keeping with the prevailing theme over the last two years, there have been several important updates in the employment jurisdiction already this year. In this article, we outline some of the key updates in the employment space so far for 2022. We note that the Government is currently

With the Christmas period fast approaching (less than three weeks, but who is counting), we have set out some helpful tips and reminders below, to see your business run smoothly through the silly season. 1. What should I pay my employee on public holidays over the Christmas period?   There are four public holidays over

New Zealand’s previous privacy legislation, the Privacy Act 1993, was enacted one year after the first ever SMS text message was sent, and one year before Amazon, now the most valuable public company in history, was founded.  Clearly, things have changed, and as of 1 December 2020 (tomorrow), the new Privacy Act 2020 (“the Act”)

During the 2020 Election the nation will be asked whether they support the proposed Cannabis Legislation and Control Bill (“CLC Bill”).  In essence, New Zealand is voting on the legalisation of recreational use of cannabis. The CLC Bill will allow people aged 20 years and over to: purchase up to 14 grams of dried cannabis

Gone are the days, it seems, that an employer can dismiss an employee and then send an office-wide email to give the gossip. Under the Privacy Act 1993, Information Privacy Principle 11 (“Principle 11”) protects against the disclosure of an individual’s personal information except in specific circumstances.  This principle also applies to any disclosures made by

Employees regularly leave employment to start their own business ventures.  However, issues arise when they take confidential information and clients (belonging to their former employer) with them. Forensic examination of a computer can detect any information that has previously existed on that device, even after it has been deleted.  It is an invaluable tool for employers

In response to “zero hours” contracts, legislation was introduced on 1 April 2016, making zero-hour contracts unlawful and prohibiting the use of availability provisions unless certain criteria are met.  Earlier this month, on 2 May 2019, in the case of Postal Workers Union of Aotearoa Inc v New Zealand Post Ltd, the Employment Court grappled with this