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Workplace Relations Minister Brooke Van Velden says new requirements will give clarity to workers and businesses. Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER A major union and a big business group are at odds over whether planned changes to employment law will simplify or complicate matters. The government is introducing new tests to define whether workers are employees or contractors. It comes after a Court of Appeal case ruled four Uber drivers were employees and should receive benefits like holiday pay. Workplace Relations Minister Brooke Van Velden says new requirements will give clarity to workers and businesses. She declined to be interviewed by Morning Report on the matter, but on Sunday said if four criteria were met, then a worker would be classified as a contractor - and without the benefits b...

The coalition government is planning to drop what it calls a "huge layering of personal liabilities for directors" to encourage more listings on the stock exchange. Speaking to RNZ's series RICH: The meaning of wealth in Aotearoa, Commerce Minister Andrew Bayly said the key to creating more wealth was to make it easier for companies to attract investment, grow and become exporters. He revealed plans to scrap requirements for companies to tell prospective investors about future earnings forecasts. He also hinted other obligations on company directors may go - including possibly removing the personal liability for climate-related disclosures. The changes would make it easier for companies to list on the New Zealand Stock Exchange (NZX), which in turn would help companies and the economy grow...

Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone The government has outlined its upcoming changes to the law to clarify whether a worker is an employee or a contractor. The changes are part of the coalition agreement between National and ACT, which states they would "maintain the status quo that contractors who have explicitly signed up for a contracting arrangement can't challenge their employment status in the Employment Court". The amendment to the Employment Relations Act will add in a test with four criteria: a written agreement with the worker, specifying they are an independent contractor the business does not restrict the worker from working for another business (including competitors) the business does not require the worker to be availa...