Adult Minimum Wage
- The adult minimum wage will increase 50 cents from $15.25 to $15.75 an hour effective 1 April 2017
- This applies to all employees aged 16 and over who are not starting-out workers or trainees, unless they are involved in supervising or training other employees
Starting-out and Trainees
- The starting-out and training minimum wage will increase from $12.20 to $12.60 an hour, being 80 percent of the adult minimum wage
Under 16
- There is no minimum wage for employees aged under 16 but all other employment rights and entitlements still apply
- When looking at whether an employee who is 16 years or older is a starting-out worker, time spent employed by an employer before the employee turned 16 must be included when calculating the time that employee has been continuously employed
Employers and employees may agree to terms that are more than the legislative minimum, but may not agree to terms that are less.
To find out more about the starting-out and trainee criteria visit the Employment New Zealand web site.