Articles

When the bubble bursts - Can I be fired if I get stuck in Australia?

The Trans-Tasman bubble opened, paused, opened and is now closed again and New Zealanders have been trying to get home during the 7 day window allowed by the New Zealand government. So from an employment law perspective, what happens if an employee gets stuck in Australia for an indefinite period of time?

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Spot....sit! Good dog!

As of May 2021 there were 543,972 dogs registered on the National Dog Database in New Zealand. While these statistics illustrate our love for furry friends, sometimes things can go wrong, so if you are a dog owner, it is important for you to understand your responsibilities.

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Farmers - are you accidentally paying your employees below minimum wage?

Farming is seasonal; it is a business that creates the need for employees (with their agreement) to work additional hours at different times of the year. When requiring employees to work those additional hours, farmers need to ensure compliance with the Minimum Wage Act 1983, which cannot be contracted out of.

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Disability and employment

Disability is one of the prohibited grounds of discrimination provided in the Human Rights Act. This means it is unlawful to refuse to hire someone, or to offer them less favourable terms of employment, purely because they are living with a disability – either physical or psychological.

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Covid vaccinations - can my employer make me have one?

Two questions:

  1. Can my employer force me to get the Covid-19 Vaccine – Unlikely, in most cases no
  2. Can I ask an applicant for a job if they are vaccinated – Yes

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