Maybe you were let go without a fair process. Maybe your final pay or holiday pay came up short, or you were punished for raising a concern. New Zealand law gives every employee real protection — the right not to be unjustifiably dismissed, the right to be paid properly, the right to raise a personal grievance — but most of it runs on a clock, and the most important one is just 90 days. You don't need money or a web form to find out where you stand. This page explains your rights in plain English and points you to free help right here in Southland — from the Southland Community Law Centre in Invercargill to the Employment Relations Authority. This is general legal information to help you act, not legal advice, and it creates no lawyer-client relationship. Legal Hotline is not a law firm.
Free legal information. Not legal advice. Available 24/7 across Southland.
Write down the dates and the dollars before anything fades. Note your last day worked, the exact date the problem happened (dismissal, a written warning, a pay shortfall), and roughly what you think you're owed — unpaid wages, holiday pay, or your final pay. One clock matters more than any other: under the Employment Relations Act 2000 you usually have only 90 DAYS from when the problem happened (or came to your attention) to raise a personal grievance with your employer — and just 12 months for a sexual-harassment grievance. Save your employment agreement, payslips, rosters, emails and texts to your own phone or personal email now, before you lose access to a work account. Then get free advice from the Southland Community Law Centre or read on — the goal is to make sure you don't let the 90-day window quietly close.
Here's what blindsides people. You can have a strong story — dismissed without a fair process, or punished for raising a safety concern — and still lose the right to do anything about it, because you must RAISE a personal grievance with your employer within 90 days of the problem. People often assume they have the 3-year window they've heard about, but that 3 years only applies AFTER you've raised the grievance in time — it's the period to lodge with the Employment Relations Authority, not to get started. The 90 days runs from when the problem happened or when you became aware of it. If you miss it, you can usually only continue if your employer agrees or the ERA grants leave for 'exceptional circumstances' under section 115, which is genuinely hard to get. The single most valuable thing you can do is raise it in writing, in time. If you were dismissed or treated unfairly at a Southland workplace, don't sit on it — get free advice from the Southland Community Law Centre and find out exactly how many days you have left.
If you'd rather start on your own, or you need free help and a referral, these are real, verified New Zealand services — several based in or covering Southland. Free advice can point you to the right one, but here they are directly:
I was dismissed without any warning at my Southland job. Is that legal in New Zealand?
Often it isn't. New Zealand is not an 'at-will' country — a dismissal must be both substantively justified (a genuine reason) and procedurally fair (a fair process: raising the concern, letting you respond, keeping an open mind). A dismissal with no warning and no chance to respond can be 'unjustified' even if the employer had a real concern. But you must raise a personal grievance with your employer within 90 days. The Southland Community Law Centre in Invercargill can help you do that — for free.
How long do I have to raise a personal grievance in New Zealand?
Generally 90 days from when the problem happened or came to your attention, whichever is later — and 12 months for a grievance about sexual harassment. This is the deadline people miss most often, usually because they assume they have the 3 years they've heard about. That 3 years is only the time to lodge with the Employment Relations Authority AFTER you've raised the grievance in time. If the 90 days is close, get advice now rather than later.
What's the difference between the 90-day deadline and the three-year limit?
They're two different clocks. The 90 days (section 114 of the Employment Relations Act 2000) is the time to RAISE the grievance with your employer. The 3 years is the separate, later window to lodge a statement of problem with the Employment Relations Authority if the matter isn't resolved. You have to clear the first hurdle — raising it within 90 days — before the second one even applies. Miss the 90 days and you usually need your employer's agreement or 'exceptional circumstances' leave from the ERA.
My final pay and holiday pay came up short. What can I do in Southland?
Unpaid wages, holiday pay and final pay are recoverable. You can pursue them through a wage claim, the free MBIE mediation service, or — for amounts up to $60,000 — the Disputes Tribunal that sits at the Invercargill District Court (35 Don Street). Save your payslips, employment agreement and any rosters or messages. The Southland Community Law Centre can help you work out the quickest path and how much you're owed.
