Decent Work New Zealand
Towards Decent Work - Charting our progress

Regional labour market development

Collaborative development of strategies and action plans to address skills, productivity and participation issues at a regional level. This involves working with local government, business/industry associations, economic development agencies, training providers, unions and other government agencies.

Department of Labour

5, 6, 8, 14, 17, 18, 20

Sectoral labour market development

Collaborative development of strategies and action plans to address skills, productivity and participation issues at a sectoral level. This involves working with sector bodies, local government, business/industry associations, economic development agencies, training providers, unions and other government agencies.

Department of Labour

5, 6, 8, 14, 17, 18, 20

Ageing Workforce Programme

Work Directions is developing a new work stream focusing on the ageing population and older workers issues.  This work stream has two objectives, firstly to influence thinking and enhance the quality of debate and policy development.  The second objective is to focus and consolidate Work Directions, departmental and potentially cross-Government research and analysis activities on older workers.

Department of Labour

8,9,11,15,16,18

Labour Market monitoring and analysis

Collecting, analysing and disseminating labour market knowledge through reporting on employment and unemployment, skills, migration, wages, labour market outlook, as well as sub-population and regional labour markets.

Department of Labour

17, 18

Review of the level of the adult, new entrants and training minimum wages

The Department of Labour provides advice on the setting of minimum wage levels that best achieves the objectives and criteria agreed by Government for the minimum wage. As a part of this process, the Department analyses submissions made by interested parties on minimum wage rates.

Department of Labour

1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 11

Protection of children at work

The Government is considering the potential ratification of ILO Convention 138 (Minimum Age of Employment). It is also carrying out a work programme to improve knowledge of existing protections for children at work, compliance with children’s employment rights, and detection of exploitation when it does occur.

Department of Labour

1, 3, 4, 8, 9, 12, 18

Pay and Employment Equity plan of action for the next five years

The Government is proceeding to implement the action plan for pay and employment equity in the public service, public health and public education sectors. A dedicated unit has been established in Department of Labour which is developing tools and processes to enable agencies to implement the action plan and a tripartite Steering Group has been established to oversee the work of the unit.

Department of Labour

2, 4, 8, 9, 11, 16, 19

Support for small businesses

The Department of Labour provides information and assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the SME sector on workplace issues and opportunities. The Small Business Information Unit provides SME-targeted workplace practice information with and through Business NZ networks, such as Productivity Tool Kit workshops with Chambers of Commerce.

Department of Labour

6, 10, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21

Extension of paid parental leave to self-employed parents

Self-employed parents are now eligible for 14 weeks paid parental leave, bringing greater flexibility and equity to the workplace and additional support for working parents. Both employees and the self-employed are now eligible for a subsequent period of paid parental leave if their expected date of delivery or adoption is at least six months after they return to work from previous leave.

Department of Labour

1, 2, 8, 9, 12, 16, 18

Parental leave evaluation project

A three-stage research project to measure the success of the parental leave scheme.

Department of Labour

1, 2, 8, 9, 12, 16, 18, 20, 21

National Advisory Council on the Employment of Women (NACEW)

NACEW is an advisory body providing advice to the Minister of Labour.  NACEW is supported by the Department of Labour through the provision of an Executive Officer and advisory support to assist the development and implementation of their work programme. Currently this is via three subgroups focusing on precarious employment and particularly public contracting, pay and employment equity issues, Maori and Pacific women in enterprise and a joint DOL/NACEW decision-making project on balancing work and caring responsibilities.

NACEW, Department of Labour

8, 9, 11, 14, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21

Work/Life Balance Project

The Work/Life Balance project is developing a policy programme to promote a better balance between paid work and life outside of work. A three year work programme is underway which includes a pilot project with workplaces, further policy work on a range of issues, activities to influence change in workplace cultures, and practices and research into work/life balance issues.

Department of Labour

6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 21

Work/Life Balance workplace project

The project identifies and promotes workplace policies and practices that help people to balance participation in paid work with the other activities that are important to them. An advisory group has been established to advise on proposed communications activities and products flowing on from the Workplace Pilots, identify opportunities for awareness raising around work-life balance and identify champions and influencers.

Department of Labour

6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 21

Workplace Productivity Agenda

The Workplace Productivity Agenda lifts productivity through awareness raising, providing workshops through Chambers of Commerce and developing diagnostic tools for businesses. Evaluation will include responses to the diagnostic tool, feedback from Chambers of Commerce and identifying gaps in awareness-raising.

