Business Law Library & Tracker
Wages, Leave & Payroll
Minimum pay, deductions, holidays, leave records and payroll compliance.
Sources last reviewed 28 July 2026
Main law guides
157
Acts, regulations and codes worth reading first
Topics
60
Plain-English clusters
Published case explainers
96
Selected cases with a business lesson
Tracked updates
8
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 helpMain laws
Accident Compensation Act 2001
2001 No 49
Holidays Act 2003
2003 No 129
KiwiSaver Act 2006
2006 No 40
Minimum Wage Act 1983
1983 No 115
Parental Leave and Employment Protection Act 1987
1987 No 129
Shop Trading Hours Act 1990
1990 No 57
Wages Protection Act 1983
1983 No 143
Te Ture mō te Hararei Tūmatanui o te Kāhui o Matariki 2022
2022 No 14
Anzac Day Act 1966
1966 No 44
Cases
Chen v Wei
Company directors must ensure their businesses comply with employment standards, including paying employees their full entitlements. If a company cannot meet its...
Edgecumbe Supermarket v Petersen
Employers must ensure that employment agreements are clear, that they follow proper procedures when addressing employee concerns or disciplinary matters, and that...
Faitala and Vea v The Pacific Island Business Development Trust
Employers must ensure that redundancy processes are genuine, transparent, and in compliance with employment agreements and good faith obligations. Employees have...
Halse & Anor v Hamilton City Council
If your business settles an employment dispute through MBIE mediation, do not treat the record of settlement as a one-off document that fades away with time. In...
Insight New Zealand 2007 Ltd v Johnstone
For business owners, the main lesson is not that safety expectations are unimportant. It is that serious allegations need clear rules, a fair investigation and a...
LMN v STC
LMN v STC shows that New Zealand employers must get consent before contacting employee references and must process sick leave correctly when medical certificates...
Manawatu Motors 1970 Ltd v Renner
Manawatu Motors 1970 Ltd v Renner shows that employees who undermine their employer’s business relationships or breach loyalty duties can be liable for damages....
Rooney Farms Limited v Stewart
If your business is thinking about challenging an Employment Relations Authority determination, do not assume that challenge buys you time on payment. It does not....
Singh v McKee
Employers must ensure redundancy processes are thorough, fair, and well-documented to avoid findings of unjustified dismissal. When dismissals are challenged,...
St Arnaud Alpine Store 2019 Ltd v Labour Inspector
For business owners, the durable lesson is about exposure rather than legal technicalities. If payroll, hours, leave, breaks and records are not properly managed, a...
Allied Investments Ltd v Jones
Employers must ensure that any changes to employment terms, such as commission structures, are clearly communicated and agreed upon with employees. Failure to do so...
Bread of Life Christian Church in Auckland v Chen
Bread of Life Christian Church in Auckland v Chen confirms that employment law applies to religious and charitable organisations when they employ staff. The courts...
Brown v The Clinician Holdings Ltd
If your business engages independent contractors, ensure their working arrangements do not resemble those of employees. Factors such as control over work hours,...
IDEA Services Ltd v Wills
Employers must not assume that a government mandate alone justifies skipping proper dismissal procedures. Even in urgent or challenging circumstances, you must...
Soapi and Others v Pick Hawkes Bay Inc
Employers must be careful when making deductions from employees’ wages, especially for accommodation and other costs. Deductions must be lawful, agreed to in...
Tillmans Fine Furniture Ltd v Rookes
Employers must be careful when offering fixed-term contracts, especially after dismissing an employee from a permanent role. The Court found that Tillmans Fine...
Xu v Pioneer Education and Immigration Services Group Ltd
Employers must be careful when dismissing staff, especially where the dismissal is found to be unjustified. Compensation for lost earnings, emotional harm, and...
Yang v Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand
Employers must be transparent and fair when addressing performance concerns, especially in regulated environments. If an employee is placed on a supported training...
Auckland Trotting Club Inc v Payne
Employers cannot rely on verbal agreements to change written employment contracts. Changes to pay structures, particularly involving commissions or bonuses, must be...
Caleys Ltd v Deadman
Employers should not rely on blanket forfeiture clauses to recover wages when an employee resigns without notice. Such clauses are likely to be seen as penalties...
Carrington Jade LP v Grant
Employers must ensure they correctly classify workers as casual or permanent employees, comply with holiday pay obligations, and follow fair dismissal procedures....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...