Employment relationship problem resolution

Find information on resolving employment relationship problems including personal grievances, disputes, allegations of unjustified dismissal, misconduct by another employee, discrimination, sexual or racial harassment, or duress.

Level of compliance Main audience Other

Inform
  • Boards
  • Principals and Tumuaki
  • Teachers and Kaiako
  • Non-Teaching and Support Staff

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment provides a mediation service to help resolve disputes.

Available services

As required by the Employment Relations Act 2000, the following information is a plain language explanation of the services available for resolving employment relationship problems. This will form part of the individual employment agreement between you (employee) and your school board of trustees (employer).

What is an employment relationship problem?

It's a problem arising from the employment relationship between you and your employer and includes a personal grievance or a dispute about the meaning or application of any provision of your agreement or contract.

Notification of personal grievance

A personal grievance may arise where you believe you've been unfairly treated or unjustifiably dismissed.

If the employment relationship problem is a personal grievance about sexual harassment, you must raise it with your employer within 12 months from the date it occurred or it came to your notice. For all other personal grievances, you must notify your employer within 90 days from the date when the action giving rise to the grievance occurred, or when it first came to your notice, whichever is the later date.

Resolving an employment relationship problem

Where appropriate, you and your employer must first make reasonable efforts within reasonable time to resolve any employment relationship problem by discussion and agreement.

You and your employer have the right to be represented at any stage.

Where the employment relationship problem is a personal grievance, involving allegations of misconduct by another employee, discrimination, sexual or racial harassment, or duress in relation to membership of a union, then your employer must carry out a fair and proper investigation before taking any action or proposing any solution in response to the problem.

If either party considers the problem hasn't been resolved within a reasonable time then either party may refer the matter to the Employment Relations Service of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment for mediation. If mediation leaves matters unresolved then either party has the right to apply to the Employment Relations Authority to investigate and determine any unresolved employment relationship problems.

If you've been dismissed, you may ask your employer for a written reason for the dismissal within 60 days after the dismissal or after the date you become aware of it. Your employer must give this written statement to you within 14 days after being asked.

Services to help with resolution of employment relationship problems

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) provides services to assist you and your employer to resolve employment relationship problems. This section tells you about the services that are available.

MBIE provides a free information service about employment rights and obligations, which is available by contacting an office of MBIE.

Freecall (NZ only): 0800 20 90 20

Employment Relations Service - MBIE website(external link)

MBIE provides an independent mediation service to assist in the resolution of employment relationship problems and the smooth conduct of employment relationships generally. MBIE also offers mediation assistance for resolving any problems in fixing new terms and conditions of employment. These mediation services are free and are available by contacting an office of MBIE.

Where mediation assistance has been requested, then the mediator will determine the type of mediation having regard to:

  • the nature of the problem
  • the needs of the parties, and
  • the importance of resolving problems promptly and effectively.

Any documents disclosed or statements made in the course of the mediation in relation to an employment relationship problem are confidential unless otherwise agreed.

A settlement reached in mediation and signed by the mediator at the request of the parties is final, binding and enforceable. This means that neither you nor your employer can take the matter any further and either of you can be made to comply by court order.

If you and your employer can't reach a settlement, you can ask the mediator, in writing, to make a final and binding decision.

Either party has the right to apply to the Employment Relations Authority to investigate and determine any unresolved employment relationship problems.

Employment relationship problem resolution [DOC, 41 KB]

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