Department of Labour

10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 20, 21

Employment Relations Education Ministerial Advisory Committee

The Committee assesses applications for funding from the Employment Relations Education Contestable Fund; makes recommendations to the Minister of Labour around funding allocations; sets a strategic direction for the Contestable Fund; exercises the power delegated by the Minister of Labour to approve courses of employment relations education and courses of training for Health and Safety representatives.  The Department of Labour provides secretariat support for this Committee.

Department of Labour

5, 6, 12, 13, 14, 15

Workplace Health and Safety Strategy for New Zealand to 2015

The Workplace Health and Safety Strategy is a framework for action that sets out a vision, a set of principles, outcomes and an implementation plan for achieving healthy people in safe and productive workplaces. It also aims to reduce the work death toll in New Zealand.

Department of Labour

6, 9, 14, 15, 20, 21

Industrial Relations Foundation

The Department of Labour provides secretariat support for the IRF. The IRF funds research into industrial relations related topics and is allocated annually through a Steering Committee made up of the Minister of Labour, Business NZ, the NZCTU, and DOL. The purpose of the funding is to promote the overall knowledge of better industrial relations within New Zealand.

Department of Labour

13, 14, 17

The Partnership Resource Centre

The Partnership Resource Centre helps employers and unions to build new positive workplace partnerships. These partnerships help employers and unions to respond to change, build capability and improve performance, worker contribution and the quality of the workplace for employees.

Department of Labour

12, 13, 14, 18

Better Work Working Better (BWWB)

BWWB sets out the Government’s aspirations for high quality employment in productive and innovative industries, regions and businesses that drives sustainable economic growth and opportunities for all New Zealanders. Goals under BWWB are high levels of participation in high-quality, well-paid and diversified employment; a diverse, adaptable and highly-skilled workforce; high-quality and productive workplaces within an effective regulatory environment and high-performing sector and regional labour markets.

Department of Labour

5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17

Choices for Living, Caring, and Working Plan of Action

This ten-year plan improves support for children and families by increasing the choices available for parents and carers. This will enable people to have real choices about how they balance their caring responsibilities, involvement in paid work, time for leisure and learning, and time to be involved with friends, family and the community.

Department of Labour

8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18

Providing information for migrants and increasing awareness amongst employers on the benefits of employing migrants

The Auckland Chamber of Commerce delivers employment assistance and job-seeking services to migrants via presentations and seminars as well as one-on-one employment finding sessions with individuals as required. The Canterbury Migrant Employment Programme, run by the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce, provides a migrant employment recruitment service for skilled migrants to gain employment and opportunities to improve their job search strategy.

Chambers of Commerce, Department of Labour

6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 18

Increasing awareness of the benefits of migrant employment and increasing employment opportunities for skilled migrants throughout New Zealand and internationally

Effective management of the New Kiwis migrant recruitment service via the www.newkiwis.co.nz and www.nzrecruitme.co.nz websites.

The newkiwis website focuses upon relationship building with potential and registered employers to promote the benefits of employing migrants in the workplace. While the nzrecruitme website complements the newkiwis service and matches the skills of prospective migrants to the business community.

Department of Labour, Auckland Chamber of Commerce

8, 11, 12, 14, 18

Providing information to employers on the Immigration Act 1987 to encourage compliance in the workplace

The Compliance Branch of the Border and Security Group undertakes employer site visits. Information is provided to employers on how to determine if someone is legally entitled to work in New Zealand, and the penalties for employing illegal workers.

Department of Labour

6, 12, 18

Establishing a point of contact for migrants and refugees to access information about services available to them

The Settlement Support New Zealand initiative has established a national network of migrant resource services to improve access to settlement information and advice for migrants and refugees, and strengthen the responsiveness of local mainstream agencies to their settlement needs. The initiative has been successfully established in 19 local areas throughout New Zealand, with local Settlement Coordinators appointed.

Department of Labour

6, 9, 11, 18

Realising Youth Potential

Contributing to policy development and implementation around the goal of the Government that all young people will be participating in education, skills, or other structured learning relevant to their abilities and needs until they reach the age of 18.  This includes all young people in work, transition to work, and in tertiary education and training have a coherent set of learning opportunities and the appropriate support mechanisms available to achieve sustainable skills and career outcomes.  This is a joint activity with the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs.

Multi agency, Department of Labour

5, 8, 11, 17, 18, 20

Incorporation of labour components in trade agreements

The Government’s framework on the integration of labour issues with trade agreements continues to be used in all trade negotiations to which New Zealand is a party, including with ASEAN, China, Malaysia and the Gulf Cooperation Council. New Zealand has concluded agreements with the Kingdom of Thailand and with Singapore, Brunei and Chile, and a range of labour-cooperation activities are now underway.

