November 2018 Update
20 November 2018
November 2018 update
Business continuity
The 6.2 earthquake that rocked a large part of NZ last week is another timely reminder that we all need to be prepared and our disaster recovery and business continuity plans should be reviewed regularly.
If you had a change of staff in the last 12 months, have you updated the emergency contact details? How long is it since you changed your stored water, or checked the expiry dates on your food supplies?
Encourage your staff to have a family plan, and the Civil Defence website has plenty of good information to help families plan where they will meet, who will collect children from school or day care, and what they should include in their emergency supplies.
Domestic Violence - Victim Protection Act
The Domestic Violence – Victim Protection Act will come into effect on 1 April 2019. The purpose of the Act is to provide people affected by domestic violence a minimum entitlement to paid leave to assist with dealing with the effects.
The legislation will allow employees affected by domestic violence
- an additional 10 days leave per entitlement year (after the initial 6-month criteria)
- to request short term variation to their working arrangements for not longer than 2 months. Requests must be dealt with in the same way as any request under the Flexible Working arrangements
Domestic violence leave can be requested if the employee has been affected by domestic violence, regardless of how long ago the violence occurred, even if it is prior to the current employment.
Other recent articles
5 February 2026
2026 Off to a Flying Start
As we lament the end of the holidays and ask ourselves where has summer gone?!, we’re also looking ahead to another busy year — particularly given the volume of legislative change expected in 2026 (more on this below). We’re pleased to welcome Emma Wasson to the Healthy Practice team, who joined us in January in the newly created role of HR Coordinator-Healthy Practice. Emma will be focused on supporting our HealthyPractice Advisers and strengthening the resources available to you. She’ll also be involved in developing our annual reports, including the staff-ratio and GP remuneration reports, due out early this year.
16 December 2025
Happy Holidays
As we approach the end of the calendar year, we’d like to thank our Subscribers and MAS Members for your continued support of the Healthy Practice service and team. It has certainly been another busy year. Throughout 2025, we’ve seen the matters coming through become increasingly complex and varied, alongside a noticeable increase in change activity across the health and practice sectors. This year has also brought change for us, with the retirement of the much-respected and one-of-a-kind Shaun Phelan and Fiona Mines, as well as broader change across MAS.
31 October 2025
Times they are changing… again!
We’re thrilled to introduce our new manager, Hayden Saunders. Hayden joined MAS in September 2022 and has been a key part of our internal People and Culture team, serving as Head of HR Business Partnering. He brings a deep well of expertise in HR and employment relations, nd is based at our corporate head office in Wellington alongside the rest of the team. Hayden is eager to dive into the diverse range of queries we receive and support the HealthyPractice community.
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