Employment News

20 February 2012

What the heck is HR anyway?

So, you have a business plan, a strategic plan, a marketing plan.... But do you have an HR plan?

Successful companies develop an HR plan to work with the culture, goals, values and visions of a business, to contribute to the success of the organisation through its employees.

An often overlooked integral part of a company's planning, your HR strategy should consider 6 key points.

09 February 2012

28 August 2011

Big congratulations to Nick Paulin, Peregrine Central Otago, winner of the 2011 title. Hard fought final - read all about it and see the other finalists via this link.

27 August 2011

Master of Wine Jane Skilton shares snippets, stories, thoughts and even wine reviews in her IWM of 22 August. I think well worth a read if for no other reason than to hear which NZ wine industry matriach serves roast potatoes for lunch..

27 August 2011

And the winner is.....  Trophies Announced 27 August 2011

09 August 2011

Here's the options available - prominent positioning, long term rates...

09 July 2011

We were at the Awards dinner last nite at the fabulous Langham Hotel, Auckland. Here's my list of trophy winners. 

That is news - the rest of the article is my own thoughts on the evening.  A bit of a blog you might say.

Two things I just want to comment on - Sir George and ....

04 July 2011

Paul Robinson, a technical officer working with Villa Maria Estate, retained his Young Viticulturist title. Third-time entrant, Paul, 24, took out the award on Friday against four other local wine industry hopefuls, and another representing Wairarapa.

01 July 2011

Thanks Sue Courtney for updating your handy list of medal winners.

01 July 2011

Those employers who have staff on their payroll but without a signed employment agreement or written terms and conditions are breaking the law from today.

27 June 2011

The 29th Wine Options was held on Sunday 26 June, with winejobsonline.com sponsoring the award for the winning trade team - this year won by Treasury Wine Estates - The Big Bad Wolf & Three Squealing Pigs, who were also placed 4th overall.  Congratulations to Lisa Powell, Lizzie Grisdale, Rowan Hall and Damian Archbold.  Enjoy your champagne, and the kudos.

16 June 2011

Paid parental leave payments will increase from July 1, 2011, by a maximum of $17 a week taking the maximum weekly government payment to $458.82.

08 June 2011

Responding to interest in business training for those managing winemaking enterprises, the Eastern Institute of Technology has launched its Graduate Diploma in Business with a wine industry endorsement. 

28 May 2011

Results are out!

24 May 2011

If only Qantas management had read our article before a recently bereaved family had their airpoints issue, they may not have ended up in the papers..  (tongue in cheek).    (Read NZ Herald news story) 

03 August 2010

New company for Pernod Ricard’s wine portfolio - Premium Wine Brands - include Montana, Brancott, Church Road and Corbans in New Zealand plus Australian, Spanish and Argentinian producers.  Read full story courtesy of Food News

03 August 2010

Eurowine and Vintage Wines and Spirits become EuroVintage by end of August 2010. Over 60 agencies - is this now the largest distributor in the NZ wine market?

http://www.foodnews.co.nz/16500/wine-trade-transformed-by-takeover-of-eurowine/

03 August 2010

Statistics New Zealand have just released figures showing wage and salary rates grew 1.6 percent in the year to the June 2010 quarter. 

http://www.btob.co.nz/cms/news/2010/08/annual_wage_growth_at_1_6_percent.php

06 July 2010

Guidelines have been released from the Minister -

18 June 2010

The Department of Labour just released new guidelines for those who deal with contractors. A handy read if you are involved in using contractors to do work at your place. http://www.osh.govt.nz/order/catalogue/contracting-health-safety.asp

There are examples given right from how to select the contractor and allocate work.

17 June 2010

Updated fund results available from Morningstar Australia.  Click here.

16 June 2010

Paid parental leave increase
July 1st 2010 sees the Government increase its maximum 'paid parental leave' payment from the present $429.74 per week to $441.62 per week. The minimum amount payable to a self-employed person remains unchanged at $127.50.

03 June 2010

Employers will need to prove that they took steps to check whether the foreign workers had the right to work in New Zealand.

26 March 2010

A Code of Practice to help employers who need to provide infant feeding facilities and breaks has been released.  Interesting Reading!   PDF document available from Department of Labour Website.  

17 March 2010

Where's New Zealand?  or Australia for that matter?  No Australasian golds awarded.

14 March 2010

Immigration Minister says the scheme is working, and improving.

Full story - as reported by EMA Northern:  http://www.ema.co.nz/advice/BulletinIssues/Bulletin_Vol_22_No_9_12_March_2010.pdf

11 March 2010

If you have been affected by a Personal Grievance case or feel strongly about some aspect of the process, do send a submission - before 31 March 2010.

http://www.dol.govt.nz/consultation/personal-grievance/

11 March 2010

The first Approved Handler Certificates and Approved Filler Test Certificates were issued uner the HSNO legislation 5 years ago are coming up for renewal. 

