Put a fixed term employment contract in place

A fixed term arrangement is not just a standard employment contract with an expiry date added in. The reason for the fixed term, the way the role is described, and the actual working arrangement can all affect whether the contract is likely to stand up if later questioned. If the document is vague or the facts point in a different direction, you can face arguments that the employee should not have been engaged on a fixed term basis at all. That is why the factual working arrangement can matter as much as the contract wording.

The contract will usually deal with the employee's role, hours, pay, leave, duties, confidentiality, workplace expectations, and the event or date that brings the employment to an end. For a fixed term hire, the document should also clearly record the genuine reason for the limited term and how that reason connects to the role, such as project work, seasonal demand or temporary cover. We focus on the core document and its legal wording, rather than ongoing HR management or dispute representation after the contract is issued.

That depends on why the role is fixed term and how the person will actually work in your business. For example, a contract for parental leave cover may need different wording from a contract for a short project or a busy seasonal period. We will usually ask about the role, reporting lines, expected duration, whether the end point is a date or event, and any special conditions that apply. The drafting should be matched to the commercial arrangement, the documents already in use and the facts around how the work is performed, not just the label you give the role.

A template may be useful for orientation, but it often misses the operational details that decide whether the wording works for your business. However, fixed term arrangements are one area where generic wording often causes problems. If the reason for the term is not properly stated, or the contract does not match how the person is actually engaged, the document may not give you the protection you expected. A tailored contract lets you address the specific basis for the fixed term, the end mechanism, and the practical terms of the role. That We will make the key issues clear so you can decide what to do next.

Once we have the key details about the role and why it is fixed term, we draft the contract and send it through for your review. If there are points to adjust, we make amendments so the final version reflects the agreed position. The next step is usually to issue the contract before the employee starts work. This service covers the contract drafting and related advice on that document. It does not include ongoing representation, dispute work, or broader HR support after rollout unless separately arranged.

Just submit an enquiry via this page or click the 'get started' button on our website to submit an enquiry. After you've submitted an enquiry, one of our legal consultants will review your enquiry within 1 business day and get in touch to get a better idea of exactly what you are looking for.

Then your legal consultant will send through an email with a bit more information about the services you need, along with a fixed fee quote setting out costs, scope of the service and timing. Have a read through it, and if you're happy with the scope, you can accept and sign our engagement letter online - easy!

Once you've formally accepted, we'll connect you with a specialist lawyer and they will work with you to complete your project. They will contact you by email or phone if they need to get in touch.

Sprintlaw works on fixed-fee pricing wherever possible, so you can review the scope and cost before you decide whether to proceed. For the Fixed Term Employment Contract service, pricing starts from $900.00.

After you enquire, a legal consultant will confirm what is included, the expected timing and whether any extra work is needed before you engage us.

We operate completely online, which means we can help you wherever you are in New Zealand. We have office spaces in Sydney, and in Melbourne, but our use of technology allows our team members to work remotely from around the world. Our legal team are mostly based in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. We also have a London office for Sprintlaw UK.

Our legal team is made up of experienced lawyers, who are specialists in various areas of law and hold an Australian legal practising certificate. None of our Sprintlaw lawyers are New Zealand qualified lawyers and they do not currently hold a New Zealand practising certificate.

They provide legal services working remotely from Australia via our 'legal consultancy' model, through which (under section 6 and section 35 of the New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006) our Australian legal team are permitted to provide legal services to New Zealand businesses provided they do not provide services in certain 'reserved' areas of law. You can read our FAQ page to learn a bit more about our 'legal consultancy' model.

Given the strong similarities between Australian and New Zealand law, and the areas of law in which we practice (being small business and startup law), we do not view the fact that our lawyers have not qualified in New Zealand as having any substantive impact on the quality of our service. We are committed to ensuring that we provide high quality, affordable legal services to all our New Zealand clients.

Our legal team have all trained at leading firms, but have left the traditional corporate law world to join us on our mission to create a new and better way of delivering legal services. They have specialist expertise in technology law, intellectual property law, contract drafting and review, corporate law and commercial law.