NZ's friendliest regions and towns
Hi there,
Canterbury has been named the fifth most welcoming region in the world in the Booking.com Traveller Review Awards, while Oamaru, Hokitika and Invercargill have been named the most welcoming towns in NZ. They were followed by Cambridge, Picton, Lake Tekapo, Kerikeri, Palmerston North, Paihia and Twizel.
We'd be really keen to hear your thoughts on this based on your own travels around New Zealand. Do you think Canterbury is NZ's most welcoming region? And are these our most welcoming towns?
Where in NZ have you been made to feel particularly welcome on your travels?
As usual, please put 'NFP' in your comment if you don't want it to be included in an article. Cheers.
π Christmas 2025 Holiday Pay - What You Need to Know π
π Christmas 2025 Holiday Pay - What NZ Employers Need to Know π
With Christmas fast approaching, itβs important to make sure your team is paid correctly over the holiday period - especially with holiday legislation changes on the horizon.
π Good news: For Christmas 2025, the current Holidays Act rules still apply.
Hereβs a simple breakdown π
β
Employees with 12+ months service
β’ Entitled to 4 weeks paid annual leave
β’ Pay the higher of:
π Ordinary Weekly Pay or Average Weekly Earnings
π Full-time example
β’ 8 hrs/day Γ 5 days = 40 hrs/week
β’ $1,200 per week = $240 per leave day
π Part-time example
β’ 3 hrs/day Γ 4 days = 12 hrs/week
β’ $300 per week = $75 per leave day
β
Employees with less than 12 months service
β’ Not yet entitled to annual leave
β’ If your business closes down over Christmas, they must still be paid holiday pay for the closedown period (usually paid via payroll accruals or 8% of gross earnings under current law)
π Christmas & New Year Public Holidays
β’ Christmas Day (25 Dec)
β’ Boxing Day (26 Dec)
β’ New Yearβs Day (1 Jan)
βοΈ If the day is a normal working day, employees are paid for it
βοΈ If they work on a public holiday:
β‘οΈ Time and a half + an alternative paid day off
π Important β Changes Coming
The Holidays Act will eventually be replaced by a new Employment Leave Act, moving to hours-based leave accrual and simplified calculations.
β οΈ These changes are not in force yet, so Christmas 2025 still follows current rules.
π¬ Need help checking your payroll or holiday calculations?
π§ Email: info@corefigures.co.nz
π Website: corefigures.co.nz...
β¨ Feel free to share this with other NZ business owners β¨
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