Employment Law New Zealand

How an unfair or involuntary dismissal can affect a WINZ stand-down and why evidence of a personal grievance may be relevant when asking MSD to reconsider a non-entitlement period.

How to obtain and use myIR income records as independent evidence of pre- and post-dismissal earnings when calculating wage arrears and lost-remuneration claims.

Commentary on National's proposal to remove or restrict no-win-no-fee employment arrangements and the likely access-to-justice consequences for employees who cannot fund representation upfront.

Employee-side no-win-no-fee employment advocacy for suitable personal-grievance, dismissal and redundancy cases, including mediation and ERA representation where the case meets the acceptance criteria.

In an interlocutory Employment Court judgment, TVNZ failed to establish legal advice privilege over the Robins Report, a lawyer-led review of recruitment and workplace processes. The Court also rejected broad non-publication orders based only on general privacy and reputational concerns. The substantive dispute remains unresolved.

Former Gloriavale members successfully judicially reviewed Labour Inspectorate decisions to take no further action on earlier inquiries. The Employment Court found errors concerning the Inspectorate's jurisdictional threshold, child workers, irrelevant considerations and failures to make adequate further inquiries. Remedies were left for a reconvened hearing.

The Employment Court left the ERA's unchallenged finding of unjustified redundancy dismissal in place but increased compensation for humiliation, loss of dignity and injury to feelings from $8,000 to $15,000. The judgment is useful guidance on evidence of emotional harm and the updated compensation bands.

The Employment Court found two unjustified disadvantages in a long-running school employment dispute: former employers listed on LMN's CV were contacted without authority while her grievances were being investigated, and medical certificates were not properly recognised when dealing with her leave. Most of LMN's wider claims failed.