Employee benefits
in New Zealand.

New Zealand’s universal public healthcare system is rated excellent. To attract top talent many employers include private health insurance policies in their employment agreements, particularly for senior roles.

There are a number of pieces of legislation related to health and safety in the workplace.

The Accident Compensation Act (2001) established the ACC Levy which covers the costs of injuries caused by accidents. Employer contributions to the ACC total ≈1.4% of monthly payroll.

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act (2015), employers are required to provide the highest level of protection from workplace health and safety risks to both physical and mental health. As such, many companies provide training and other programs as part of a health and safety or employee wellness programme.

Most employers have Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) that provide free and confidential counseling and support services to employees. EAP are usually not restricted to work issues, but cover a range of issues that may impact on an employee’s health and productivity at work.

KiwiSaver is a work-based pension fund, available to employees between the ages of 18 and 65. Employers are required to enroll their employees, but technically the scheme is voluntary as employees have the choice of opting out within the first 8 weeks of starting a new job.

The employer is required to match the contribution of the employee, with the default contribution being 3%, with the possibility to contribute 10%.

New Zealand’s public pension system, known as the New Zealand Superannuation (NZS), is funded through general taxation. The NZS is a non-contributory flat-rate pension that’s paid to all residents who meet certain requirements at the age of 65.