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What the New Zealand Employment Court does, how a de novo challenge differs from an ERA investigation, key procedural stages and what parties should expect when preparing for a hearing.

Retail employee KCY complained of bullying linked to her Russian ethnicity, was placed on paid leave without proper consultation and directed to transfer stores immediately. She was later summarily dismissed over expired promotional gifts and disclosure of a back-office code.

Hamilton Zoo's former senior manager subjected zookeeper Ashleigh Sanders to intrusive personal contact, out-of-hours messages, requests for information about colleagues, favouritism and career-related pressure. She later resigned, long after that manager had left.

Long-serving school principal Regina Rasheed was suspended and dismissed after a series of complaints and governance interventions at Zayed College for Girls. The ERA examined the factual basis for the allegations, the fairness of the investigation and a second suspension imposed during the process.

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.

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.

Chef Edmundo Marcelo was dismissed by Golden Bulls after a failed food-safety inspection. The employer had substantive concerns about the incident, but the ERA examined whether those concerns were fairly put to him and whether the disciplinary decision was reached through a proper process.

Shania Mortimer was dismissed by Auckland Steam 'N' Dry under a purported trial period. The dispute concerned whether the trial clause was legally effective, whether any dismissal process occurred, and the employer's wage and record-keeping compliance.