Employment Law News and Opinion

Employment law news and opinion

Updates, commentary, and practical lessons from the coalface. This is where I article industry news, my opinion on employment law issues, and real-world stories (some anonymised, some not) that show how disputes start, how they escalate, and how they can be resolved.

Some articles in this section are short and timely. Others are longer opinion pieces or breakdowns of common failure points I see in practice. If you are looking for structured guides and explainer articles, browse the main articles and topics as well.

What you will find in this topic

Why this section exists

Employment disputes are rarely about one single event. They usually build from poor process, poor communication, missing documentation, or decisions that get locked in too early. I use this section to call out patterns I see repeatedly, and to explain the practical reality of what happens in MBIE mediation, the Employment Relations Authority (ERA), and sometimes the Employment Court.

If you are dealing with an active dispute

If you are in a live dispute, treat deadlines and evidence seriously from day one. For employees, that may include the time limits for raising a Personal Grievance (PG). For employers, that means avoiding rushed responses and preserving the record before memories fade or systems overwrite.

• Preserve the record: emails, texts, meeting notes, policies, rosters, timesheets, and anything relevant to the decision-making process.
• Do not predetermine outcomes: a defensible process matters as much as the underlying facts.
• Stay consistent: shifting narratives and incomplete explanations create credibility issues later.
• Think about settlement early: without prejudice and Calderbank positioning can matter later, especially on costs.