FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
FIND ANSWERS TO YOUR COMMON QUESTIONS
Services Questions
What services does No8HR offer?
We offer a range of people services to help your business comply and thrive. Our human resources and recruitment services include on-farm recruitment, professional and executive role recruitment, human resources advice including contracts, employment policy and health and safety consulting, customised and public training programme delivery and business advice. See more about our services here.
What training workshops do you offer?
Our customised and public programmes deliver proven behavioural change designed to maximise the performance of your team and your business. Choose one of our popular programmes or speak to a consultant about your specific business needs. See more about our training workshops here.
Service Delivery Questions
Who will be my main point of contact at No8HR?
We have a team of experts in recruitment, human resources, training, business advice and strategic planning. See more about our team here.
Why should I work with No8HR?
We have a proven track record delivering a range of people services including on-farm recruitment, professional and executive role recruitment, human resources advice including contracts, employment policy and health and safety consulting, customised and public training programme delivery and business advice. See more here.
Who does No8HR work with?
Based in the Waikato, we serve clients throughout New Zealand who are serious about getting their people strategies right in their farming and agri businesses. See more here.
Employment Law Questions
How do I ensure my business complies with Employment Law?
We offer a range of people services to help your business comply and thrive. Our human resources and recruitment services include on-farm recruitment, professional and executive role recruitment, human resources advice including contracts, employment policy and health and safety consulting, customised and public training programme delivery and business advice. See more about our services here.
Is someone a contractor or an employee?
A set of changes to the Employment Relations Act are now live. The goal is to make some parts of employment law clearer and reduce “gotchas”, while still requiring employers to act fairly and in good faith.
There’s now a clearer checklist that can help confirm someone is genuinely a contractor from the start (not an employee). In plain terms, a contractor arrangement is more likely to stack up when the person:
has a written contractor agreement
can decide how/when the work is done (more control)
can work for other clients
uses their own tools/equipment (or provides key gear)
invoices and carries some business risk
Practical takeaway: paperwork helps, but what matters most is that the day-to-day reality matches the contract.
What is a 'Casual' employee?
A casual employee should generally be working on an “as and when required” basis, with no guaranteed hours and no ongoing expectation of work. They should also be free to say no to work when it is offered. If someone is working regular days, being rostered in advance, expected to be available, or relied on as part of the normal team structure, the arrangement may no longer be truly casual. Employment New Zealand distinguishes casual employment from permanent part-time employment on exactly this basis — regular or guaranteed hours point away from casual employment.
A few useful questions to ask:
Are they working regular days or hours?
Are they on a roster?
Would it cause a problem if they said no to a shift?
Do they need to tell someone if they are unavailable?
Are they doing the same work week after week?
Are they being treated as part of the core team?
Has the arrangement continued for months rather than weeks?
If the answer to any of these is yes, it may be time to review the agreement.
Job Search Questions
What do I need to prepare if I am job hunting?
When people are looking for a new role, there is often a strong focus on the job itself — what it pays, where it is, what the hours are, whether it feels like the right next step. All important, of course. But before you hit “apply”, it is worth making sure your basics are in good order too.
We regularly receive applications from good people whose documents simply do not do them justice. An old CV, a generic cover letter, or referees who have not been warned can all take the shine off an application before the real conversation has even started. A little bit of preparation up front can make a big difference.
#1 - CV
Your CV should be current, accurate and easy to follow. That means recent roles included, dates correct, responsibilities clear, and qualifications or tickets up to date. It does not need to be fancy, but it does need to reflect where you are now — not where you were two or five years ago. If your CV is out of date, an employer or recruiter is left filling in the gaps, and that is rarely a good starting point.
#2 - Cover Letter
A cover letter is your chance to explain why you are interested, why the role appeals, and what you would bring to it. It does not need to repeat your CV word for word. Instead, it should help connect the dots between your experience and the opportunity in front of you. A good cover letter shows that you have taken the time to understand the role and have a genuine reason for applying.
#3 Referees
If you list someone as a referee, make sure they know you are job hunting and are happy to be contacted. It is always better for them to hear it from you first than be caught off guard by a call from a recruiter or employer. A prepared referee is usually a better referee.
And for those doing the hiring, the same principle applies: referee checks should be handled carefully and professionally. Only contact the referees the candidate has supplied, and make sure the candidate has given clear permission before any approach is made. That is not just good process — it is respectful and fair.
#4 Interview Prep
How you “turn up” matters. That does not mean being polished or perfect, but it does mean being prepared, engaged and thoughtful. Read the job ad properly. Know a bit about the business. Arrive on time. Be ready to talk clearly about your experience, what you are looking for, and why this role makes sense for you. First impressions still count, and often what stands out most is not the flashiest answer, but the person who comes across as genuine, interested and well prepared.
#5 Google Your Name
It is also worth doing one simple thing that many candidates forget: Google your own name. What shows up? A potential employer may do exactly the same. Sometimes the results are harmless, sometimes outdated, and sometimes they do not reflect particularly well. You may not be able to control everything online, but you can at least be aware of it. Check your social media privacy settings, remove or tidy up old public content where you can, and think about whether your online presence matches how you would want to present yourself professionally.
None of this is about creating a perfect application. It is about making sure the basics are working for you, not against you. Job searching can be competitive, and often it is the candidates who are prepared, current and thoughtful who give themselves the best chance.
