The minimum wage in New Zealand will increase from $15.75 to $16.50 as of 1 April 2018.

Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety, Iain Less-Galloway, says that the $0.75 rise will benefit around 164,000 workers and their families, and will increase total wages by $129 million per year.

“Raising the minimum wage was one of the Government’s top priorities for the first 100 days” he says, “and we are committed to increasing the minimum wage to $20 by 2021.”

The Minister also advised that within the first 12 months of the Government’s term it will abolish starting-out rates and consider changes to the training wage. In the meantime, those rates will continue to be 80% of the minimum wages increasing to $13.20 per hour from 1 April 2018.

You can find more detail at www.beehive.govt.nz/release/minimun-wage-increase-1650-hour.

And call us if you need any advice on implementing the rise for your staff.