The TUC has urged the government to `stay on course` in delivering its employment rights bill - a major shake-up of workers` rights. Read...

But the minister maintains binding arbitration could be the circuit breaker needed. Read...

An employment tribunal found Police Scotland directly discriminated against the pair who had their firearms removed. Read...

A large package set for delivery has caused quite a stink for one courier company, causing it to dial in the help of the police. After the box was dropped off at New Zealand Couriers in New Plymouth, an employee noticed it was emitting the “distinctive odour” of cannabis. But the police didn’t have to look far to figure out who was behind the package, with the source having provided his name and contact details on the package receipt. Today, Anthony Ellison, 40, appeared in the New Plymouth District Court charged with possession of cannabis and cultivation of cannabis, to which he pleaded guilty. Judge Gregory Hikaka said Ellison dropped off the “large white box” to the courier on October 24 last year. Inside was 445g of dried cannabis leaf material, intended to make the journey across the Cook Strait to an address in Takaka. But after the employee clocked the smell of cannabis, the police were notified. This led to a search of Ellison’s house in New Plymouth, where police found four “large” cannabis plants growing in pots on his deck. A “jungle grow tent”, grow lights and a set of scales were also found and seized. When speaking with the police, Ellison said he had gone to the couriers to drop the package off for a friend. He admitted the plants growing at his house were his. In court, defence lawyer Emily Forsyth submitted there was no element of commercial gain in Ellison’s offending, and he was in fulltime employment with a recent opportunity to advance his career. She said he undertook random drug-testing at work and had offered to do the same through Corrections. The appropriate sentence was community detention, with a weekend curfew to facilitate the weekday travel Ellison undertook for work, Forsyth submitted. Police prosecutor Lewis Sutton had no issues with the defence’s submissions but asked for a destruction order to be made in respect to the cannabis and equipment. Judge Hikaka said Ellison had “a lot of previous convictions” but none for drug offending. “You could count yourself fortunate. You could have faced different charges on the basis of that quantity, and your posting, as well as your admission that it was to supply someone else.” The judge agreed the appropriate sentence was community detention, with a weekend curfew, imposing the sentence for three months. However, he added six months of supervision and made a destruction order for the cannabis and equipment. Tara Shaskey joined NZME in 2022 and is currently an assistant editor and reporter for the Open Justice team. She has been a reporter since 2014 and previously worked at Stuff covering crime and justice, arts and entertainment, and Maori issues. Read...

The gender pay gap in New Zealand has narrowed to a record low, new data shows. The pay gap between men and women was 5.2% in the June 2025 quarter, Statistics New Zealand said. It is a drop from 8.2% in the corresponding period last year. Dellwyn Stuart, co-founder of campaign group Mind the Gap, said the figure showed a “trend in the right direction”, but more movement was needed. Stuart told the Herald the narrowing gap follows “a few good interventions” in the past five years. “I think it’s on the back of the very successful Mind the Gap campaign, and the work that the public service did under the last Government around mandating pay gap measurement and reporting. “And then for this Government, it followed up by creating a gender pay gap toolkit that’s freely available. So there has been quite a few good interventions in the last five years and I think we’re seeing that impact now. “But we need more information and there is more to go. Any pay gap based on gender or ethnicity is unacceptable.” The gender pay gap is the difference between the average pay of men versus the average pay of women. Stuart said Stats NZ’s new figure is a broad look at the overall gap but Pasifika and Maori women had a much larger pay difference. Mind the Gap co-founder Dellwyn Stuart says the narrower gap follows `a few good interventions` in the past five years. Photo / Michael Bradley “I’d be interested to see if their pay gaps have also shrunk in a way that is significant,” she said. Professor Gail Pacheco, the Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner at the Human Rights Commission, called the data “hugely encouraging”. “Put simply, that means the median woman now earns about 95c for every dollar earned by the median man,” Pacheco said. She agreed with Stuart on the ethnic pay gaps and also noted Stats NZ’s figure did not cover the self-employed or unemployed. Stats NZ’s labour market spokeswoman Abby Johnston said the data showed the lowest pay gap since records began in 1998. “Annually, the gender pay gap declined by three percentage points, the first statistically significant annual decline noted since 2017,” she said. Stats NZ said the gap had narrowed because of women receiving larger increases in median hourly earnings from wages and salaries than men. The new figure comes on the same day five labour unions announced plans for a rally outside the High Court at Wellington on Friday over Government legislation cancelling their members’ pay equity claims. Pay equity, as opposed to equal pay, is the same remuneration for different work that has the same or similar level of skill or responsibility, the Ministry of Women says. Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers business, breaking news and local stories from Tamaki Makaurau. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022. Read...

An employment advocate was paid $6000 for a case representing an unjustifiably dismissed employee. Meanwhile, the employer paid over $160,000 in legal fees. Read...

