http://www.dol.govt.nz/news News and Press Releases from the Department of Labour http://www.dol.govt.nz/News/Media/2009/awapuni-racing-club.asp The failure of a racing club to prevent the escape of two horses from a training facility onto a busy road near Awapuni race track outside Palmerston North has cost it more than $135,000 in fines, reparations and court costs following a prosecution in the Palmerston North District Court. 2009-11-13 20091113-002-DOL Department of Labour Health and Safety http://www.dol.govt.nz/News/Media/2009/immigration-ce-appointment.asp The Chief Executive of the Department of Labour, Christopher Blake, has announced an appointment to the new role of Deputy Chief Executive for Immigration. 2009-11-13 20091113-001-DOL Department of Labour Immigration http://www.dol.govt.nz/News/Media/2009/construction-upswing.asp After being hit hard by the global economic downturn the country's construction industry can look forward to improved performance and expansion in 2010, says Department of Labour Deputy Secretary of Work Directions Monique Dawson. 2009-10-13 20091013-001-DOL Department of Labour labour http://www.dol.govt.nz/News/Media/2009/people-smuggling.asp New Zealand immigration and law enforcement agencies will this week meet with Australia's Ambassador for People Smuggling, Peter Woolcott, to discuss initiatives to combat people smuggling in the Asia Pacific region. 2009-10-12 20091012-001-DOL Department of Labour Immigration http://www.dol.govt.nz/News/Media/2009/agriculture-safety-health.asp New research confirms the importance of work in agriculture safety and health. The research by Otago University's Injury Prevention Research Unit found that the rate of serious injuries and fatalities on New Zealand farms has remained high in contrast to declines in other industries over the past two decades. 2009-10-08 20091008-001-DOL Department of Labour Health and Safety http://www.dol.govt.nz/News/Media/2009/atv-safety.asp The Department of Labour is urging farmers to ensure that employees required to use All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) in their work are given proper safety equipment - including helmets. 2009-09-16 20090916-001-DOL Department of Labour Health and Safety http://ers.govt.nz/law/case/themes/2009-07-redundancy-law-in-new-zealand.html When an employee raises a personal grievance after being dismissed for redundancy, the Authority or Court will look at both the substantive reasons for the dismissal; i.e. whether the redundancy is genuine, and the procedure followed by the employer. This two-stage approach was confirmed in 2006 by the Employment Court in Simpsons Farms Ltd v Aberhart. 2009-09-15 20090915-001-DOL Department of Labour labour http://www.dol.govt.nz/News/Media/2009/first-aid-guide.asp The Department of Labour's First Aid for Workplaces - a Good Practice Guide was launched today at the combined NZ Occupational Health Nurses Association and NZ Institute of Safety Management conference in Wellington. The guide includes easy-to-use worksheets to help employers tailor their first aid preparations to suit the hazards in their individual workplace. 2009-09-10 20090910-001-DOL Department of Labour Health and Safety http://ers.govt.nz/publications/index.html#disciplinary The Disciplinary Action Guide for Employees aims to provide information about their rights when their employer raises issues about their work or things they have done or not done. The employer version is intended to help employers, particularly small business owners, to understand the law relating to disciplinary action (including dismissals), redundancy and ill health. 2009-09-07 20090907-001-DOL Department of Labour labour http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/risk+regional+airport+disruption+unacceptable The Government will introduce legislation to address the threat of regional airport control towers being closed and services unnecessarily disrupted, Minister of Labour Kate Wilkinson announced today. 2009-09-01 20090831-001-DOL Beehive labour http://ers.govt.nz/law/case/themes/aug-09.html Bullying can have a serious impact on a workplace. For an employee who is targeted by workplace bullying, the workplace can become a place to fear. For an employer, the hidden costs of such behaviour can quickly mount up. Increased job dissatisfaction, workplace stress and staff turnover all lead to a less productive workplace, and an employer is also at risk of the costs associated with legal claims by employees who have been bullied. 