COVID-19

The Government announced on 20 April 2020 that at 11.59pm on 27 April 2020 we will move to Alert Level 3 for two weeks before a further review and Alert Level decision on 11 May 2020.  It is important for employers to be aware of the new restrictions under Alert Level 3 so that they

As New Zealand enters its second week of the Alert Level 4 lockdown, we have put together the following update to address the recent developments within employment law, which, as expected, largely relate to the COVID-19 crisis.  As Easter quickly approaches, we also address some concerns employers may have regarding public holidays that fall during

Yesterday (27 March 2020), several changes were made to the Government’s financial support package for businesses.  Importantly, the changes do not alter the obligations for employers who applied for the Wage Subsidy and Leave Payments before 3pm on 27 March 2020.  The declaration made, and obligations agreed to by employers at the time of the

The government has now made a significant amendment to yesterday’s directives. The Minister of Finance Grant Robertson has just made an announcement amending employers’ wage subsidy obligations (for those applying for the subsidy after 3pm yesterday) to “…if a person’s income is normally less than the subsidy they can be paid their normal salary.” See: https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/clarification-modification-wage-subsidy-scheme This

With New Zealand being elevated to Level 4 with a lockdown from 11:59pm tonight (Wednesday, 25 March 2020), these unprecedented circumstances have resulted in frequently asked legal questions from employers.  We set them out in this newsletter. Q. Can my business access the Wage Subsidy? The Government has lifted the $150,000 limit that can be

The Government’s “Go Hard, Go Early, Contain COVID-19” Strategy introduces leave payments to support employees, self-employed and contractors who are unable to work due to self-isolation or who are sick with COVID-19 or caring for dependents (either due to self-isolation or contracting COVID-19).  The strategy also provides support, in terms of wage subsidies, for businesses

In light of the developing COVID-19 pandemic, and the New Zealand Government’s recent directives on 14 March 2020, we have received various queries from clients.  Given the vast array of situations and variables, it would not be practical for us to cover each potential situation.  Accordingly, we have chosen some of the key questions we

The Ministry of Health announced on 2 February 2020 that all travellers arriving in New Zealand out of mainland China are expected to self-isolate for a period of 14 days due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.   You may have employees returning from personal and/or business travel in China and want to know your rights. Are you