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…
Changes Coming To The Employment Relations Act
Changes coming to the Employment Relations Act – The Employment Relations Bill was recently reported back from select committee and looks likely to pass into law later this year. The Bill is intended to make a number of changes to the 2000 Act, including: Clarifying what an employer must disclose as part of its duty of…
Earthquake-Prone Buildings And The Health And Safety Act
How does this affect you? Under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 (HSEA), employers and owners of buildings which are places of work must identify and manage hazards in the place of work. This includes building-related hazards. Building owners must also meet the requirements of the Building Act 2004. This includes standards for…
Goodbye Long Term Business Visa
December 20th 2013 was the last day for submission of Long Term Business Visa applications. The replacement Visa (to be called Entrepreneur Work Visa) will not be introduced before March 2014. The New Zealand Association for Migration and Investment reported in its December newsletter to members that Immigration New Zealand’s delay in introducing the…
Immigrating To New Zealand As A “Skilled Migrant”?
To apply under the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) you must: meet Immigration NZ (INZ) requirements; be aged 55 or under; meet set standards of health and character; speak English (and relatively well). Five Key Steps: 1. The Expression of Interest (EOI) This is the first step towards making an application. If you qualify, you can…
Recent Changes To Employment Law
There have been significant changes to employment law over the last couple of years with more change still to come. Three key changes to be aware of: Trial periods Employers using 90-day trial periods must comply with certain specific requirements. These include: A trial period may only be used for a new employee. An employee…
Kiwisaver Employer Contributions- Can This Be Deducted From Minimum Wage?
In an earlier blog we discussed the increase in minimum contributions from 2% to 3%. The Court of Appeal has now had to consider the interplay between the Minimum Wage Act and the KiwiSaver Act. The Court of Appeal has decided that compulsory employer KiwiSaver contributions cannot be deducted from wages paid to employees when those…