Posts by Shima Grice

For those of you waiting with bated breath for the Transport and Industrial Relations Select Committee to report to Parliament on the Health and Safety Reform Bill (due on 30 March), you will have to wait a little longer. The committee is not now due to report until 29 May 2015. We will keep you…

Health And Safety Reform Update

Boost To Parental Leave

On 1 April 2015 the full entitlement to paid parental leave will increase to 16 weeks. This will increase again on 1 April 2016 to 18 weeks. This means the entitlement will align more closely with Australia and the OECD average. Who is entitled to the increase? Those who have an expected due date on…

Australian Workplace Health And Safety Prosecution Has NZ Implications

Australian Workplace Health and Safety prosecution has NZ implications

Health and Safety – recent Australian workplace prosecution has NZ implications

Workplace Health and Safety is a hot topic right now and it is important for New Zealand HR Managers and staff to be aware of Australia’s first prosecution of an ‘officer’ under their new workplace health and safety legislation. Similar laws are due to be implemented here in the near future. Click here to find out more….

Parental Leave – The Birth Of Something New?

Managing an employee on parental leave can be full of hidden traps. To help make it easier the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is seeking feedback on modernising parental leave. Further information on MBIE’s consultation can be found here We will be making submissions to MBIE, as we believe there are a number…

Cyber Bullying – Harmful Digital Communications Bill

The Harmful Digital Communications Bill is the government’s response to the Law Commission’s findings that existing legislation does not effectively address new forms of harm made possible by digital communication. The Bill will change the Privacy Act. Currently, the Privacy Act does not apply where an individual collects or holds personal information for his or…

How Do You Store Personal Information?

If you use spreadsheets to track employee, customer, contractor or supplier information, you are opening yourself up to error and possibly breaching your obligations under the Privacy Act 1993, Privacy Commissioner John Edwards says. In data breaches involving spreadsheets reported to the Privacy Commissioner, the numbers of individuals affected per breach has ranged from dozens…

“You’re Fired” – We’re Closer To It Than We Realise

Employers often complain that it is “too hard” to get rid of staff, and say it is a procedural nightmare. We wondered how New Zealand compares to other countries. Luckily for us, the OECD has released its ranking of employment protection (how hard it is to fire someone) across the OECD. The factors considered were:…

Drastic Changes To New Zealand’s Health And Safety Law

6 things EVERY business needs to know Each year 1 in 10 workers are harmed and more than 200,000 claims are lodged with ACC. Current legislation focuses on passive compliance and has allowed a culture where companies can create health and safety policies; train their staff, and consider their jobs done. The “Health and Safety…

Government Consulting On Reform To Health And Safety Law

The forestry and farming industries continue to be high hazard industries despite their importance to our economy. Each year 1 in 10 workers are harmed and more than 200,000 claims are lodged with ACC. Our current health and safety system is comprised of: The Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 (“HSE Act); Various supporting…