Employment contracts
in New Zealand.

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Standard employment contract in New Zealand: Open-ended contract

For professional jobs, the standard contracts offered are open-ended contracts. In New Zealand these types of employment agreements are also referred to as ‘unlimited’ or ‘permanent’ contracts.

Alternative employment contract in New Zealand: Fixed-term

Fixed-term contracts, commonly referred to as ‘limited’ or ‘temporary’ contracts in New Zealand, are used but less frequently than open-ended contracts. Under a fixed-term contract, the terms of the working relationship are valid for a specified period.

Are there other types of employment contracts in New Zealand?

Collective employment agreements are negotiated between employers and registered unions (representing the employees who are union members). Note that any employee covered by a collective employment agreement can also have additional individual terms.

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FAQs

What are the main differences between the open-ended contract and the fixed-term contract in New Zealand?

The primary difference between Open-Ended and Fixed-term contracts is ‘permanence’ i.e. the potential length of the period of employment. Open-Ended contracts employ on a permanent basis, whereas fixed-term contracts employ for a specified period of time.

Which New Zealand employment contract is right for me?

There are certain terms and conditions that must be included in all New Zealand employment agreements. For the most part, it’s possible to create employment contracts that align with your company’s objectives and existing policies. At Horizons, our in-country experts can check the particulars of any employment agreement to ensure compliance with New Zealand employment law.

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Gabor SzedlakCo-founder & COO at MindLabs (UK)

"I truly appreciated the thoroughness and the professionalism of Horizons personnel while we hired internationally with them. They were knowledgable on all subject matters pertaining to international employment."

Gary PaskyVP Software Development, PICS ITech (USA)

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"The collaboration with the Horizons team is excellent. Both our local employee as well as our HQ in Germany are more than pleased with the support provided and the simplicity of the service. We can highly recommend the Horizons solution to anyone."

Christoph EngelbertCo-Founder & CTO, Clevabit (Germany)

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Katia FlamandHuman Resources, Devian Chemicals (Belgium)