New Zealand: Employment and HR

In New Zealand, the right for an employee to have a support person in a range of different settings is well established and important to be aware of. Formal meetings, like a disciplinary meeting or similar process, can be intimidating for employees. Having a support person, whether that be a family member, friend or lawyer, can help employees through that process. Having a support person in a disciplinary meeting is often advantageous for an employer as well.

New Zealand’s Employment Relations Act reforms are now in force and change how you hire, manage contractors and handle personal grievances. You can offer individual agreements from day one, and a new gateway test provides clearer rules for contractor status

An employee works within your business under an employment agreement and receives statutory rights and protections, while a contractor is self-employed and provides services independently under a contract for services. The key difference lies in the nature of the working relationship, including the level of control, integration into the business, and legal obligations owed, and misclassification can expose your business to legal and financial risk.