What does the personal-grievance process actually look like?
First, raise the grievance with your employer in writing within 90 days. If that doesn't resolve it, the next step is usually free, confidential mediation through MBIE — many matters settle there. If mediation fails, you lodge a statement of problem with the Employment Relations Authority, an investigative tribunal less formal than a court. The ERA travels to hold investigation meetings near Southland workplaces. Its decisions can be challenged in the Employment Court.
What can I actually get if my grievance succeeds?
The Employment Relations Authority can order reimbursement of lost wages (often around 3 months' pay, sometimes more), compensation for hurt and humiliation, and — where practicable and wanted — reinstatement to your job. Recent reforms allow the ERA to reduce remedies by up to 100% where your own behaviour contributed to the situation, so the facts of your conduct matter. Free advice can give you a realistic sense of your own case.
Do I have to go to court, or can I sort this out more simply?
Most employment problems never reach a courtroom. The system is built to resolve things early: raise it directly with your employer, then use the free MBIE mediation service, which is confidential and often successful. The Employment Relations Authority is a tribunal, not a court, and is deliberately less formal. The Employment Court only comes in if someone challenges an ERA decision. Free help from the Southland Community Law Centre can guide you through the early steps.
Does it cost money or require a lawyer to raise an employment grievance?
No. You can raise a grievance with your employer yourself, MBIE mediation is free, and the Southland Community Law Centre and Citizens Advice Bureau give free advice. Employment advocates (specialists who aren't lawyers) are often cheaper than lawyers, and legal aid may help cover a lawyer's costs if you qualify. For smaller money claims, the Disputes Tribunal is low-cost and designed for people without lawyers.
I earn a high salary. Can I still bring an unjustified-dismissal claim?
Possibly not. Under changes to the Employment Relations Act taking effect in 2026, employees on a salary of around $180,000 or more lose the ability to bring an unjustified-dismissal personal grievance about that dismissal. The rules and thresholds are detailed and have moved, so if you're a high earner this is exactly the kind of point to check with a New Zealand employment lawyer before you assume either way.
My employer wants me to sign a settlement today. Should I?
Be careful. A record of settlement signed by a mediator is binding and final — once signed you generally cannot go back to the Employment Relations Authority or the Employment Court, even if you later think you settled for too little. The same caution applies to a 'full and final' release attached to your final pay. There's rarely a real reason it must be signed on the spot. Get free advice from the Southland Community Law Centre first, then decide.
Is this legal advice, and does Legal Hotline represent me?
No. Legal Hotline is not a law firm. This page gives general legal information to help you understand your situation and act in time — it is not legal advice and creates no lawyer-client relationship. For advice about your specific circumstances, contact the Southland Community Law Centre, use free MBIE mediation, or speak with a New Zealand employment lawyer. The aim here is to make sure you know your rights and your deadlines before the 90-day window closes.
Are you a New Zealand-licensed employment lawyer or advocate who helps workers across Southland — Invercargill, Gore, Te Anau and the wider region? We connect time-pressured people facing unjustified dismissal, unpaid wages, disadvantage and harassment grievances with professionals who can help. If you'd like to receive referrals as our New Zealand network grows, get in touch about joining. (This is a path for lawyers and advocates; people who need help should use the free services listed above.)
General legal information, not legal advice. We research every page from primary sources — legislation, the courts, and government legal-aid bodies — and check it for accuracy. Spotted something out of date? Tell us at admin@platfirm.ai.
Whatever happened at your job — dismissed without a fair process, shorted on pay or holiday pay, or punished for speaking up — New Zealand law may well be on your side, but only if you raise it in time, and the personal-grievance clock is just 90 days. You don't need money or a lawyer to find out where you stand. Read your rights here, then get free advice from the Southland Community Law Centre in Invercargill (0800 550 800), use the free MBIE mediation service, or contact the Citizens Advice Bureau. This is general legal information to help you move fast — not legal advice, and it creates no lawyer-client relationship. Legal Hotline is not a law firm. Act before another day comes off the clock.
Free legal information. Not legal advice.