What notice period am I owed when made redundant in NZ?

In New Zealand, redundancy notice periods are set by your employment agreement, not by statute. However, employers have significant obligations before and during a redundancy.

What your employment agreement should specify:

• The minimum notice period (commonly 2–4 weeks for most roles)
• Any redundancy compensation (this is not legally required unless in your agreement)

Consultation obligations (mandatory): Before making a role redundant, your employer must:

Provide you with information about the proposed restructure

Give you a genuine opportunity to respond

Consider your response before making a decision

This is a good faith obligation under s4 ERA 2000. Failure to consult can make the dismissal unjustified even if the role genuinely no longer exists.

What makes a redundancy legitimate:

• The role must genuinely be surplus to requirements
• The restructure must be a real business decision, not a pretext to remove you specifically
• If a similar role is later advertised, you may have a personal grievance claim

Redundancy pay: NZ law does not require redundancy pay unless your employment agreement provides for it. Check your agreement.

Time to raise a grievance: 90 days from the date of notice (s114 ERA 2000).

Source: Employment Relations Act 2000 — View on legislation.govt.nz