The Government’s Employment Relations Amendment Bill 2025 has passed its third reading on 17 February 2026, marking the most significant shift in New Zealand’s employment law settings since 2018. Most of the changes will take effect the following day after the Bill receives the Royal Assent (expected imminently).

New Zealand’s KiwiSaver scheme is set for a significant adjustment on 1 April 2026, with compulsory contribution rates for both employers and employees rising from 3% to 3.5%. This change forms part of the government’s staged plan to strengthen retirement savings, with a further increase to 4% scheduled for 1 April 2028.

With the holiday season approaching, many businesses are planning a closedown period. This guide explains what employers must do to stay compliant with the Holidays Act 2003.

On 20 August 2025, Parliament passed a new law that purports to promote pay transparency by protecting employees who discuss their own remuneration (which may or may not involve disclosing their own remuneration) or enquire into the remuneration of another employee, with the goal of helping detect and address pay inequities - particularly relating to gender, Māori, and Pasifika pay gaps.

The government has announced its plan to amend the Employment Relations Act 2000 by introducing a new legislative test that aims to prevent workers from challenging their status as an independent contractors and claiming that they are employees.

When engaging people as contractors, it's not just the contract label that matters — how the working relationship functions in practice is key. If a contractor is treated like an employee, with significant control exerted over their work and integration into the business, the contractor will 'at law' likely be an employee, and getting this classification wrong can be and often is expensive. Understanding and correctly applying the criteria is essential to avoid legal and financial repercussions.