Tracy Alpar worked for Bookieland under an unsigned seasonal fixed-term arrangement and was later told through WhatsApp that her employment had ended. The ERA had to decide whether the purported fixed term complied with the statutory requirements and whether the termination was justified.
Search Employment Law
Search New Zealand employment-law guides, ERA determinations, Employment Court decisions and topics.
Search tips
- Use quotes for exact phrases, eg "unfair dismissal".
- Use +word to require, -word to exclude, eg +redundancy -trial.
- Use OR to broaden, eg dismissal OR redundancy.
Results for 90 day trial
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.
Packaging operator Arnold Putt challenged disciplinary action by George Weston Foods after a confrontation with his production manager about task priorities. The ERA examined both the basis for a final written warning and whether shortcomings in the way the process was communicated caused a separate disadvantage.
Shania Mackey and Shearing NZ settled a personal grievance at mediation under s 149, requiring compensation, payment of representative fees and a certificate of service. The employer later withheld those obligations after hearing that Mackey had allegedly breached confidentiality.
After Samuel Keast died while working in Melbourne, his estate sought to pursue employment claims, including constructive dismissal, against a New Zealand company. The preliminary issue was whether a personal grievance existed before his death, who employed him in Australia, and whether the ERA had jurisdiction over the named respondent.
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.
Thomas Kenna was made redundant from Anztec after a restructuring that the ERA accepted had a genuine business basis. He challenged alleged predetermination and the employer's failure to proactively disclose information needed to understand and respond to the proposal.
After 18 years at Radio Waatea, senior journalist and editor Adam Gifford was selected for redundancy in a restructure merging English and Māori newsroom functions. The employer had genuine business reasons but did not fairly disclose key proposal information, clearly identify his role as at risk or consult over redeployment.