Check via this website link: www.ermanz.govt.nz

10 February 2010

This year Anzac day falls on a Sunday which means that those who normally work Sundays will receive a paid day off on Anzac day. And, for those who actually work on Anzac day, they are entitled to time and a half for the hours they work.  AND an alternative holiday if Sunday would otherwise have been a working day.

Anzac Day is also a restricted trading day. Most shops selling retail goods can not open until 1pm on this day. Certain shops may remain open.

27 January 2010

From 1 April 2010, all adult New Zealanders in the work force will be paid $12.75 per hour, as announced by the Government on 26 January.  

14 January 2010

Increase in number of personal grievance claims taken against Employers allegedly due to advice their ex staff were getting from Work and Income New Zealand (WINZ).

 

04 December 2009

From Employers & Manufacturers Northern Bulletin

Minister of Labour Kate Wilkinson has announced a proposal to change the definition of "serious harm" under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992. Serious harm is a pivotal definition in workplace health and safety legislation. 

02 December 2009

Under the new Immigration Act 2009 it will be an offence to employ someone knowing that they do not have an entitlement to work. Therefore employers should make sure they check a person's entitlement to work.

But it is a defenCe to a charge of that offence that the employer did not know the person was not entitled to work, AND that the employer "took reasonable precautions and exercised due diligence to ascertain whether the person was entitled to do the work."  

For more information, check out the immigration website

01 December 2009

Silver Fern visa to target talented graduates

The Government's new Silver Fern visa will attract young highly skilled people to work long term in New Zealand, Minister of Immigration, Jonathan Coleman has announced this week.

01 December 2009

Source - NZPA | Tuesday December 1 2009 - 03:12pm

Employment laws covering contract workers are to be reviewed, Labour Minister Kate Wilkinson said today.

The laws, called continuity of employment provisions, affect industries such as cleaning, food and laundry services where work was often contracted and changes to contracts can create restructuring or redundancy situations.

19 November 2009

NEW  - Interactive website page of Napa Valley Wineries, brilliant for NZ winemakers doing a US harvest, only just found it so no good for 2009 but bookmark it for next year!

http://www.napavintners.com/maps/maps_of_napa_wineries.asp

19 November 2009

A schedule of handy dates for 2010 and 2011 has been uploaded to the winejobsonline.com resources page -  Click this link:  UPDATED List of School and Public Holidays

19 November 2009

Cell/Car Phone Use while driving Vehicles:

As from 1 November 2009, it is illegal for drivers in New Zealand to talk, send or read text messages on handheld mobile phones, or other portable electronic devices whose functions include being a telephone, while driving a vehicle.

19 November 2009

New Zealand businesses need to consider the online marketing potential of micro-blogging site Twitter seriously now Google and rival Bing are incorporating its content into search results.

19 November 2009

Mr O claimed his was unjustifiably dismissed by his employer when he was made redundant. Mr O alleged there was no warning or consultation regarding his redundancy. Furthermore Mr O claims employer hired two new employees after his departure. Mr O was seeking $10,000 for hurt and humiliation, one week of lost wages, and costs.

18 November 2009

Employers should be aware of a number of changes to Immigration New Zealand's operational policy that will take effect on November 30.  The changes include:

• new Entrepreneur Plus Category, and changes to the Entrepreneur Category
• introduction of a minimum income threshold for Essential Skills work permit holders who want their dependent children to live with them in New Zealand
• changes to generic Working Holiday Schemes (WHS) Policy, and the raising of the upper age limit for the Canada WHS
• additions to the Transit Visa Country Waiver List
• new Vietnam Special Work Policy
• new Philippines Special Work Policy

18 November 2009

The new Immigration Bill will require employers to check whether new employees are entitled to work in New Zealand. It is proposed that if an employer fails to check a person’s entitlement to work, and the person is not entitled to, then the employer could be prosecuted. But before this provision is enacted, consultation with employers is being sought.

18 November 2009

The review of the Holidays Act is reaching its end, with recommendations now being formulated for inclusion in the report to be handed to the Minister of Labour in mid December. Details are not able to be disclosed, but changes to Relevant Daily Pay and clarity around the process of selling the fourth week of leave are two expected features.

Source:  EMA Northern

17 November 2009

The Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment Bill was introduced to Parliament last week.

It contains a number of measures repealing changes made by Labour in 2008. These include reintroduction of the three part test for workplace causation, which will ease the burden of proof on employers to show they were not the cause of specified diseases and conditions.

Source:  EMA Northern bulletin

17 November 2009

McCain Foods was fined $36,000 and ordered to pay $4000 of emotional harm reparations after a worker had his arm crushed at the company's Hastings plant.  Labour Department prosecutor said McCain's had failed to ensure the man's safety, that he wasn't given sufficient training and that relevant parts of machinery weren't guarded.