From 1 July 2016 the maximum rate of paid parental leave for eligible employees and self-employed parents increased.

Speculation over the 90-day trial period and whether it is valid or not has come to light again with a recent case out of the Employment Relations Authority, see: Clark vs Lighthouse ECE Limited [2016] NZERA Auckland 281.

A perception has developed among litigants and practitioners that pursuing a claim under the Human Rights Act has the potential to be more lucrative than under the Employment Relations Act (when the nature of the claim is such that it could be pursued either way). The question is, does this perception have any merit?

Should a WorkSafe NZ Inspector come onto your site for an inspection (or after a serious incident), one of their requests will be to see your documentation to verify the training you have provided to your workers.  Can you put your hand on heart and say it’s all up to date???

The Shop Trading Hours Act 1990 is being amended to enable territorial authorities to decide whether retailers in their districts can open on Easter Sunday.

The Employment Relations Authority has issued a practice note regarding its calculation of costs awards.

The Privacy Act gives people the right to see personal information that agencies hold about them. While this might appear straightforward, there are a number of circumstances where people and agencies disagree about what personal information the agency needs to disclose and what it can withhold.

The process of collecting health information can affect both privacy and personal dignity. This is what spurred a man to complain to our office after he was asked for a urine test by his prospective employer.

An employer refused to hand over certain information to an employee who contested a job performance evaluation.

The Court of Appeal has upheld the legality of a total ban on smoking on Waitemata District Health Board (WDHB) premises. The Smoke-free Policy, in place since 2009, prohibits smoking inside and on the grounds of all WDHB sites, including its mental health units. Patients and employees who cannot leave the premises are therefore unable to smoke.