The third and final episode of our three-part employment law bitesize podcast series covering New Zealand is now available on our website. In this series, we talk with friends from overseas firms to explore and compare key issues when employing staff in their jurisdiction.

In this final episode, Senior Associate Marianne Parkinson and Associate Olivia Rhys-Evans from our Employment team speak with Senior Associate Joshua Kimpton and Senior Solicitor Bonnie Simmonds from MinterEllisonRuddWatts in Auckland to share other notable employment topics and trends for New Zealand employers, such as:

• The increase in employee grievances.
• Post-termination restrictions.
• The duty of good faith and its unique requirements around employee consultation.
• Other trends and updates such as health and safety reforms, proposed changes to the complex Holidays Act 2003, the introduction of gateway tests for determining worker status, and more.

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Blubrry - https://create.blubrry.com/resources/about-blubrry/privacy-policy
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Key employment and business immigration developments for employers.

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Blubrry - https://create.blubrry.com/resources/about-blubrry/privacy-policy
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

The second episode of our three-part New Zealand employment law series is now live. Senior Associate Marianne Parkinson and Associate Olivia Rhys-Evans from our Employment team speak with Senior Associate Joshua Kimpton and Senior Solicitor Bonnie Simmonds from MinterEllisonRuddWatts in Auckland as part of our international employment law podcast series, where we talk with friends from overseas firms to explore and compare key issues when employing staff in their jurisdiction.

In this episode, our speakers discuss key protections against dismissal that employees in New Zealand enjoy and what employers need to be aware of, including:

• Justified and procedurally fair dismissals per the Employment Relations Act 2000.
• The employee's right to bring a personal grievance regardless of tenure or role.
• Garden leave and pay in lieu of notice.
• Special protections for vulnerable workers in business sales.
• The role of employee representatives and unions.
• Practical steps for resolving termination disputes.

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Blubrry - https://create.blubrry.com/resources/about-blubrry/privacy-policy
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

In the these three episodes, Senior Associate Marianne Parkinson and Associate Olivia Rhys-Evans from our Employment team are joined by Senior Associate Joshua Kimpton and Senior Solicitor Bonnie Simmonds from MinterEllisonRuddWatts' established employment team in Auckland. Our speakers discuss the process of hiring, ending employment, and other notable considerations when employing staff in New Zealand.

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Blubrry - https://create.blubrry.com/resources/about-blubrry/privacy-policy
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Key employment and business immigration developments for employers

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Blubrry - https://create.blubrry.com/resources/about-blubrry/privacy-policy
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Starting with the UK, 2024 saw a change of Government in the UK for the first time since 2010. The new Labour Government had pledged it would "deliver the biggest upgrade to rights at work for a generation". As promised, the Employment Rights Bill heralds major changes to employment laws including in relation to unfair dismissal, zero hours workers, fire and rehire, and collective redundancy consultation, with further changes to come.

We have produced a summary of the Bill and what it means for employers . Although most of the changes will not take effect until 2026, there are various steps employers should take to prepare during 2025 (see Coming up in 2025 below)

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Blubrry - https://create.blubrry.com/resources/about-blubrry/privacy-policy
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

The UK government is moving towards an increasingly digital visa system. In this episode, Senior Associate Moji Oyediran and Associate Katie Good from our Employment and Business Immigration team discuss how this is being achieved, such as the rollout of e-visas and the phased introduction of the Electronic Travel Authorisation Scheme. Our speakers also touch upon the new EU Visa Waiver program, which will require non-EU nationals (including UK nationals) to apply online or via a mobile app prior to visiting the EU.

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Blubrry - https://create.blubrry.com/resources/about-blubrry/privacy-policy
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Key employment and business immigration developments for employers.

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Blubrry - https://create.blubrry.com/resources/about-blubrry/privacy-policy
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

In this episode, Senior Associate Moji Oyediran and Associate Katie Good from our Employment & Business Immigration team discuss the immigration sponsorship and right to work compliance regime for employers, exploring the recent spike in licence cancellations and revocations due to identified compliance breaches. The pair also break down the process for how these compliance audits are conducted, the potential ramifications of non-compliance or compliance breaches, and how employers can avoid finding themselves in this situation.

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Blubrry - https://create.blubrry.com/resources/about-blubrry/privacy-policy
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Key employment and business immigration developments for employers.

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Blubrry - https://create.blubrry.com/resources/about-blubrry/privacy-policy
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp