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…
Changes To Policy Mean Existing Business Visa Holders May Miss Out When Applying For Residence
There have been some new residence criteria introduced by Immigration New Zealand which may impact on Long Term Business Visa (LTBV) holders. Where there has been a change in policy, immigration have previously allowed applicants on a pathway to residence not to be disadvantaged by new policy. With the present changes, Immigration New Zealand have…
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…
Update On Proposed Entrepreneur Work Visa
The “Latest News” section on Immigration New Zealand website says full details of the proposed Entrepreneur Work Visa will be made public before March 2014 …please see the following extract: “ What are the details of the new visa? When will more information about this new visa be available? The detailed criteria for the new…