Minimum employment rights
This section provides an overview of the minimum rights and obligations that apply by law to employers and employees.
Employees can’t be asked to agree to less than the minimum rights. An employee is anyone who has agreed to be employed, under a contract of service, to work for some form of payment. This can include wages, salary, commission and piece rates.
- Annual holidays
- Bereavement leave
- Break entitlements
- Employment agreements
- Employment relationship problems
- Equal pay and equal rights
- Fixed-term employees
- Flexible working arrangements
- Health and safety
- Keeping records
- Minimum pay
- Paying wages
- Penalties
- Public holidays
- Leave
- Right to work in NZ
- Trial periods
- Unions
Labour inspectors from the Ministry’s Labour Inspectorate can investigate and take action for breaches of laws relating to minimum employment rights, such as holidays and minimum wage rights and other minimum rights outlined above.
If you want to know more about your employment rights you can phone the Ministry’s Contact Centre on 0800 20 90 20. They can provide further help or put you in touch with a Labour Inspector.
Translations
This information on Minimum Employment rights and obligations is also available in:
- Te Reo Māori [PDF 6 pages, 2MB]
- Samoan [PDF 6 pages, 3MB]
- Chinese Simplified [PDF 6 pages, 3MB]
- Chinese Traditional [PDF 6 pages, 4MB]
- Korean [PDF 6 pages, 2MB]
- Thai [PDF 6 pages, 5MB]
- Tongan [PDF 6 pages, 3MB]
- Tagalog [PDF 6 pages, 3MB].
