News
Minimum wage rises by $1.20 on 1 April 2019
The minimum wage is going up from $16.50 to $17.70 per hour. Here’s what you’ll need to know for your business.
Minimum wage rises
When: 1 April 2019
What: The new minimum wage rates, before tax, are:
• Adult — $17.70 an hour
• Starting-out — $14.16 an hour (up from $13.20)
• Training — $14.16 an hour (up from $13.20)
Read our page on minimum pay rules for a summary of who can earn the different rates.
Why: Government must by law review the minimum wage rates every year.
What you’ll need to do: You and your staff can agree to any wage above the minimum rates. If your payroll and employment agreements are a few years old, you can use this as a chance to update them using our easy to use tool, the Employment Agreement Builder. If any workers are on starting-out or training wages, now is a good time to check when they’ll be eligible to move onto the adult rate.
Note that it is a legal requirement to have a written employment agreement with all your staff. (external link)
You can also use the online calculator to estimate costs of hiring a new employee.
Source: www.business.govt.nz