Spring Sheep Milking Company…The Story Continues
We love to see businesses succeed, particularly NZ businesses who we have relationships with. A business who we think is particularly exciting is Spring Sheep Milk Co – they are an innovative, customer-focused New Zealand business that is growing rapidly through clear execution of strategy.No doubt this contributed to their recent success at the Westpac Auckland Business Awards Central Gala Dinner last week, where they were announced as the winner of the Best Emerging Business Award...
November 27, 2020So You Do More Than Recruitment?
Twice in the last 10 days we’ve had clients who have approached us about recruitment express surprise when they found out that we’re ‘more than a recruitment company’. So we figure we better spread the word! We work with a number of business in the ‘HR’ space…of course we do all the normal compliance stuff well, but what really makes us successful is how much we care about our clients’ businesses, and how important it is to us to be alongside these bus...
November 27, 2020Have You Met Beverly?
Beverly joined our team in February….just weeks before we went into lockdown! But she didn’t let that stop her – she hit the ground running, supporting clients with a range of Covid-19 related issues right off the batSince then she’s been busy building leadership capability, recruiting for a wide range of roles, and supporting clients as they deal with a range of people challenges. You can read more about Beverly’s professional qualifications and extensive ex...
November 27, 2020Payroll Plus!
Are you looking for a team that advises, provides great management information and doesn’t just ‘data enter?’ One of the reasons clients from the farming and non-farming sectors alike are increasing their use of our payroll services is because we do more than just ‘process the pay.’ Our in-depth knowledge of payroll legislation (as it is now and as it will change), and the nuances of non-standard rosters, changing employment patterns and worked hours, mean that our experts give y...
October 23, 2020Are we asking ourselves the right questions?
As the scramble to find short term solutions to the COVID induced migrant workforce issue in New Zealand agribusiness keeps hitting home, the medium term question is how do we bridge the labour shortage gap over the next 10 years? And after that, the real question is how does agriculture position itself for a new normal with increased technology and reducing operational workforce needs. Check out the article written by our very own Lee Astridge (and she pulls no punches!), recently pu...
October 23, 2020Labour Shortage…is it the same in your industry?
Isn’t it ironic that with all the Covid-19 related job losses, we’re still facing a massive labour shortage, with the primary sector in particular facing a critical worker shortage as a result of border closures? We thought these two articles, both relating specifically to the hort industry and the challenges in getting fruit off trees/vines we were well worth a look at, and raise different issues (and potential solutions) for the fruit picking industry. https://www.s...
October 23, 2020June 2021 Will Be Here Before You Know It
Yes, you read that right…time to start thinking about next season! Chances are your farming business is in the middle of mating and you’re thinking about spring fert, round lengths and silage, but now is the time to be starting conversations and exploring options for next season. We’re already in conversations with a number of people on both sides of the business-to-business arrangements, with farm owners starting to ask questions about who’s out there looking,...
October 23, 2020Business starts to have their say about the government response to COVID-19
For some insights for some key business leaders on how the government has responded to Covid- 19, Stuff recently published a great article on the issue, clink on the link to read more https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/122945479/covid19-business-leaders-weigh-in-on-governments-coronavirus-response...
October 23, 2020What Does the Election Result Mean for Your Business?
Now that the election is over and we have a result, here is a summary of the pre-election promises that the Labour Party made, that may come into effect in the future.Fair Pay Agreements Fair Pay Agreements are between unions and employers and set minimum terms and conditions of employment for all workers in an entire industry or occupation. Labour promised to introduce Fair Pay Agreement legislation for competitive industries, to set the minimum content that must be included in each Fair Pay Ag...
October 23, 2020Smoking Hot Topic…Cannabis…
So if you’ve been in a dark cave somewhere you may not be aware of the Cannabis referendum that we vote on next month when we also vote for our favourite MPs and political parties… What we’ve found amusing about the cannabis referendum is the number of people who think that, if it passes, they will now be able to smoke weed at work. So we though we’d set the record straight and also give you some tips on preparing should the vote be a YES. Firstly, if the referendum says ...
September 17, 2020Equal Pay Amendment Bill – comes into force on 7 November
The guts of this one is that it changes how workers can make pay equity claims using NZ’s existing bargaining framework, thus removing some cost and time barriers that currently exist and put people off making claims. By effectively making court action a last resort, this lowers the bar to employees initiating a pay equity claim So, some insights on what Pay Equity actually means:Gender cannot be a determining factor in the receiving of the same pay for jobs that are different...
September 17, 2020Employment Relations (Triangular Employment) Amendment Act – came into force on 28 June
The Employment relations (Triangular Employment) Amendment Act is a more complex piece of legislation which will no doubt be tested by case law, but fundamentally it allows for a third party to be named in a personal grievance. Whilst who will be considered third parties will need to be established by case law broadly you can think contract milker employees hired to work on a business owners farm as potential groups of employees who may fall into this category.  ...
September 17, 2020Privacy Act Changes come into effect 1 December
We all store information in our businesses. For some this is kept manually (at a basic level think payroll and employee information), for others it is kept on complicated databases and customer relationship management systems. Regardless, as soon as we hold private information about people we are responsible, under the Privacy Act to protect and keep this information, well, private. The Privacy Act 2000 brings our current privacy laws into the 21s century and in ...
