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Minimum wage rises by $1.20 on 1 April 2019
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 this 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.
You can also use the online calculator to estimate costs of hiring a new employee. TIP If you pay staff minimum wages, recalculate your budget for the rest of the year — you’ll be paying out more in wages. Do you have more questions about minimum pay rules? Visit employment.govt.nz or call Employment New Zealand toll free on 0800 20 90 20.
