Peter Dunne is a popular local MP who has served residents in the Ohariu area for almost 30 years. He has been well-respected and been a member of governments led by both Labour and National. Earlier this month he resigned from his position as revenue minister following allegations that he leaked to the media a confidential report on GCSB spying. Dunne denies leaking the report. However, his refusal to provide emails between him and Dominion Post reporter Andrea Vance to an investigation into the leak has proven his undoing.  More...

Marc Krieger was an unhappy whistleblower. He formerly worked at the Earthquake Commission (EQC) contacts centre and handled the investigation of complaints. He was also a member of the Official Information Act team.

Krieger had concerns about what was going on at the EQC. He tried to raise them directly with the minister responsible, Gerry Brownlee. His concerns were, not surprisingly, ignored by Brownlee's office. Krieger was then promptly summoned to a disciplinary meeting, which, he claims, was a result of reaching out to Brownlee. He received a written warning but ultimately elected to resign.

On leaving the EQC, Krieger continued his crusade by setting up a blog, EQC Truths, where he publicly described his experiences and concerns with the EQC. More...

One day far far away, winter will visit wonderful Wellington.

Should our Indian summer end, colds, flu and sniffles will return. Sometimes there may even be malingering. But what does the law have to say about the worker who uses their sick leave for other purposes?

Paul Marshallsea and his wife were on sick leave for work-related stress when they turned up on holiday in Australia far from their employer. Both were employed by a children's charity in Methyr Tydfil, a borough in southern Wales. But while enjoying a barbecue on Bullet beach, a shark was spotted near where young children were playing. Being a good Samaritan, Marshallsea ran into the waves and, believe it or not, grabbed the 6-foot shark and proceeded to drag it into deeper water away from the children. More...

Pope Francis has criticised the working conditions of Bangladeshi workers caught in a building collapse. More than 600 people are confirmed to have died in the building, which was home to several factories making clothes for Western companies.

At the same time as the Pope levelled his criticisms, an independent task force on workplace health and safety in New Zealand produced its report. The report was commissioned by the Government and is the culmination of 11 months of consultation and investigation.

Controversy surrounds the process followed to appoint Ian Fletcher as Director of the Government Communications and Security Bureau (GCSB). A lot has been made of the fact that Prime Minister John Key and Fletcher had a limited family friendship and that Key phoned Fletcher to suggest he apply for the job.  More...

Few things rouse public anger quite as much as the payment of huge golden handshakes, particularly to people who are seen as poor performers when the taxpayer is funding the payout.  More...

Employment relationships are always seen as very personal. It is the personality and the qualifications of the individual employed that are critical. The employee has a duty to personally perform the tasks they are assigned.  This is so self-evident that it is very rarely the subject of litigation. But not so in the United States.  A software developer, who is referred to as ‘Bob’, was removed from his position after he outsourced his own role to a Chinese consulting firm.  More...

The Australian Crime Commission report that alleges widespread doping and illegal drug use in Australian sport has shaken the Australian sporting establishment and sports followers generally.

In response, our Sport Minister Murray McCully has ordered government officials to evaluate the need for a similar doping probe in New Zealand. More...

It seems that Lady Gaga’s former personal assistant, Jennifer O’Neill, might be helped by a New Zealand Employment Court decision.  More...