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Results for poor performance

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Covid-19 Response Vaccinations Legislation Act 2021: vaccination and employment law

A historical guide to the Covid-19 vaccination employment framework, including paid vaccination time, notice provisions and the process issues that arose when vaccination requirements affected employment.

Matched passage: But this is subject to whether providing the time off would unreasonably disrupt the employer's business or the performance of an employee's duties.
Duane April v Coatrite Fire Limited [2026] NZERA 466 - visa worker underpaid, racialised comments, unlawful deductions and unjustified dismissal

Duane April, a migrant worker, alleged Coatrite Fire underpaid his agreed hourly rate, made unlawful deductions, subjected him to racialised comments and later dismissed him after a defective disciplinary process. The decision maker did not attend the disciplinary meeting and important allegations were not fairly tested.

Matched passage: The original concern referred to one instance of the vehicle and equipment being in poor condition, which had already been addressed by the verbal warning.
Nata Venceslau Dos Santos v Nresh Group Limited [2026] NZERA 363 - hostile workplace, visa pressure, unjustified dismissal, wage arrears and penalties

Nata Venceslau Dos Santos described a hostile workplace in which visa-related pressure, pay issues and deteriorating treatment preceded the end of employment. The ERA considered dismissal alongside wage arrears and minimum employment-standard breaches.

Matched passage: Nresh tried to justify the dismissal by relying on alleged conduct and performance concerns, including negative comments and the use of an offensive term.
Prasath Balachandariyar v Civtec Limited [2026] NZERA 302 - redundancy selection unfairly used asthma and wrist injury; compensation and lost wages ordered

Prasath Balachandariyar was selected for redundancy after workplace health issues including asthma and a wrist injury became part of the employer's assessment. He argued the selection process unfairly used his medical circumstances and that the employer had not conducted a fair redundancy process.

Matched passage: The hand therapist had said the ongoing performance of tasks such as wire stripping and using a screwdriver was aggravating tissue and delaying recovery.
Kyle Horsefield v Eurocars Limited [2026] NZERA 293 - car salesperson labelled casual was a permanent employee; dismissal by text message unjustified; $12,345 ordered

Kyle Horsefield sold cars for Eurocars under an arrangement labelled casual, but his work had the characteristics of ongoing employment. The employer later ended the relationship by text, raising both employment-status and dismissal-justification issues.

Matched passage: The case also shows the danger of using casual agreements as a substitute for trial periods or performance management.
Nicholas Gordon Pilcher v Brandt Tractor Limited [2026] NZERA 273 - dismissal for untested bullying complaints held unjustified; de facto suspension unjustified; $19,360 compensation + 4 months' lost pay

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.

Matched passage: The first complaint and the Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) On 16 January 2024 Brandt was alerted to concerns from another employee (anonymised as MJP) about alleged harassment and intimidation.
Gregory Brian Clarke v Omni Health Limited [2026] NZERA 265 - redundancy substantively justified, but process unfair; $10,000 compensation for disadvantage

Gregory Clarke was made redundant from Omni Health during financial and organisational change. The ERA accepted the commercial rationale and found no suitable redeployment role, but examined whether a series of consultation and process defects caused a separate unjustified disadvantage even though the redundancy itself was genuine.

Matched passage: The proposal noted the declining financial performance and proposed disestablishing three senior roles: (1) manager people and culture (already vacant), (2) a senior administrator, and (3) Mr Clarke's COO role.
Clive Bryham v Electrix Limited (trading as Omexom New Zealand) [2026] NZERA 147 - interim reinstatement granted; arguable unjustified dismissal where employer alleged reputational harm without evidence

Clive Bryham, a long-serving field operations manager, was dismissed after Omexom alleged he mishandled an 'illegal connection' incident involving a direct report and exposed the business to reputational risk with a key client. He sought interim reinstatement pending final determination of his dismissal and disadvantage grievances.

Matched passage: The ERA noted that, aside from one unrelated disciplinary matter in 2016, the applicant had a long record of performance and promotion over 16 years.

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