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Employment rights basicsfree online awareness course for New Zealand workers

What a new worker in New Zealand is owed: a written agreement, minimum pay, breaks, leave and fair treatment, and what to do when something goes wrong.

  • About 42 min
  • 5 short modules
  • 15 questions
  • 80% to pass
A hand signing a printed agreement with a fountain pen.

About this course

Your first pay looks short. Nobody has mentioned breaks. The manager calls you a contractor but sets your roster. This course explains what the law gives you as a new worker in New Zealand, and what you can do when something does not add up.

Employment New Zealand, part of MBIE, has free learning modules on these topics, including "Do you know your employment rights" and "Resolving Employment Disputes". They are linked on this page, and you may prefer them. You can also study here and sit the assessment free, with no account. Pay only if you pass and want our certificate.

What you will learn

  • Recognise what a written employment agreement must include, and when to ask for time and advice
  • Distinguish an employee from a contractor, and a real casual pattern from a casual label
  • Explain how a trial period differs from an unpaid skills test, and which rights you keep during one
  • Check your pay against the minimum wage and your employer's records
  • Spot deductions, job fees and missed breaks that break the rules
  • Describe how annual holidays, public holidays and sick leave work at an awareness level
  • Recognise union choice, migrant workers' equal rights and unlawful discrimination
  • Choose a next step when something is wrong, and raise a personal grievance within the time limit

Who this course is for

  • People starting a first job, or a new job, in New Zealand
  • Hospitality, cleaning, care, support, early childhood and office workers who want to check what they are owed
  • Migrant workers who want to know which minimum rights apply to them

How the course works

  1. 1. Starting a job: your agreement, your status and trialsThe minimum rights every employee has, what a written agreement must say, employee or contractor, and how trials work.About 8 min, ending with a quick check
  2. 2. Pay, records and breaksHow to check your pay against the minimum wage, which records you can ask for, what can come out of your pay, and the breaks you are owed.About 7 min, ending with a quick check
  3. 3. Holidays and leaveAnnual holidays, public holidays, sick leave and other leave at an awareness level, and the new law coming in 2028.About 6 min, ending with a quick check
  4. 4. Unions, migrant workers and fair treatmentYour choice about joining a union, the equal minimum rights of migrant workers, and what unlawful discrimination means.About 5 min, ending with a quick check
  5. 5. When something is wrongHow to raise a problem, the 90-day time limit for a personal grievance, and the free services that can help.About 6 min, ending with a quick check
  6. Sit the assessment15 questions drawn at random. You need 80% to pass, and there is no time limit. If you do not pass, you will see which topics to review, then try again with a new set of questions.Free, and so are retries
  7. If you pass, the certificate is your choiceYou pay once, then get the PDF straight away and a copy by email. Your place is saved on this device the whole way, with no sign-up.NZ$24.90, optional
A sample Steadyhand Training certificate of completion made out to Your Name, with its details blurred.
Sample. Yours shows your name, the course, the date and an ID anyone can check.

What this certificate does and does not show

  • This is general awareness of employment rights in New Zealand. It is not legal advice, and it cannot tell you how your own dispute would turn out. For advice on your situation, talk to a lawyer, a community law centre or your union.
  • It does not cover everything. Flexible work, redundancy, fixed-term rules and parental leave are only mentioned or left out, and some dismissal rules differ for people earning $200,000 or more a year.
  • It does not show that you or your employer have met any legal duty. Rates and rules change, so check employment.govt.nz before relying on a figure or date from this course.

If you go straight to the assessment without completing the modules, your certificate is titled Certificate of Knowledge Assessment, because that is what it records.

Anyone can check a certificate on our verification page using its ID or QR code. More about the certificate.

Questions about this course

How is this different from Employment New Zealand's free modules?

Employment New Zealand is part of MBIE, and its modules are free, so they are a good choice on their own. We are independent of it. This course brings the main topics together around everyday work situations, adds an assessment, and offers an optional paid certificate that anyone can check on our verification page.

Does this apply if I am a contractor or a volunteer?

Mostly not. Minimum employment rights are for employees. Contractors and volunteers have rights under other laws, such as the Human Rights Act 1993 and the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. If your contract says contractor but the work does not look like it, the first module shows how to check, and Employment New Zealand can talk it through on 0800 20 90 20.

I am on a work visa. Do these rights apply to me?

Yes. Employment New Zealand says migrant workers have the same minimum rights as New Zealand workers, even if they are working unlawfully. For questions about your visa, ask Immigration New Zealand, because Employment New Zealand does not give immigration advice.

Is this legal advice?

No. It is general information to help you spot a problem and find the next step. Employment New Zealand cannot give legal advice or bring a grievance for you either. A lawyer, a community law centre or your union can look at your own situation.

How up to date is it?

It was checked against Employment New Zealand's website, MBIE and the Acts on 3 November 2026. Minimum wage rates are reviewed each year, and a new leave law starts on 6 August 2028. Check employment.govt.nz before you rely on a figure.

Will my employer accept the certificate?

Ask them first. Each employer decides what training it accepts, and some may prefer Employment New Zealand's own modules. You can study and sit the assessment free before deciding whether to buy anything.

Official sources behind this course

The lessons are original summaries of these sources. For your own situation, the source is what counts.

Show all 36 sources

Version 1.0.1, last checked 2026-11-03. Approved for publication by our editor on 2026-11-09. Not reviewed by an external professional. How we check our content.

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Free to study.
Certificate NZ$24.90 if you pass.