In general, parents currently have the right to request one continuous period of paid parental leave for up to a maximum of 14 weeks. Sue Moroney MP, Labour, proposes to increase paid parental leave from 14 weeks to 26 weeks. Part of the proposal is to stage the increased leave [...]
ARL Lawyers are delighted to announce they are finalists in the 2012 Law Awards. They have been nominated for a premier award in the Regional/Suburban Law Firm of the year category. Now in its eighth year, the awards are the highlight of the New Zealand legal calendar. They are the [...]
Whether Waitaingi Day and ANZAC Day should be 'Mondayised' has long since been debated. The matter is currently before Parliament in the form of the Holidays (Full Recognition of Waitangi Day and ANZAC Day) Amendment Bill. Essentially, if assented to, the proposed legislation will mean that whenever Waitangi Day or [...]
Family Categories Applicants seeking permanent residence in New Zealand under the family categories, face major policy changes. As at 16 May 2012 the Sibling and Adult Child category ceased to exist. This effectively bars parents who have become New Zealand permanent residents or citizens, from sponsoring their adult children (those [...]
Employers should by now be aware that from July 2011, it became mandatory for employers to retain Individual Employment Agreements for all current employees. However, when assisting both employers and employees in employment matters, we are still encountering a relatively large number of cases where there is no written employment [...]
Are you a member of the board of a charitable organisation? If your charity is registered with the Charities Commission, there are important changes to the Act which affect officers and which all charities should be aware of. If your organisation runs as an incorporated society it will be governed [...]
Sleepover work is now to be paid at the minimum wage rate with workers compensated with 'back-wages' for sleep-over work performed from the period 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2011. The Sleepover Wages (Settlement) Act 2011 ('the Act') came into force on 18 October 2011 as a result of [...]
On 16 March 2011, the National Government announced it would introduce a Consumer Law Reform Bill before the middle of this year. The Bill will cover the Fair Trading Act, the Consumer Guarantees Act, the Weights and Measures Act, the Layby Sales Act, the Unsolicited Goods and Services Act, the [...]
From 1 April 2011, all employers will be able to rely on a 90 day "grievance free" trial period for new employees providing that: 1. The employer has not previously employed the employee; 2. The 90 day grievance free trial period is recorded in a written employment agreement. 3. The [...]
The National Government has introduced some key changes to the Holidays Act which will take effect from 1 April 2011. Employees will be entitled to cash up to one week's annual leave in each year of annual leave entitlement. An employer cannot force an employee to cash up their annual [...]