Employment Relations Amendment Bill
This bill changes employment rules in New Zealand. It defines who is a 'specified contractor' and not an employee, meaning they won't have employee rights. For high-earning employees (over $200,000), it removes some protections against unfair dismissal. It also changes how personal grievances are handled, especially if an employee's actions contributed to the problem, and removes some rules about collective agreements for new employees.
What this affects
Tap a topic to see how this bill touches it, and the parts of the text that show it.
The bill changes rules for some contractors and high-earning employees, which could affect how businesses hire and manage staff, and how some individuals are paid.
excludes a specified contractor.
Termination of employment of employee whose annual remuneration meets or exceeds specified threshold
Employee whose annual remuneration meets or exceeds specified threshold may not pursue personal grievance for unjustified dismissal or unjustified disadvantage
Progress through Parliament
Have your say
This bill is open for public submissions to the Education and Workforce Committee. Anyone can tell the committee what they think, and you don’t need to be an expert. Submissions close 12 August 2025.
Bill text sourced from legislation.govt.nz (Parliamentary Counsel Office). Arapono’s summary and breakdown are drafted with AI grounded in that official text and reviewed by an Arapono editor for accuracy and neutrality before publishing. Arapono is non-partisan and takes no position on this bill.