Employment Court
The Employment Court hears and determines cases relating to employment disputes. These include challenges to determinations of the Employment Relations Authority, questions of interpretation of law, and disputes over strikes and lockouts.
This site does not contain legal advice. The information does not necessarily apply to every case and is subject to the relevant provisions in the Employment Relations Act 2000, the Employment Court Regulations 2000, and practice directions issued by the judges. Some of these sources are referred to on this website. If you want to know more about your employment rights or have an employment relationship problem, please go to Employment New Zealand
“The Judges of Te Kōti Take Mahi o Aotearoa/the Employment Court of New Zealand are acutely aware that the courtroom environment is an unfamiliar and daunting place for many of our Court users. We have been working to improve access to the Court, including through the provision of on-line resources.
We have added a video to our website – “Employment Court introduction video”. It shows a mock Court hearing, explaining the role of the Employment Court, the participants in a hearing and demonstrating some of the processes that often occur, e.g. the swearing in of a witness. This video, which includes captions, can be found here on the Information & Guidance/What Happens During a Hearing page on the Employment Court website.”
From 1 July 2025 the Employment Court will begin publishing its judgments on the Judicial Decisions Online database (JDO). The Ministry of Justice maintains JDO, a searchable database of court judgments. We will also continue to publish our judgments on the Employment Court website.
Initially, the JDO website will have Employment Court judgments from 2025 onwards. Historic judgments will be retrospectively added over time.
From 3 June 2025 the Employment Court started publishing its judgments from 24 hours after the delivery date, or the next business day, unless otherwise directed by a judge. Decisions of public interest may be published earlier, as directed by a judge.
Employment Court cases scheduled for 30 June 2025 to 11 July 2025
Guidelines for remote viewing of Hearings - February 2022
Our Courthouses – practical guidance Information on some practical matters to assist you when you come to Court: location, transport, parking, refreshment options.
E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā waka, e ngā hau e whā o te motu, nau mai, piki mai, haere mai, haere mai ki te Kōti Take Mahi.
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About the Employment Court »
The history of the Employment Court and its judges. The kind of cases the Court hears.
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Information & guidance »
How you can get legal advice and representation. What to do if you are not represented by a lawyer or advocate. Obtaining copies of documents from the files and information for the media.
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Apply to the Employment Court »
Steps to resolve an employment relationship problem. How to complete, file and serve documents. Challenging a determination of the Employment Relations Authority, and filing other applications.
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What to expect at the Employment Court »
Employment Court processes, after the commencement of proceedings, during the hearing through to what happens after a judgment is issued.
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Employment Court forms & fees »
Templates that you can download and information about fees.
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Judgments »
Search and download judgments issued since 2006, and find information about how to access earlier judgments.
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Practice directions, legislation & rules »
Relevant laws relating to employment issues and the rules that govern how the Court operates.
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Judgment delivery expectations »
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Annual Statistics »
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Contact us »
Contact the Employment Court registries in Auckland and Wellington.
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