Employment and workplace laws
New Zealand employment laws facilitate and encourage fair and positive employment relations. Employees have legal entitlements to do with their employment agreements, holidays, privacy, wages, human rights, parental leave and other employment matters. Employers have certain responsibilities too and if you employ staff, it's important to know what these are. This is an introduction to employment and workplace law.
Online access to copies of key New Zealand employment legislation including the Employment Relations Act, the Holidays Act, the Equal Pay Act, and the Minimum Wage Act.
This information is brought to you by Department of Labour
All employees in New Zealand have certain legal minimum entitlements to do with holidays, leave, pay, human rights and union membership. Employers must meet these minimum conditions, but they can also choose to provide their employees with better ones
This information is brought to you by Department of Labour
You can hire new staff on a trial period of up to 90 days if you employ 19 or fewer people. This means, if you dismiss a new employee within their trial period they’ll be unable to take a personal grievance for unjustified dismissal. Read this article to find out what your rights and responsibilities are during trial periods, including recording the trial period in the written employment agreement you sign with your employee.
This information is brought to you by Department of Labour
Ensure all your employees are treated equally. Following the guidelines in this Standard means you can be confident that all your employees have fair pay, treatment, and employment opportunities.
This information is brought to you by Standards New Zealand
The Human Rights Act 1993 protects people from unlawful discrimination. This fact sheet focuses specifically on discrimination in employment and looks at what unlawful discrimination is, indirect discrimination, who is protected, and a variety of scenarios where discrimination can occur.
This information is brought to you by Human Rights Commission
If you have employees who wish to breastfeed during work hours then you’ll need to provide them with appropriate facilities and unpaid breaks. Usually this will involve making a private space available or providing access to a refrigerator. Read this article for more information on how to accommodate employees who breastfeed.
This information is brought to you by Department of Labour