2009-08-31 20090831-001-DOL Department of Labour labour http://ers.govt.nz/factsheets/#er This factsheet provides employees with information on Minimum Employment Rights, and it covers a list of topics including: Health and Safety, Wages and Pay, Holidays and Leave, along with other employment rights that employees may be entitled to. The factsheet is now available in Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese and Thai. 2009-08-28 20090828-001-DOL Department of Labour labour http://www.dol.govt.nz/News/Media/2009/confined-spaces.asp Employers need to ensure their safety procedures covering work in confined spaces are up-to-date and applied on an ongoing basis, says Department of Labour Service Manager Annette Baxter. 2009-08-20 20090820-001-DOL Department of Labour Health and Safety http://www.dol.govt.nz/News/Media/2009/future-demand.asp As New Zealand's population ages, the country will face an increasing shortage of skilled caregivers to look after its older citizens, according to a report from the Department of Labour. 2009-08-18 20090818-001-DOL Department of Labour labour http://www.dol.govt.nz/News/Media/2009/successful-ballotees.asp The Apia, Nukualofa, Suva and Manukau office of Immigration New Zealand invites successful Samoa Quota (SQ) and Pacific Access Category (PAC) ballotees to come forward and made contact with their nearest branch for individual consultations. 2009-07-24 20090724-001-DOL Department of Labour immigration http://www.dol.govt.nz/News/Media/2009/chemical-exposure.asp The Department of Labour is reminding businesses to ensure procedures designed to protect staff from exposure to chemical leaks are kept up to date and equipment is regularly checked. 2009-07-14 20090714-002-DOL Department of Labour Health and Safety http://www.dol.govt.nz/News/Media/2009/people-trafficking-plan.asp "The Plan of Action to Prevent People Trafficking demonstrates the high priority the New Zealand Government places on fighting transnational crime," Head of Immigration Andrew Annakin says. The Plan of Action is a proactive response to preventing the threat of people trafficking crimes occurring in New Zealand and preparing for dealing with any cases that arise in a coordinated and transparent manner. 2009-07-13 20090713-001-DOL Department of Labour immigration http://www.dol.govt.nz/News/Media/2009/pacific-ballots-results.asp The results of the Immigration New Zealand 2009 Samoa Quota (SQ) and Pacific Access Category (PAC) Ballots are out. 2009-07-01 20090701-001-DOL Department of Labour immigration http://www.dol.govt.nz/News/Media/2009/pandemic-plan-ahead.asp The Department of Labour is encouraging all employers and employees to talk to each other about what will happen if their workplace is shut or workers are forced to stay at home for reasons outside their control. 2009-06-24 20090624-002-DOL Department of Labour Health and Safety http://www.dol.govt.nz/News/Media/2009/imm-quotas-drawn-today.asp The 2009 Samoa Quota (SQ) and Pacific Access Category (PAC) ballots were drawn today at 11am (New Zealand time). 2009-06-24 20090624-001-DOL Department of Labour immigration http://www.dol.govt.nz/News/Media/2009/hoani-waititi.asp A Marae safety project born out of a tragedy two years ago won an IPANZ Gen-I Public Sector Excellence Award. 2009-06-19 20090619-002-DOL Department of Labour Health and Safety http://www.dol.govt.nz/News/Media/2009/fumigation-company.asp An Australasian fumigation company has been fined $38,000 and ordered to pay $40,000 to a worker who was crushed by a Cover Rolling Machine that fell on him from a height of 3.5 metres. 2009-06-19 20090619-001-DOL Department of Labour Health and Safety http://www.dol.govt.nz/News/Media/2009/ballot-day.asp People from Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati and Tuvalu who have submitted their application for this year's ballots under the Samoan Quota (SQ) or Pacific Access Category (PAC) scheme will have one more week to wait until the ballots are drawn. 2009-06-17 20090617-001-DOL Department of Labour immigration