Business Law Library & Tracker
Selected Business Law Cases
Short explainers for court decisions that change how New Zealand businesses handle contracts, staff, customers, IP and company duties.
Sources last reviewed 17 Aug 2026
Main law guides
158
Acts, regulations and codes worth reading first
Topics
60
Plain-English clusters
Published case explainers
97
Selected cases with a business lesson
Tracked updates
11
New, amended & reviewed
Plain-English explainers, not legal advice. Use the linked official source for section-level detail, and get advice for your situation.
Get legal helpCommerce Commission v Viagogo AG
A marketplace is responsible for the impression created by the whole customer journey. A technical disclosure, refund policy or later fee breakdown may not correct...
Danske Mobler v A Labour Inspector of the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment
Employers must include non-contractual overtime in the calculation of relevant daily pay for FBAPS leave. Improvement notices from Labour Inspectors should be...
E Tū Inc v New Zealand Steel Ltd
The Employment Court confirmed that make-up pay is triggered when an employee, at the employer’s request, works outside their established ordinary hours and cannot...
E Tū Inc v Singh
Employers and unions must ensure that disciplinary processes are conducted fairly, with clear reasons for dismissal and a genuine opportunity for employees to...
Ford v Henry Brown and Co Ltd
Ford v Henry Brown and Co Ltd is a reminder that employers must be proactive and transparent during recruitment and dismissal. If you do not ask direct questions...
Fredricsen and anor v Air New Zealand Ltd and Air New Zealand Ltd v Fredricsen and anor
Employers must act in good faith when making decisions that affect employees, particularly in situations involving health and safety requirements like COVID-19...
Glenfield College BOT & Ors v Anderson
This case underscores that employers must handle reductions in employee hours with care. Even if a collective agreement contains provisions about hours, unilateral...
Hu v Passion Fresh Ltd
Employers and host businesses must understand their roles and obligations when engaging labour hire workers. Employees must raise personal grievances directly with...
Keighran v Kensington Tavern Ltd
Employers must consult with staff before making significant changes to their roles or hours, especially when those changes are prompted by workplace disputes or...
Preece v Synlait Milk Ltd
Employers should ensure that workplace policies, such as vaccination requirements, are implemented with proper consultation and communication. Employees must have...
Television New Zealand Ltd v E Tū Incorporated
Employers must carefully follow the consultation and participation requirements in their collective agreements, especially when making significant changes such as...
A Labour Inspector of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment v Prisha’s Hospitality (2017) Ltd T/A Royal Cambridge Indian Restaurant
Employers must strictly comply with minimum employment standards, including paying at least minimum wage, providing proper holiday and leave entitlements, and...
Appleton v Tasman Cargo Airlines Pty Ltd
Employers must ensure that disciplinary investigations are conducted fairly and in line with both internal procedures and industry standards. In safety-critical...
Birthing Centre Ltd v Matsas
Employers must carefully follow employment law requirements when making decisions that affect employees' jobs, such as redundancies or closures. This includes...
Henderson Travels Ltd v Kaur
Employers must ensure redundancies are based on legitimate business needs and not used as a pretext for other actions, such as pressuring employees for personal...
Henry v South Waikato Achievement Trust
Employers should avoid rushing disciplinary actions and not rely on minor procedural defects to justify dismissals. The Court requires substantive fairness and...
Le Gros v Fonterra Cooperative Group Ltd
Employers should review their employment agreements and policies to ensure clarity around long service leave entitlements. This case highlights the importance of...
MGK Homes Ltd v Yoon
Employers must be careful when ending an employment relationship, especially with migrant workers. If an employee is dismissed without proper process or...
Nelmac Ltd v Reunited Employees Assoc Inc
The Employment Court confirmed that both employers and unions must uphold the duty of good faith during collective bargaining. If negotiations become antagonistic...
New Zealand Air Line Pilots’ Assoc IUOW Inc v Tasman Cargo Airlines Pty Ltd
If you announce a pay rise to all eligible staff, you must honour it for union members, even if collective bargaining starts soon after. Withholding a promised...
New Zealand Steel Ltd v Haddad
New Zealand Steel Ltd v Haddad shows that employers must not only follow the steps of a redundancy process, but also act fairly and reasonably throughout....
Pact Group v Robinson
Employers must ensure that disciplinary actions are based on clear and substantiated grounds, and that processes are conducted fairly and transparently. Failure to...
Pact Group v Sheridan
The Employment Court confirmed that when a collective agreement requires 'two weeks' written notice', the notice period starts the day after the notice is given....
Pyne v Invacare New Zealand Ltd
Employers should base redundancy decisions on genuine operational needs and adhere to employment agreements. Failing to explore alternative employment options or...
Turner v Te Whatu Ora
Employers can justify dismissal for serious misconduct arising from social media posts if those posts damage the organisation’s reputation or breach codes of...
Wilson-Grange Investments v Guerra
This case shows that small businesses cannot unilaterally reduce staff hours or wages, even in tough times like pandemic lockdowns. Employment agreements must be...
Yan v Mainzeal Property and Construction Ltd (in liquidation)
Directors of a group company need evidence that promised support is real, sufficient and available when required. Comfort from a shareholder or related company is...
Farrand Orchards Ltd v Tane
Employers must ensure that any 90-day trial period is clearly discussed, agreed, and included in a signed employment agreement before the employee starts work....
Karunanayake v FED
Employers cannot avoid minimum employment obligations by simply labelling a worker as a contractor or offering commission-only pay. If the working relationship fits...
Bathurst Resources Ltd v L & M Coal Holdings Ltd
If a payment or milestone trigger matters, draft it so an outsider can apply it without reconstructing months of negotiations. Context may help, but clear drafting...
Gill Pizza Ltd v A Labour Inspector
Calling workers contractors does not prevent a Labour Inspector from testing their status in an enforcement claim. Franchisees and other small businesses using...
Tourism Holdings Ltd v A Labour Inspector
Variable pay does not fall outside holiday-pay calculations merely because it is lumpy or reconciled after the work. Employers need payroll rules that test...
127 Hobson Street Ltd v Honey Bees Preschool Ltd
Commercial default clauses can be enforceable when they protect a real business interest and are proportionate. Drafting should show why the obligation matters,...
ANZ Bank New Zealand Ltd v Bushline Trustees Ltd
Treat your finance documents as one package, not as paperwork that simply follows the real deal. If a lender is agreeing to hold a margin, match a competitor, keep...
Commerce Commission v Steel & Tube Holdings Limited
A standards claim must be supported by the actual testing method, sample selection and certification chain. Repeating a supplier or laboratory statement is not...
Debut Homes Ltd (in liquidation) v Cooper
A controlled wind-down still needs a lawful creditor plan. Directors should not keep trading merely because completion may improve the net position if the plan...