Employment advocates for NZ employees
Talk to an employment advocate. Your first assessment is free.
Contingency (no-win, no-fee) for suitable personal grievances, so there’s nothing to pay upfront.
Your free first assessment
Form, phone or email. A few lines is enough.
Nothing goes to your employer until you say so.
Form, phone or email. A few lines is enough.
Employment advocates for NZ employees
Talk to an employment advocate. Your first assessment is free.
Contingency (no-win, no-fee) for suitable personal grievances, so there’s nothing to pay upfront.
Your free first assessment
Form, phone or email. A few lines is enough.
Nothing goes to your employer until you say so.
Form, phone or email. A few lines is enough.
Employment advocates for NZ employees
Talk to an employment advocate. Your first assessment is free.
Contingency (no-win, no-fee) for suitable personal grievances, so there’s nothing to pay upfront.
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Grown locally for coastal conditions
Who we are
EDRS is a New Zealand employment advocacy service for employees. We help people deal with problems at work, from performance plans and disciplinary processes to personal grievances and exits.
We have sat on every side of the table. We have represented employees and employers, and we mediate employment disputes, so we know how employers think and what it takes to resolve a matter. Our focus is resolution rather than rhetoric: clear advice, careful preparation and practical outcomes.
Your situation, your goals, your decision. We work to the outcome you want.
An honest view of your case, including the weak points, from the start.
Practical outcomes that make a real difference, reached with minimum fuss.
Most workplace problems are easier to fix early. Whatever stage you’re at, we’ll explain your options in plain English.
Raising, negotiating and resolving claims for unjustified dismissal or disadvantage.
Checking the plan is fair, reasonable and supported, and helping you respond.
Preparing you, attending with you and making sure the process is fair.
Recording what’s happening and raising it the right way.
Assessing whether it amounts to constructive dismissal.
Reviewing the reason and the process, and acting within time limits.
Testing the proposal and the consultation, and negotiating terms.
Negotiating fair terms, a reference and a clean exit.way.
Recovering unpaid wages, holiday pay and other entitlements.
Representing you at mediation and, if needed, at the Authority.
Tell us in a few lines and we’ll explain your options.
Core focus
A performance improvement plan should give you clear expectations, real support and a reasonable time to improve. It should not be a paper trail to an exit that has already been decided.
Signs you should get advice
Core focus
A personal grievance is a formal claim an employee can raise against a current or former employer. Common grounds include unjustified dismissal, unjustified disadvantage, discrimination, harassment and duress.
90 days
A personal grievance generally has to be raised within 90 days of the action, or of when you became aware of it. Some, such as sexual harassment, have a longer limit. Don’t wait.
Depending on your case and the law that applies, outcomes can include lost wages, compensation, a reference, an agreed exit or other remedies. Most matters resolve through negotiation or mediation.
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Call, email or complete the short form. A timeline and your key documents help, but you don’t need to write a long history.
An advocate reviews it and calls you within one working day to explain your options and what we recommend. No cost and no obligation.
If you want us to act, we send our terms and an Authority to Act, which you can accept online. Nothing goes to your employer until you have authorised it.
We manage communications, request information from your employer and build your position using the facts and the evidence..
Most matters resolve through negotiation or mediation. If yours doesn’t, we can take it to the Authority, and we’ll explain the costs and risks first.
Clear fees, agreed in writing before any work starts.
To start
Free
Tell us what’s happening and we’ll tell you your options. No cost and no obligation.
Personal grievances
X%
For personal grievances seeking a financial outcome. Nothing to pay upfront. If we don’t achieve a financial outcome, you don’t pay our fee.
Where possible we seek a contribution to our fee from your employer as part of the settlement. Otherwise our fee is X% of the settlement plus GST, capped at $X.
Keeping your job
From $X
+ GST
Where the aim is keeping your job rather than a payment, for example support through a PIP or a disciplinary meeting. You’ll know the cost before we start.
Can’t see yours? Tell us what’s happening and we’ll answer it.
We can usually tell you after a short conversation and a look at your documents. Every
situation is different, so the first step is to tell us what’s happening.
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Seven things that protect your options while you get
advice.
01
Don’t resign. Resigning can limit your options.
02
Don’t sign anything until it has been checked.
03
Ask for it in writing: the allegations or concerns, and the information relied on.
04
Save your evidence: emails, texts, letters, rosters and payslips. Keep copies off work devices.
05
Write a short timeline with dates while it’s fresh.
06
Watch the time limits. A personal grievance generally has to be raised within 90 days.
07
Bring support. You can bring a support person or representative to any meeting about your job.
Can’t see yours? Tell us what’s happening and we’ll answer it.
We can usually tell you after a short conversation and a look at your documents. Every
situation is different, so the first step is to tell us what’s happening.
No. We are employment advocates, not a law firm. Employment advocates can represent you in negotiations, at mediation and at the Employment Relations Authority, and can work on a contingency basis.
No. What you tell us is confidential, and we don’t contact your employer until you authorise us to act.
Yes. Many people come to us while still working, often during a PIP, an investigation or a restructure. Early advice can protect your job and your options.
If we don’t achieve a financial outcome, you don’t pay our fee. If we do, our fee is paid from the settlement, as set out in our terms.
It only works where there is a realistic financial outcome. Where the aim is to keep your job or fix a process, there is often no payment to share, so we charge a clear hourly or fixed fee instead.
Many matters resolve within weeks through negotiation or mediation. Matters that go to the Authority take longer, and we’ll give you a realistic view at the start.
Yes. The Employment Relations Amendment Act 2026 came into force on 21 February 2026. It limits remedies where an employee’s own conduct contributed to the situation, and it introduced an income threshold (currently $200,000) above which an unjustified dismissal grievance can’t be brought, with transitional rules for existing agreements. We advise on the law that applies to your dates.
It’s free and confidential. An advocate will be in touch within one working day.
New Zealand wide
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