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Auckland Steam 'N' Dry raised performance concerns with Bridget Addy by text and threatened that she would not make it through a supposed three-month trial, although her agreement contained no trial clause. She resigned in response.

Employer checklist for using a 90-day trial period: drafting the clause, signing before work starts, calculating the period, giving termination notice and avoiding defects that can revive a personal grievance.

A drafting problem in a mediated s 149 settlement where clauses about when agreement became binding did not align with a separate requirement for mediator sign-off, creating an avoidable enforcement dispute.

Why a restraint of trade recorded in a negotiated settlement can be harder to attack than a restraint imposed in the original employment agreement, particularly once the settlement is certified under s 149.

DQJ challenged an ERA decision refusing interim reinstatement after Inland Revenue ended her employment. The Employment Court had to decide whether preserving the employment relationship pending the substantive grievance was justified without deciding the ultimate merits.

Kaur Queens Trading labelled taxi driver Ashkan Vakilipour Takaloo an independent contractor, but controlled and integrated his work into its taxi business. The relationship broke down amid withheld wages, aggressive verbal abuse and cancellation of his ability to work out his notice.

Corrections dismissed prison officer Rakai Tawhiwhirangi for alleged unjustified use of force after an incident that also resulted in a criminal prosecution in which he was acquitted on self-defence grounds. The ERA examined the employer's independent investigation, the evidence available and the fairness of the serious-misconduct conclusion.

Stephen Nunn was dismissed by Port Nicholson Fisheries after investigations into crayfish compliance issues. The case examined the quality of two disciplinary investigations, including reliance on an earlier warning, withheld information, unseen CCTV material, suspension and whether alternatives to dismissal were considered.