Get paid what you’re owed – We Fight for Your Rights
If your employer is not paying you correctly – or at all – you have legal rights under New Zealand employment law. Wage arrears occur when an employer fails to pay an employee the wages they are legally owed. This can include unpaid hours worked, late wage payments, incorrect holiday pay, or missing entitlements.
You may have a wage or pay claim if:
Your employer missed a scheduled payday or paid you late
You were not paid for all hours you worked, including overtime or training time
Your holiday pay or annual leave entitlements were calculated incorrectly
You did not receive your final pay after leaving a job
Your employer is withholding wages or claiming payroll problems repeatedly
You have been underpaid relative to your employment agreement or minimum wage obligations
If any of the above apply to you, you may be able to recover the money owed and raise a personal grievance. Sacked Kiwi can help you understand your options.
Employers in New Zealand are legally required to pay employees the wages agreed in their employment contract, on the agreed payday. Failure to do so is a breach of employment law.
Common signs of a wage payment issue include:
If your employer is not paying wages owed to you, you may be entitled to recover that money along with additional compensation.
We are employment advocates who specialise in helping New Zealand employees recover unpaid wages and resolve pay disputes.
We support you by:
Reviewing your situation and advising on your legal rights
Raising a formal personal grievance on your behalf
Representing you in MBIE mediation
Escalating to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) if needed
Pursuing penalties against your employer for wage non-payment where applicable
Not being paid for work you’ve done is stressful, demoralising, and financially damaging. Many employees don’t know whether they have the right to take action, or feel uncertain about challenging their employer.
Many of our clients come to us feeling frustrated and powerless – unsure whether the amount they’re owed is worth pursuing, or worried about the impact on their job.
We’re here to give you clear, practical guidance and fight for what you’re owed.
We help employees across New Zealand challenge unfair treatment.
NZ-wide employment advocacy, focused entirely on employee rights
No-win, no-fee service available
Clear, practical advice – we explain your options in plain English
Strong representation at mediation and the ERA
Contact us for a free, confidential case review
Tell us what wages or entitlements you believe you are owed and share any payslips, contracts, or communications you have.
We assess your situation
We review the details, confirm what you are legally owed, and advise on the best path to recovering your pay.
Leave the rest to us
We handle the paperwork, negotiations, and representation – you focus on getting back on your feet.
Employees must be paid for all authorised hours worked. This includes:
Minimum wage laws apply to all hours worked. An employer cannot refuse to pay for time an employee performed authorised work – regardless of the reason given.
Wage arrears are wages owed to an employee that were not paid when they were due. They can arise from:
Payroll in arrears refers to a payment arrangement where wages are paid after the period worked – this is a normal practice. However, if wages from an arrears arrangement are not paid on time, that becomes a legal issue.
Under the Holidays Act 2003, employees are entitled to paid annual leave and public holiday pay. Common holiday pay issues include:
Holiday pay calculations can be complex, particularly for employees with irregular hours. If you believe your leave entitlements have been miscalculated, we can help assess your situation.
Steps to take if your employer is not paying wages:
(Don’t worry if you don’t have everything – we will help you work through what’s available.)
No. If you performed authorised work, your employer is legally required to pay you for that time. Refusing to pay for hours worked is a breach of employment law and can result in personal grievance claims and penalties against the employer.
Wage arrears are wages that were owed to an employee but not paid when they were due. This can include unpaid hours, underpaid wages, or entitlements that were missed. Employees can take action to recover wage arrears through the personal grievance process or by raising a formal complaint.
First, document the missed payment and contact your employer in writing to request an explanation and a date for payment. If the issue is not resolved promptly, seek employment advice. Repeated late payments or refusal to pay are serious employment law matters that may justify a personal grievance.
An employer’s financial difficulty does not remove their legal obligation to pay employees. Wages are a protected entitlement under New Zealand law, and employees are generally treated as priority creditors if a business becomes insolvent. You still have the right to pursue recovery of unpaid wages.
While holiday pay is a separate entitlement under the Holidays Act 2003, incorrectly calculating or failing to pay holiday pay is still a legal breach. You can recover underpaid holiday pay through the same process as unpaid wages, and you may also be entitled to compensation.
Most personal grievances must be raised within 90 days of the issue arising. However, wage recovery claims may have different timeframes depending on the nature of the claim. It is best to seek advice as soon as possible to understand the deadlines that apply to your situation.
Yes. You can still pursue unpaid wages after leaving employment. This includes any wages owed during your employment as well as final pay entitlements such as accrued annual leave that were not paid correctly on termination.
90-day deadline: Most personal grievances must be raised within 90 days – don’t wait and risk missing your window.
What happens next: We’ll assess your case, calculate what you’re owed, and act on your behalf – often starting with free MBIE mediation.
Talk to Sacked Kiwi: Call 0508 227 799, or request a Free Case Review via the form above
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