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Lyon Kawhaaru was 'instant dismissed' by email from The Deck Tahuna after a customer incident at the Nelson café. The ERA examined what actually occurred, whether the employer fairly investigated it and how Mr Kawhaaru's own conduct should affect remedies.

Brandt Tractor removed sales manager Nicholas Pilcher from the workplace on 'special leave', took his phone and laptop and then dismissed him five days later over four bullying and harassment complaints. He was not given the underlying complaints, even in redacted form, or a genuine chance to answer them.

Courier driver Xiaoshuai Huang was bitten by a dog, went on ACC and was pressured to withdraw his ACC claim on the basis that Fast Horse said he was a contractor. After he refused, he was removed from the work messaging system and stopped receiving jobs.

Gaetan Duvaux was made redundant by Mega after a selection process in which scoring and comparative information were not fully disclosed and the employee argued the outcome had effectively been chosen in advance. The business case itself was not the only issue: the fairness of selection and consultation was central.

A Port of Tauranga stevedore was dismissed for medical incapacity after an asthma flare during dusty palm-kernel work. He sought interim reinstatement, arguing there was a serious dispute about the actual exposure risk, his capacity for modified duties and the employer's consideration of alternatives.

Regional sales manager John Pio was made redundant after Strautmann Hopkins lost the distribution licence underpinning its business. The redundancy had a genuine commercial basis, but Pio was given little warning, very limited time to seek advice and no meaningful opportunity to explore transfer or redeployment.

A Rotorua kebab restaurant recruited Rimple Rimple from India on an AEWV, with evidence that a director sought a $34,000 payment to secure the job. After visa difficulties the employer treated him as having abandoned employment and stopped providing work.

Retail assistant Gemma Pedersen was dismissed by WhatsApp/email during a six-month probation period for allegedly missing sales KPIs. She said she had not received the promised practical training and had never been put through a genuine performance process before termination.