January 15, 2025 In Bramwell Bate News By Cherie Hannam

Updates to Employment Law – what you should know

Written by Christine Symes and Saige Lindsay Over the past year, there have been several changes proposed and implemented by the National and Act coalition government within the realm of employment law; affecting both employers and employees. Below is a summary of these changes and how they may affect you. The minimum wage increase On 1 April 2025, following an announcement from Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden in late 2024, the minimum wage increased by 35 cents to $23.50...

December 13, 2024 In Bramwell Bate News By Cherie Hannam

Making building more affordable

As part of the Government’s commitment to increase the supply of affordable housing, the Building (Overseas Building Products, Standards, and Certification Schemes) Amendment Bill (Bill) was introduced to Parliament. Its purpose being to remove barriers to new building materials entering our market, resulting in more competitively priced products and greater resilience to supply disruptions. This follows on from a Commerce Commission market study (2022) into residential building supplies, which found a lack of competition in the supply and acquisition of key...

December 9, 2024 In Bramwell Bate News By Cherie Hannam

Roadside drug driver testing

Roadside testing to deter drug driving looks to be back on again with the Government’s Land Transport (Drug Driving) Amendment Bill (Bill) passing its first reading in August. Underlining the need for a workable solution, the Bill’s explanatory note reveals that between 2019-2022, on average 30% of road deaths each year involved crashes where drivers had consumed impairing drugs. The previous government passed legislation in 2022 to enable police to carry out a roadside oral fluid test (OFT) for drugs. However,...