The USA may be considered the land of the free, but the reality is different when it comes to dealing with border control. Travelers entering the country must expect electronic devices such as laptops and smartphones to be checked, read or even temporarily retained. The US authorities are authorized to do this and are increasingly making use of it, especially for tourists with a valid visa or ESTA. In this article, we show you how to configure and prepare your devices securely, what sort of content can be problematic, and how you can stay protected online with a VPN, even in a hotel or airport network. When preparing technically for a trip to the USA, two devices take center stage: your laptop and your smartphone. If you’re well prepared, not only will you protect your privacy, but you’ll also avoid unnecessary queries or, in the worst case, being refused entry. Preparing your laptop for a trip to the USA: Reduce data, gain control A simple principle works best for laptops: less is more. The less private or professional data stored locally, the lower the risk that it will be misunderstood or misinterpreted. Work documents, tax documents, invoices, applications, CVs, or project files are particularly sensitive, as they may give the US authorities the impression that employment in the USA is planned. Even seemingly harmless tools such as Slack, Figma, or Notion can raise questions if they reveal professional activity. To be on the safe side, consider setting up a fresh laptop before traveling or create a separate user profile without sensitive content. An elegant solution is a dual-boot setup with a minimalist second system. This can be installed alongside Windows, which strictly separates private use from travel needs. You should also deactivate cloud access such as Google Drive, OneDrive, or iCloud. Make sure you remove saved browser logins, too. Instead, we recommend a deliberately reduced setup with only essential applications, such as a browser, PDF viewer, and VPN client. Secure your smartphone for the USA: Select apps wisely and limit access Smartphones are particularly sensitive: they not only contain personal data, but also meta-information such as location histories, chat histories and app usage behavior. A glance at the app icon or a notification on the lock screen is often enough to trigger queries. The following app categories in particular can cause problems when entering the country: News apps with geopolitical explosiveness such as “RT News,” “Sputnik,” “PressTV,” “CCTV,” or “Al Mayadeen” Messengers with a strong focus on encryption such as “Signal,” “Telegram,” and “Threema” — frequently used in activist circles or for anonymous communication Tools for circumventing censorship and tracking such as “Tor Browser,” “Orbot,” or “Psiphon” — technically useful, but in need of explanation Apps with links to sanctioned countries, such as Persian calendars, Iranian banking, shopping apps, or apps with Arabic script Wallets and crypto platforms such as “Exodus Wallet,” “Monero GUI Wallet,” and “Trust Wallet.” This can arouse suspicion due to possible money flows without traceability. Social networks with a political focus such as Mastodon apps with left-wing or anarchist instances or special Reddit clients with conspicuous subreddits The use of these apps is not prohibited generally, but in combination with other factors (travel history, visa type, previous stays) they can provoke questions. If this is a concern for you, you should consider using a second phone for your trip to the USA that only contains the most necessary apps. More sensitive applications can then remain on the main device, which is kept safe at home. Alternatively, affected apps can also be uninstalled and reinstalled after your return. Overview of device unlocking requirements Under current US law, border officials may search electronic devices such as laptops, tablets, or smartphones and, if necessary, confiscate them. They can also demand that devices be unlocked by fingerprint, facial recognition, or by issuing passwords, including individual apps. Although refusal is not a criminal offense, it may result in entry being denied or the device being confiscated. It’s better to travel sparingly and only take the most necessary content with you. VPN for travel to the USA: The protection you need before you even take off A VPN (Virtual Private Network) protects your connection, especially when it matters most: while entering the country, using airport Wi-Fi, in your hotel, or during travel. With a VPN, you can hide your IP address, connect to your home network, and prevent unencrypted data from being read. How to prepare your VPN correctly: Choose a VPN provider and subscribe to a suitable tariff Install the VPN app in advance (both on your laptop and smartphone) and test the connection Activate “Auto-Connect” and “Kill Switch” so that the VPN starts automatically and protects your data if the tunnel breaks down Hide the app icon on the home screen or move it to a folder With a VPN like NordVPN, you can surf safely on foreign networks in the USA. Install the client before your trip.Sam Singleton Is a VPN a red flag at the US border? No, VPNs are legal in the USA and commonly used in business settings. However, it’s advisable to avoid particularly conspicuous providers or political associations such as Tor integration. If you want to travel inconspicuously, you can simply hide the app or use a neutral provider such as NordVPN or Surfshark VPN. If needed, VPN use can be plausibly justified as protecting personal data or ensuring secure access to private online services. Especially practical: A VPN can easily be used with an eSIM, so you don’t even have to rely on public (and often very weak) Wi-Fi networks. Read...

Court rules that workers were hired in roles that did not align with their visa conditions and were not paid in accordance with minimum employment standards. Read...

The man had hired migrant staff for one job, and then directed them to do something else, while “underpaying, and making them work excessive hours”. Read...

A Murupara café operator and his company have been ordered to pay $335,000 for serious breaches of immigration and employment laws involving migrant workers. Read...