This plain-language guide outlines and explains the laws which govern employment relations – including the duties and obligations of employers and employees, negotiating employment agreements, collective bargaining, health and safety at work, hours of work, pay and conditions, holidays, termination of employment, disputes and grievances, discrimination, information privacy, and much more.

Decisions of the Employment Court, the Employment Relations Authority and other courts and tribunals are used to show how employment laws and agreements are interpreted and applied in real life. The guide is revised annually, so the law and decisions it reports are right up to date.

The 2024 edition has been updated to include (among other things) new and updated commentary on:

• 90-day trial periods
• redeployment obligations during a restructuring
• good faith obligations when employees transfer from one business to another
• the employment status of volunteers
• the Whakaari/White Island WorkSafe prosecution
• social media dismissals
• tikanga and employment law
• decision-making by artificial intelligence
• proposals for shared parental leave
• the Employment Relations (Extended Time for Personal Grievance for Sexual Harassment) Amendment Act 2023, and
• the Worker Protection (Migrant and Other Employees) Act 2023.

The New Zealand Employment Law Guide is an essential reference for anyone involved or interested in employment relations or employment law.