September 17, 2020Businesses and business leaders under pressure…
Did you take our resilience survey from our last newsletter? If you did what did you learn and, more importantly, what have you put into practice? If you didn’t, what’s stopping you gaining these insights and knowledge? And we saw this article from the business.govt website and it was like they were looking over our shoulder….we all want NZ to go well and this article has some great tips on what to look out for, and how you can work to look after yourself, whether your business ...
August 27, 2020Kia Kaha Auckland
Early on Saturday morning No8HR’s Lee Astridge quietly emailed some mates and asked the question: How can we let Auckland know that we care? And less than 26 hours after the first conference call on Monday morning https://www.facebook.com/KiaKahaAuckland/ was live….a place where rural New Zealand can say ‘thank you’ to Auckland for the work they are doing to keep us all safe. So come on, speak from the heart, get creative, involve the whanau…sho...
August 19, 2020A Truly Kiwi Experience
Just over a week ago I went to Westport. Not an easy place to get to from the Waikato with the flight to Wellington, and six hour wait in the airport before getting on the Sounds Air flight. Needless to say, I wasn’t looking forward to it. But my experience during that journey was so quintessentially Kiwi and such a reminder of what it really means to be Kiwi. Here’s a few examples… Sitting in Wellington airport in the middle of a winters th...
August 19, 2020Update for Farmers
This is an update from Beef & Lamb and the Meat Industry Association; we thought it was worth sharing far and wide..... The Government has announced that as of midday 12 August, the Greater Auckland region would move back to Alert Level 3 and the rest of the country would move to Alert Level 2. The following is a summary of what that means for farmers now, but we also strongly encourage you to review your systems and ensure you are prepared in case the alert levels are increased in the nea...
August 13, 2020You Look Great in that Mask!
Following the announcement by the Prime Minister that there is a case of community transmission in South Auckland, and that the greater Auckland area will re-enter Alert Level 3 from midday today and the rest of the country into Level 2 we’re confident that ‘we’ve got this’ and NZ’s team of 5 million will again triumph. Key implementation steps across NZ are: 2m physical distancing in public1m physical distancing in work places, cafés and restaurantsGet those masks and put t...
August 12, 2020If you're under pressure...
The first case of unfair dismissal following a failure to follow a fair process in a redundancy consultation have made it through the Employment Relations Authority. Having a good reason to make changes in your business is not enough, you also need to follow a good process as these employers found out. Speak to us if you need help. https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/300064548/tasman-firm-sollys-freight-ordered-to-pay-58000-in-first-covid-redundancy-case...
August 11, 2020Crime Up?
We found this article talking about the future of crime in NZ in the near future as a result of COVID and the challenges an economic recession….not great reading but we think it’s worth you knowing about…what’s your community going to do about this? https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/122223019/coronavirus-police-predict-the-emergence-of-a-new-group-of-criminals-post-covid19?cid=app-iPhone...
August 11, 2020Unemployment Rate Commentary
The drop in the unemployment rate announced earlier this month (to 4%) was unexpected and a closer look at the figures shows areas of concern that will impact the job market into the near and medium future:There is in fact a large increase in the number of people who are ‘under-employed’ – that is working less than they’d like to be. Read hospitality and retail jobs under pressure and employers cutting hours rather than jobs, at least in the short term. There’s no...
August 11, 2020More Complex Restructuring Decisions
Getting your selection criteria right when the restructure in your business means that your selection pool for redundancies is wider than just one person is one of the more complex parts of a redundancy process. As more and more business’ come to grips with making some tough decisions, don’t let a process mistake mean you’re at risk from an employee claim. Much is being said about an increase in employee claims in this post COVID environment, but it kind of follows that this wil...
July 20, 202058% of farmers attribute stress and stress related symptoms to their most recent injury!
Often Research serves to re-enforce what we intuitively already know, and so it was with the research findings from Farmstrong into the causes of injuries. As we head into the busy season on farm, if you haven’t already seen this Farmers Weekly article, make sure you take a break, get some sleep, connect with others and have a read….we’re all in this together! https://farmersweekly.co.nz/se......
July 20, 2020Regional Apprenticeship Initiative Scheme
The Regional Apprenticeship Initiative Scheme could help you... A $40m Regional Apprenticeship Initiative funded by the Provincial Growth Fund is designed to support up to 1000 new apprentices and their employers in regional New Zealand. This is a great opportunity for our sector with up to $40k per apprentice on offer! Whether you are a large or small employer, take a look and see what you can do to help yourself and help others join the rural revolution! https://www.growr...
July 20, 2020Changes to Paid Parental Leave
Paid Parental Leave extended to 26 weeks from 1 July... From 1 July if an employee meets the ‘six month test,’ that is they’ve been employed by you for at least an average of 10 hours per week for six months or more) then they are now eligible for 26 weeks parental leave. For employees who meet the 12 month test you are required to provide 52 weeks. The ‘keep in touch’ allowance has also changed. Find out more at: https://www.business.govt.nz/news...
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