Employment Law Update – what’s in the pipeline for 2026?

There are a number of pieces of legislation currently before parliament that will affect how HR professionals and people leaders will manage employment relationships.

Lane Neave Partner Fiona McMillan,covered all of these proposed changes, including but not limited to:

1. Clarification of the rules around whether someone is a contractor or an employee.
2. High-income earners no longer being able to raise personal grievances for unjustified dismissal.
3. The removal of the “30-day rule” in relation to Collective Agreements.
4. Employers being allowed to have open conversations with employees about “paying them to go.”

This seminar also looked to cover off key concepts with the proposed replacement to the Holidays Act.

Here are the slides from the session. Employment Law Update Feb 2026