Edwards Law – Employment Law Specialists is delighted to announce that it is approved as a registered service provider for the Regional Business Partner Network (“RBPN”).
Edwards Law is offering specialist employment law support for businesses to make more informed, confident and compliant decisions in the context of COVID-19 and general day to day operations of a business. Your business can hit the ground running while ensuring its legal obligations are met in this changing environment.
What does this mean for you?
Full Funding for the COVID-19 Business Advisory Fund
If COVID-19 is having an impact on your business, then you may be eligible for a voucher of up to $5,000 excluding GST to cover 100% of the cost of our specialist services and advice under the COVID-19 Business Advisory Fund.
Co-Funding for the Capability Development Voucher Fund
The Management Capability Development Voucher Fund provides a financial subsidy of up to 50% towards the cost of training and coaching services for eligible businesses. The maximum amount a business can receive in one year is $5,000 excluding GST.
You can find out more on www.regionalbusinesspartners.co.nz.
What we can provide you?
If your business qualifies for either the full funding or co-funding, Edwards Law may provide the following services to your business:
- Training on employers’ obligations in the context of COVID-19 and the Alert Levels
- An initial strategy meeting to discuss your business’ current and ongoing needs in relation to your staff, employment law obligations and health and safety, including whether to restructure and other options to adapt the business to the current economic climate
- Advice and support with:
- Restructuring/Redundancy process;
- Reducing hours of work;
- Leave entitlements and payments during COVID-19;
- Health and safety obligations at each Alert Level; and
- Worksite Plans, Health and Safety Policies, and Working from Home Policies.
- Response to disputes that arise in the workplace due to new COVID-19 measures
We also provide the following training and support under the co-funding scheme:
- training and support on restructuring, you can view details here.
- training and support on performance management and exit negotiation, details are available here.
You can access full details of our COVID-19 eligible services here for full funding or here for co-funding.
How can you access the government funded RBPN services?
Below is an outline of how you can access this support and various funding through the RBPN. However, if you would like to get in touch with us first, then please do so. We are here to help.
1. First, you will need to ensure that your business is eligible. Businesses must:
- have fewer than 100 full-time equivalent employees to qualify for full funding;
- otherwise for co-funding, fewer than 50 full-time equivalent employees;
- be GST registered in New Zealand;
- be operating in a commercial environment; and
- are a privately owned business, or are a Maori Trust or incorporation under Te Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993 or similar organisation managing Maori assets under multiple ownership.
2. You must register your business with the RBPN here. This only takes a matter of minutes. You will need the following information:
- GST number;
- legal business name;
- business contact person and email address;
- year the business started trading or plans to start trading;
- primary business location;
- business physical address; and
- business administrator’s contact details.
3. After registering on the RPBN website, you will meet with a RBPN Growth Advisor to discuss your business and challenges that it is facing. During this discussion, you will need to tell the Growth Advisor what service you would like to obtain from us. You can see what services we provide here. After the Growth Advisor has assessed your business’ needs, it may issue you with a voucher to subsidise the cost of our services.
4. From here, we can assist you with redeeming the voucher through the RBPN website for our services and provide you with subsidised legal expertise for your business.
Please feel free to get in touch with us today if you have any questions.
Auckland: (09) 953 9757
Hamilton: (07) 981 3140
Author: Blair Edwards, Managing Barrister
