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Executive Summary Wellington businesses play an essential role in the prosperity of our capital, providing employment, value for customers and tourists, producing exports, helping build key infrastructure and sharing the benefits of growth. Businesses are a critical part of our community and deserve a say in the city’s future, especially in light of the significant contribution businesses pay in commercial rates. Businesses are happy to pay for their share of Council services

Here's what is leading the news for employers this week: The electronic card transactions (ECT) series covers debit, credit, and charge card transactions with New Zealand-based merchants. The series can be used to indicate changes in consumer spending and economic activity. Based on the value of electronic card transactions for the March 2025 month (compared with February 2025), spending in the retail industries decreased 0.8% ($52 million). Durables, hospitality, fuel and ap

Here's what is leading the news for employers this week: Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says changes are coming to support freedom of choice and reduce the burden on employers when new employees start in a role. The Government has agreed to repeal the changes made by the previous government by removing the 30-day rule and reducing related employer obligations. “Currently, if a collective agreement is in place the employee’s individual agreement must

This week the Government announced a series of proposed changes to health and safety laws. The changes are intended to clear up confusion, bring down the cost of compliance, and allow firms to focus on what matters most – keeping people safe. A series of announcements were made this week, focused on small business, recreational land owners, company directors and Approved Codes of Practice. The changes won’t take effect until they’re passed through Parliament, which is expecte

Here's what is leading the news for employers this week: Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says safe harbours of deemed compliance will be created to increase business and worker certainty about what they need to do to comply with their health and safety duties. Approved Codes of Practice (ACOPs) are practical guidelines to help people in specific sectors and industries to comply with their health and safety duties. “Health and safety compliance is bas

Here's what is leading the news for employers this week: "From 1 April 2025, the adult minimum wage rate will increase from $23.15 to $23.50 per hour. The starting-out and training minimum wage rates will also increase from $18.52 to $18.80 per hour (80 per cent of the adult rate). Further details on the minimum wage increase can be found on the Employment New Zealand website." In today’s Bulletin: Employer must correct its miscalculated final pay Employer held accountable fo

Here's what is leading the news for employers this week: "New Zealand’s gross domestic product (GDP) rose 0.7 percent in the December 2024 quarter, following a 1.1 percent decrease in the September 2024 quarter, according to figures released by Stats NZ on Friday Eleven of the 16 industries increased this quarter. The largest rises were from rental, hiring, and real estate services; retail trade and accommodation; and healthcare and social assistance. “Higher spending by inte

Here's what is leading the news for employers this week: "The Government is proposing changes to procurement rules to make it easier for New Zealand businesses to win government contracts that are collectively worth more than $50 billion a year, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The changes include introducing a new economic benefit test and scrapping 24 rules that put unnecessary obstacles in the path of Kiwi businesses,” she says. “This is part of our plan to in

Here's what is leading the news for employers this week: "Changes are being made to the Active Investor Plus Visa from 1 April 2025 to help New Zealand encourage growth and make investing in New Zealand more attractive. Two simplified investment categories will be introduced — Growth and Balanced. Investments made by either must be completed within 6 months of the date of approval in principle. These migrants will have higher immigration requirements. The scope of acceptab

Here's what is leading the news for employers this week: "Old equipment repurposed by businesses must be safe to use, WorkSafe New Zealand says, following sentencing of a Rotorua company whose modified crane became a weapon that changed the life of a teenage contractor. Harrison Gilbert was struck in the face by an untethered 412-kilogram steel beam being maneuvered by the mobile crane at Lakeland Steel in Rotorua, on the day of his seventeenth birthday in October 2022. Mr Gi

Here's what is leading the news for employers this week: A new pilot programme connecting high school students with New Zealand manufacturers has launched, Small Business and Manufacturing Minister Chris Penk has announced. “Manufacturing is a powerful economic player, contributing about 8.4 percent of New Zealand’s GDP and employing 10 percent of our workforce – but businesses are telling us skill shortages are curbing productivity,” Mr Penk says. “Manufacturing can supercha

Here's what is leading the news for employers this week: Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says an income threshold for unjustified dismissal claims will apply to existing employment agreements after one year. The income threshold, above which personal grievances cannot be pursued, will be introduced as part of upcoming changes to the Employment Relations Act. “The $180,000 threshold will apply to new employment agreements once the Bill is passed and

Here's what is leading the news for employers this week: New visa conditions will now allow visitors to work remotely for an overseas employer or client. The change applies to applications received from 27 January 2025 for all visitors, including tourists and people visiting family, and partners and guardians on longer-term visitor visas. These new conditions mean that tourists can stay in New Zealand as a digital nomad and keep in touch with work back home, without breaching

Here's what is leading the news for employers this week: The requirements to complete Employment New Zealand's online modules for the AEWV are being removed on 27 January 2025. These will be removed for all current and future accredited employers and Recognised Seasonal Employers (RSEs). Immigration New Zealand (INZ) will instead provide employers and workers with links to freely available Employment New Zealand or INZ webpages, that set out employment rights and obligations

Holidays Act event with the EMA Last week we sent you an invitation to attend the EMA’s event with the Hon. Brooke Van Velden on the upcoming changes to the Holidays Act. Unfortunately, the EMA’s event system experienced an unusual problem with registrations, preventing you from attending online like we encouraged you to do. We want to apologise for sharing an invitation that you could not use, and for any frustration that not being able to register caused. We look forward

Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says it is important employees are not rewarded in the personal grievance system for poor behaviour or performance and is introducing changes to personal grievances to strengthen employee accountability. “Simplifying personal grievances is a policy ACT campaigned on, in particular, removing the eligibility for remedies if the employee is at fault and is an ACT-National Coalition Agreement commitment. These changes will

Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says an upcoming change to the Employment Relations Act will enable employers to ensure they have the right fit for their high impact leadership and specialist roles. Cabinet has agreed to introduce an income threshold of $180,000 per annum for unjustified dismissal personal grievances, meaning employees earning above that will be unable to raise an unjustified dismissal claim. This policy delivers on the ACT-National

Regulation Minister David Seymour has announced the next steps in the Government’s plan to improve the quality of regulation by opening consultation on a proposed Regulatory Standards Bill. “New Zealand's low wages can be blamed on low productivity, and low productivity can be blamed on poor regulation,” says Mr Seymour. “To lift productivity and wages, ACT’s coalition agreement includes a commitment to pass a Regulatory Standards Act. “The Bill will codify principles of goo

Business Central faced a challenging year as recessionary conditions impacted revenue from services and as public sector job cuts impacted the Wellington economy . As an organisation we took the opportunity to focus on productivity, review our products and merge our revenue services into one team. Our member retention rate was consistent with long term trend, despite a lift in fees to meet the demands of inflation.

New Zealand had a net migration gain of 44,900 in the September 2024 year, according to provisional estimates released by Stats NZ. “Annual net migration gains have continued falling from the provisional peak of 136,300 in the October 2023 year,” international migration statistics manager Sarah Drake said. “The fall in net migration reflects that arrivals are down, and departures are up.” There were 177,900 migrant arrivals in the September 2024 year, which is still high by h