Department of Labour

4, 10, 17, 21, 22

Bilateral relations with Australia

The Minister of Labour has a standing invitation to attend the Workplace Relations Ministers’ Council Meeting in Australia, held twice a year. Joint tripartite meetings are held with Australia over ILO matters. New Zealand's Department of Labour and Australia's Department of Employment and Workplace Relations also holds an annual forum to discuss labour issues.

Department of Labour

19, 21, 22

Hosting international visits to share information on employment issues

The Department of Labour hosts many international visitors. This is an opportunity to share information on employment issues. The Department’s policy for hosting International visits was implemented in 2003.

Department of Labour

21, 22

Sharing best practice on labour issues with other APEC economies

The Department of Labour leads the domestic co-ordination of the APEC Labour and Social Protection Network (LSPN) of the Human Resources Development Working Group.

Department of Labour

18, 22

Tripartite engagement of ILO matters

The Department of Labour convenes quarterly tripartite meetings to discuss ILO matters; organises New Zealand’s tripartite participation at the annual conference, including delegates’ briefings; arranges and funds tripartite attendance at four-yearly Asian Regional Meetings; and coordinates tripartite consultation on reports and questionnaires submitted to the ILO, and on the ratification of ILO Conventions.

Department of Labour

17, 19, 21, 22

Reporting on ILO Conventions

As a member of the ILO, New Zealand has certain reporting obligations to fulfil. These involve reporting regularly on New Zealand’s application of ratified Conventions (Article 22 reports); as requested on the application of unratified Conventions (Article 19 reports); annually on progress made on implementing the principles underlying the two core Conventions New Zealand has not ratified (under the ILO’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work); reporting on the texts of newly adopted ILO labour standards to Parliament (the A7 report) and responding to ILO questionnaires to inform discussions at the annual International Labour Conference.

Department of Labour

4, 19, 21, 22

WorkSite

The Department of Labour maintains WorkSite, a cross-government Internet portal with information about skills and work.  The Department of Labour also publishes a quarterly e-newsletter (WorkSite Watch), attends expos, and is involved in government portal community.

Department of Labour

6, 11, 18

New Zealand Now

The New Zealand Now website is a Government initiative that links expat New Zealanders and migrants to all the information they need to know about living and working in New Zealand.

Department of Labour

6, 11, 18

Talent New Zealand businesses need

Identifying opportunities for responding to skill and talent shortages, taking account of relevant work already underway.  This includes the tertiary education reforms, the business tax review and the Immigration Change Programme. 

There will be a specific focus on attracting the talented people New Zealand firms need, both immigrants and expatriates.

The Talent Work Policy enables employers to gain 'Accredited Employer' status, and gives them access to a special category of Work to Residence Visa for the offshore talent they need to supplement their New Zealand work force.

Department of Labour

5, 11, 17, 18, 20

Working Holiday Scheme

This programme provides a cultural exchange, strengthens international linkages, brings in temporary labour and contributes positively to the economy.

Department of Labour

5, 6, 11, 16

Literary, Numeracy and Language Strategy

The Department of Labour will continue to lead work focussed on changing employer and workplace practices around improving literacy, numeracy and language skills.

Department of Labour

5, 6, 8, 9, 14

Iwi labour market development

Collaborative approach to support iwi labour market development issues, including the use of interactive labour market tools. Such tools can assist the decision making process through enabling iwi to develop a better understanding of relevant labour market conditions.

Department of Labour

6, 7, 12, 17, 18

Upskilling Partnership Programme

This programme will engage employers and workers in foundation skills training, and improve understanding of what forms of training work best and what the business benefits are from investing in foundation skills.  It will contribute to the ongoing development of a medium to long-term strategy to improve the foundation skills (literacy, numeracy and language) of workers, unemployed people and groups close to the labour market.

Department of Labour

5, 6, 8, 14

Labour market analysis tools

First arising from the Ngäti Awa labour market capacity building project, a series of interactive labour market tools have been developed to allow quick and easy access to detailed labour market information at a disaggregated (sub-national and sub-population) level. The tools use updatable databases to provide information on key labour market indicators, education and training, industry and occupations to support decision making.

Department of Labour

5, 6, 8, 17, 18, 21

Metal manufacturing project in Rotorua

The metal manufacturing project started as a Department of Labour initiative and developed into a joint exercise with ACC, to ensure compliance and reduction in the number of ACC claims in the metal manufacturing sector.

Department of Labour

1, 2, 3, 14, 15, 18

Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme

The Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme is an immigration policy which facilitates the temporary entry of seasonal workers into New Zealand to fill shortages in New Zealand’s horticulture and viticulture industries when no New Zealanders are available.  This scheme encourages Pacific people to return year after year, and build up their skills and productivity.

Department of Labour

3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 14, 22