If you are actively looking for a new role, taking the time to get your ducks in a row is time well spent.
What should my CV include?
Your CV should be current, accurate and easy to follow. That means recent roles included, dates correct, responsibilities clear, and qualifications or tickets up to date. It does not need to be fancy, but it does need to reflect where you are now — not where you were two or five years ago. If your CV is out of date, an employer or recruiter is left filling in the gaps, and that is rarely a good starting point.
Why do I need a cover letter?
A cover letter is worth the effort, especially when it is tailored to the role. This is your chance to explain why you are interested, why the role appeals, and what you would bring to it. It does not need to repeat your CV word for word. Instead, it should help connect the dots between your experience and the opportunity in front of you. A good cover letter shows that you have taken the time to understand the role and have a genuine reason for applying.
What do I need to know about referee checks?
When job hunting, referees are an area where a bit of care goes a long way. If you list someone as a referee, make sure they know you are job hunting and are happy to be contacted. It is always better for them to hear it from you first than be caught off guard by a call from a recruiter or employer. A prepared referee is usually a better referee.
And for those doing the hiring, the same principle applies: referee checks should be handled carefully and professionally. Only contact the referees the candidate has supplied, and make sure the candidate has given clear permission before any approach is made. That is not just good process — it is respectful and fair.
How should I prepare for my job interview?
How you “turn up” for a job interview matters. That does not mean being polished or perfect, but it does mean being prepared, engaged and thoughtful. Read the job ad properly. Know a bit about the business. Arrive on time. Be ready to talk clearly about your experience, what you are looking for, and why this role makes sense for you. First impressions still count, and often what stands out most is not the flashiest answer, but the person who comes across as genuine, interested and well prepared.
Why do you recommend googling your name as part of your job search preparation checklist?
As part of your job hunt preparation, we recommend that you Google your own name. What shows up? A potential employer may do exactly the same. Sometimes the results are harmless, sometimes outdated, and sometimes they do not reflect particularly well. You may not be able to control everything online, but you can at least be aware of it. Check your social media privacy settings, remove or tidy up old public content where you can, and think about whether your online presence matches how you would want to present yourself professionally.
Contract Milking Questions
Does a Typical Contract Milking Agreement Stack Up as a Genuine Contractor Arrangement?
Generally: yes — contract milking usually has strong contractor features (it’s a self-employed, performance-based model where the contractor runs labour and carries business costs/risk).
But whether it really stacks up legally depends on two things:
What the contract says, and
What actually happens day to day on farm (this is the big one).
How does Contract Milking Measure Up Against the Key Contractor Indicators?
A written contractor agreement: Most contract milking arrangements do have a clear written agreement stating it is contracting, not employment. That’s a strong start.
Tip: a signed agreement helps, but it won’t save you if the reality looks like employment.
Control over how and when the work is done: This is often mixed. Contract milkers usually have autonomy over:
staffing and rostering
day-to-day decisions and priorities
how work is organised to meet farm outcomes
Where it can get wobbly is when the farm owner starts running the contractor like an employee, for example:
dictating daily hours/finish times
approving “leave” and/or “suitable replacements” in the contractor’s absence
directing step-by-step methods for routine tasks
requiring timesheets like wages
constant day-to-day instruction rather than outcome expectations
Best practice: owners set outcomes, standards and compliance requirements (animal welfare, milk quality, health & safety, reporting), but avoid “employee-style” direction and control.
Ability to work for other clients: This is the hardest gateway-test factor for contract milking in the real world. In practice, many contract milkers:
are effectively tied to one farm for the season, and/or
have terms (or expectations) that discourage outside work
Even if a contractor wouldn’t realistically do other work, it helps if the agreement and behaviour don’t treat them as exclusive “staff”.
Best practice: allow outside work unless there’s a genuine issue (fatigue/safety, conflict of interest, confidentiality, performance).
Supplying tools/equipment: This is usually partly yes. Contract milkers typically provide some of their own business tools (vehicles/phones/admin systems, sometimes bikes or gear), and they cover certain operating costs. But the farm owner supplies the core assets (farm, cows, plant) — that’s normal in dairy.
Best practice: clearly define who supplies what, and make sure real life matches that.
Business risk and invoicing: This is one of the strongest contractor signals for contract milking. Common contractor features include:
payment linked to performance (e.g., $/kgMS)
contractor paying defined operating costs
contractor invoicing (and often GST registered where appropriate)
contractor carrying business insurances/ACC obligations
contractor employing or engaging staff themselves and carrying those obligations
The more “real business risk” the contractor carries, the stronger the contractor positioning tends to be.
The two biggest risk areas are control and exclusivity. A contract milking arrangement can start to look less like contracting, and more like employment, if the owner begins setting hours, approving leave, rostering shifts, or directing routine work too closely. Exclusivity can also weaken the contractor position if the milker is effectively treated as unable to do other work.
For contract milking to remain a genuine contractor model, it needs to operate like one in practice. That means real autonomy, clear commercial responsibilities, and an owner focus on standards and outcomes rather than employee-style management. Any restrictions on outside work should be reasonable and linked to genuine business concerns. In the end, what happens day to day on farm matters most.
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Phone us on 07 870 4901 or send us a message.
