Maybe you were let go and told it was a 'restructure'. Maybe your final pay never landed, your holiday pay looks wrong, or you were pushed out after raising a concern. New Zealand gives every employee real protection against unjustified dismissal and unjustified disadvantage under the Employment Relations Act 2000 — but the most important right runs on a short, unforgiving clock: in most cases you have just 90 days to raise a personal grievance. You don't need money or a web form to find out where you stand. This is free general legal information to help you act quickly — it is not legal advice and creates no lawyer-client relationship. Legal Hotline is not a law firm.
Free legal information. Not legal advice. Available 24/7 across Wellington.
Write down the dates and the dollars before the detail fades. Note your last day worked, the exact date anything happened to you (dismissal, demotion, a formal warning, a cut to your hours), and roughly what you think you are owed — unpaid wages, holiday pay, or a final pay that never arrived. One clock matters more than any other: a personal grievance must usually be raised with your employer within 90 days of the action happening or of you becoming aware of it, whichever is later (the window is 12 months for a sexual harassment grievance). Save your employment agreement, payslips, rosters, emails and any dismissal letter to your own phone or personal email now, before you lose access to a work account. Then talk it through — and find out which deadline is closest.
Here is what blindsides Wellington workers. You can have a strong story — pushed out a fortnight after you raised a safety concern, or dismissed with no real process — and still lose it, because a personal grievance must usually be raised with your employer within 90 days of the action happening or of you becoming aware of it. That is far shorter than people expect, and it is not the same as 'filing a case' — it is a clear notification to your employer that you have a grievance, which most people get wrong or leave too late. Once the 90 days pass, you generally need your employer's agreement or the Authority's leave on narrow 'exceptional circumstances' grounds, and that is rarely granted. The window stretches to 12 months only for sexual harassment. The clock starts the day it happened, not the day you decided to do something about it. If something has gone wrong at work, do not sit on it — find out exactly how many days you have left.
If you would rather start on your own, or you need free help and a referral, these are real, verified New Zealand services — several based right in Wellington. Here they are directly:
I was dismissed from my Wellington job and I think it was unfair. How long do I have to do something?
In most cases you have just 90 days to raise a personal grievance with your employer — measured from the day the dismissal happened or the day you became aware of it, whichever is later. Raising a grievance means clearly notifying your employer that you have one; it is not the same as filing a case. If you miss the 90 days you generally need your employer's consent or the Authority's leave on 'exceptional circumstances' grounds, which is hard to get. Find out exactly how many days you have left before you do anything else.
Doesn't my employer have the right to fire me for any reason?
No. New Zealand has no 'at-will' employment. Every dismissal has to be justified — both for a genuine reason and through a fair process. The Employment Relations Authority asks whether what your employer did, and how, is what a fair and reasonable employer could have done in the circumstances (section 103A of the Employment Relations Act 2000). A real reason handled through an unfair process can still be an unjustified dismissal.
What is a personal grievance, exactly?
It is the formal way an employee complains about being treated unfairly at work. The categories include unjustified dismissal, unjustified disadvantage (unfair treatment short of dismissal), discrimination, sexual or racial harassment, and being penalised for raising a health-and-safety or protected-disclosure issue or for discussing your pay. The key first step is raising it with your employer within the 90-day window.
My final pay or holiday pay looks wrong. What can I do in Wellington?
Holiday pay under the Holidays Act 2003 is based on your ordinary earnings, not the minimum wage, and payroll systems get it wrong all the time. You can pursue underpaid wages or holiday pay through the Employment Relations Authority, or in clearer cases ask a free MBIE Labour Inspector to investigate. You do not need to pay for a lawyer to chase money you are genuinely owed.
How does the dispute process actually work — do I go straight to court?
No. The system is tiered. You first try to resolve it directly, then use MBIE's free mediation service, which settles most employment problems confidentially without a hearing. If mediation does not work, the matter goes to the Employment Relations Authority (the Wellington office is on Customhouse Quay), and from there an appeal can go to the Employment Court. Most people never get past mediation.
Does my own behaviour at work affect what I can get?
Yes — and much more than it used to. Under the Employment Relations Amendment Act 2026, in force from 21 February 2026, if your own conduct amounted to serious misconduct and contributed to the situation, the Authority may award no remedies at all. Even conduct that falls short of serious misconduct but still contributed can now reduce your remedy by up to 100% (section 124). This makes getting advice early more important than ever.
What can the Employment Relations Authority actually order if I win?
Under section 123, the Authority can order reimbursement of lost wages, compensation for the hurt and humiliation an unjustified dismissal or disadvantage caused you, and in some cases reinstatement to your job. Reinstatement and emotional-harm compensation are not available where your own behaviour significantly contributed to the grievance, though lost-wage reimbursement may still apply in part.
Do I need money or a lawyer to start?
No. MBIE's mediation service is free, and so is the Early Resolution phone service. Community Law Wellington & Hutt Valley and the Citizens Advice Bureau give free initial employment advice, and civil legal aid can help with the cost of a lawyer if you meet the income test. The information call costs nothing either — and it can point you to whichever free service fits your situation.
What's the minimum wage in New Zealand right now?
From 1 April 2026 the adult minimum wage is $23.95 an hour, and the starting-out and training minimum wage is $19.16 an hour. It applies to employees aged 16 and over working in New Zealand. If your pay is below that, or your holiday pay looks short, that is worth checking — a free Labour Inspector can investigate underpayments.
Does Legal Hotline represent me, and is this legal advice?
No. Legal Hotline is not a law firm. What you get is free general legal information — not legal advice — and the contact creates no lawyer-client relationship. It is there to help you understand your situation quickly, flag the deadline that is closest (almost always that 90-day clock), and, if you want, point you toward a New Zealand employment lawyer or a free service like Community Law.
Are you a New Zealand employment lawyer who acts for employees? We connect worried, time-pressured Wellington workers — facing unjustified dismissal, unjustified disadvantage, unpaid wages and holiday-pay problems, discrimination, harassment, and personal grievances on a tight 90-day clock — with lawyers who can help. If you would like to receive referrals as our network grows, get in touch about joining. (This is a path for lawyers; people who need help should use the free options 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 Wellington job — dismissed without a fair process, pushed out after raising a concern, shorted on pay or holiday pay — New Zealand law may be squarely on your side, but only if you act before the clock runs out, and the personal grievance clock is usually just 90 days. You do not need money, an email address, or a lawyer to find out where you stand. This is free general legal information to help you move quickly — it is not legal advice and creates no lawyer-client relationship. Legal Hotline is not a law firm. Get a plain-English read on your situation before another day comes off the clock.
Free legal information. Not legal advice.