Employer Bulletin | 16 March 2026

Here's what is leading the news for employers this week:

A much-anticipated Bill to ensure employees are paid correctly when taking time off work has just passed its first reading at Parliament, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden announced today.

The Employment Leave Bill seeks to replace the Holidays Act 2003 and offers a simple, workable framework that gives businesses certainty, reduces potential error, and fixes what matters for employers and workers.

“The Holidays Act is complex, confusing, and has led to huge remediation costs.

The Employment Leave Bill will bring simplicity and logic to the way employment leave is calculated, which benefits businesses by saving them time and money when calculating their payroll obligations, and prevents headaches for both employers and employees from getting payments wrong,” Ms van Velden says.

In today’s Bulletin:

• Court considers lawfulness of deductions from migrants’ work pay
• Employee replaced without consultation
• Director was not an employee
• Is an employee’s private group chat actually private?
• Complete lack of process leads to unjustified dismissal
• Six news updates of interest for employers including:
  • Long awaited Holidays Act replacement passes first reading
  • Ministerial group to oversee fuel security
  • New pay deal for primary teachers welcomed
  • New Solicitor-General appointed
  • Choice, control and certainty through flexible funding
  • Business employment data: December 2025 quarter
• Nine Bills Open for submission

 
If you have any questions, about this case or other employment relation matters, call the Advice Line team on 0800 800 362.