Aotearoa New Zealand Newsletter

The minutes from the Digital Advisory Group (DAG) meeting held on 21 August are now available on our website. You can also catch up on past DAG meetings and learn more here.

The Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety, the Hon Brooke van Velden, today announced that Cabinet has agreed to repeal and replace the Holidays Act 2003 with a new Employment Leave Act. The key changes in a new Act include:

• A shift to hours-based accrual for sick and annual leave
• A shift to pro rata sick leave
• Leave Compensation Payment for casual employees
• Leave Compensation Payment for additional hours worked
• Family violence and bereavement leave
• Returning from parental leave
• Mandatory pay statements
• Cashing up annual leave. 

Once legislation has been drafted and introduced, it will be considered by a Select Committee, providing the opportunity for public input. There will be a 24-month implementation period after the Bill is passed into law, enabling payroll providers and employers to make necessary changes. Read the press release and learn more through MBIE's website. 

The Government has published invoice pyament times for over 100 agencies on MBIE's website. This is the first time payment performance data has been released for the wider public sector, beyond central government departments. The publishing of this data follows the introduction of new Government Procurement Rule 51A, which came into effect on 1 January 2025, which requires these agencies to pay 90% of domestic trade invoices within 10 business days. From 1 January 2026, this target will increase to 95% with eInvoices required to be paid within 5 business days. Learn more and access the data on MBIE's website. 

Inland Revenue is updating its tax and social policy system from 9am Saturday 4 October to approximately 3pm Sunday 5 October 2025. During this time, myIR, self-service options and gateway services will not be available. Services will be back to normal on Monday 6 October 2025. Learn more on Inland Revenue's website.

Cyber Smart Week 2025 is taking place from 6-12 October, with a series of webinars planned to help you understand more about how to protect yourself, your business and customers online. See the webinars planned this Cyber Smart Week and register now. Head to Own Your Online to keep up to date.