Employer Bulletin | 17 August 2026
- 7 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Here's what is leading the news for employers this week:
Kiwi businesses can now find their share of the $400 million a year the government puts into business grants, funds, and equity schemes in minutes rather than hours, with the launch of the upgraded Funding Explorer, Small Business and Manufacturing Minister Cameron Brewer says.
Hosted on business.govt.nz, the tool brings together 15 funding opportunities from seven government agencies into a single searchable place. "Business owners are busy people. They are running a business, employing locals and looking for ways to grow. They should not have to spend hours trawling through half a dozen government websites to work out what they are eligible for," Brewer says.
"There's a lot of support available for businesses. The problem was that it was scattered, and too many struggled to find it. This fixes that."
Businesses can search by sector and by what they are trying to do, whether that is commercialising an idea, lifting productivity, investing in research and development, or breaking into a new export market.
The upgrade came out of a cross-government review of how to lift the growth impact of business funding, which found the system was fragmented and hard for businesses to navigate. Seven agencies worked together to fix it.
In today’s Bulletin:
Failure to consider redeployment amounts to unjustified dismissal
Employee’s regular pattern of work still considered casual
Authority settles dispute on overtime rates
Employees' claims upheld against an unresponsive employer
Employee penalised for destroying company information
Five news updates of interest for employers including:
Getting Kiwis into work with website upgrade
Protecting New Zealand’s tourism appeal
Business funding now easier to find
James Miller appointed FMA chair
Jobs data shows why economic growth matters
Seven 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.
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