For Employers
New Zealand Employment Law Expert
I am the go-to person for many New Zealand and international companies doing business in New Zealand, helping them navigate the intricacies of New Zealand employment law.
Some ways I can assist you:
- Advising on collective bargaining strategies and the ways of successfully managing relationships with unions.
- Drafting employment agreements and documentation designed to reflect the culture of your business and the issues particular to your industry.
- Assisting you through a lawful disciplinary process, including dismissals.
- Providing guidance on restructures and organisational change.
- Holiday pay issues, including audits to ensure compliance.
- Responding to, and investigating, workplace issues, including bullying allegations.
- Sensitively managing senior employee exits.
Examples of work include:
- Acting for an Australian company providing services to the telecommunications industry in setting up its independent contractor model in New Zealand, then successfully defending a claim by a local union that the model was a breach of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
- Successfully advising a government organisation against a $5.2million dollar claim by a union for overtime and backpay in relation to shift roster rates and overtime.
- Advising a company on obligations under the Protected Disclosure Act (whistleblowing legislation) made in response to a disciplinary process that had been commenced.
- Acting for a New Zealand based company operating in various overseas countries when it came to light that former employees and directors had unlawfully poached key clients and taken confidential information. I worked with a number of overseas law firms to oversee a co-ordinated response to address the breaches and ensure the client’s business was best protected.