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Minimum Wage Increase


Published 08 Mar 2016

Workplace Relations Minister Michael Woodhouse has recently announced that the minimum wage rises by 50 cents to $15.25 an hour from 1 April 2016.  It is expected that this increase will affect more than 150,000 New Zealand workers.

The starting-out and training hourly minimum wages rates increases by 40 cents from $11.80 to $12.20 an hour.  This ensures that they remain at 80 per cent of the adult minimum wage. 

This is a 3.4 per cent increase.  Comparatively, the median wage rose by 4.1 per cent to $22.92 an hour in the last New Zealand income survey for the last year to last June, the average wage rose by only 2.5 per cent to $27.49.  

Employers need to ensure that they have identified which employees are being paid the minimum wage and increase their remuneration from 1 April 2016.

For further information on minimum wage please see here : minimum-wage-new-zealand.aspx