Over 50,000 Kiwi businesses are now set up for eInvoicing. What is eInvoicing? eInvoicing allows you to send and receive invoices electronically, directly to and from Xero, for faster payments, improved accuracy, and less manual data entry. Invoices arrive securely via Peppol, a global public network that has been endorsed by the New Zealand Government for electronic invoicing processing. STEP 1: Get registered To register email admin@stuarts.co.nz your business’s New Zealand Business Number (NZBN) and the details of the contact person you will nominate for your business. We will then complete your registration. Once registered, your business name, NZBN, country of registration and a unique participant ID will be publicly available through the Peppol directory. STEP 2: Get ready to send Before you start eInvoicing, your customer records need to include the New Zealand Business Number (NZBN) of the businesses you’ll be billing. Updating these details takes a little bit of setup now, for easier, safer invoicing ‘ever after’. It should only take a minute or two per customer, and there’s no need to update all your customer records at once – you can work through them one by one as it suits you. If you don’t have their NZBN, you can ask the customer, search on the NZBN directory, or use the free Business Match service on the NZBN website. If an organisation uses more than one NZBN across its business, select the one most relevant to you. In Xero: Contacts > Select Customer > Contact Details > Edit Contact > NZBN You'll also need to make sure your NZBN is in your organisation details: Account > Settings > Organisation Details > NZBN And if you're registered for GST, make sure your GST number is included in your financial settings: Account > Settings > Organisation Details > Advanced Settings > Financial Settings > GST Number And now you are ready to notify your customers! Because the more customers you send to, and receive from, the more benefit you’ll get. Smoother processing. Less errors and delays, allowing for faster payment. And, improved e-security. So encourage your buyers to eInvoice you - and give them the details they need. You can email your customers - but also update your email signatures, cost estimates, or other assets your customers frequently see. STEP 3: Receiving & Sending Once you’re registered for eInvoicing - you’re all ready to receive. Incoming eInvoices will appear as ‘Draft Bills’ in Xero - not via email - so if you don’t already check your draft bills regularly, it might be worth setting a reminder to do so. To send an eInvoice, just create an invoice as normal. Once you have entered the relevant contact, the option to ‘Send as an eInvoice’ will activate in the bottom right corner of the invoice screen. Once you select this option, complete the details of your invoice as normal. If your customer requires a purchase order, contract number, project number or tender number as part of an invoice, make sure this information is entered in the ‘Reference’ field.

Employment Relations Amendment Bill 2026 Highlights – Effective 21 Feb 2026 The 'Specified Contractor' Gateway Test If you hire someone as a contractor and you want them to be a "Specified Contractor", the engagement MUST meet a specific set of criteria. As such this then exempts them from later challenging the fact and from arguing they were an employee all along: A statement of intent (written agreement) stipulating that the worker is an independent contractor, or 'not an employee'; The party has no restriction on other work. They have the freedom to work for any other party other than during the time in which they are engaged with you, unless if the agreement is to complete a specific project or task Has the flexibility to arrange their working time/hours OR has the ability to subcontract the work; The worker will not be terminated from the arrangement if they decline additional work; and Is proven to have had a reasonable opportunity to seek independent advice before entering the commencement. The important point with all this is that if all the above are not met the worker IS able to challenge the status of their engagement as we have seen for many years. It has been made clear that this provision will not apply retrospectively therefore our recommendation is that if you wish to consider a worker a 'Specified Contractor' going forwards we strongly recommend reviewing your contract with them and vary or re-sign accordingly. Personal grievance remedy awards If an employee brings a personal grievance against their employer, and it is proven that the employee's behaviour has given rise to the issue in the first place, reinstatement of employment may be off the table, and/or financial compensation to the employee may be reduced by up to 100%, and particularly so in the instance or serious misconduct. $200,000.00 remuneration limit on unjustified dismissal grievances An employee who earns over a certain income threshold (currently set at $200k per annum) cannot bring a personal grievance against the employer for unjustified dismissal. This potentially means that in such cases an employer can 'fire at will' without following a good faith process. This threshold figure includes all wages/salary, commissions, bonuses etc, and will be revised periodically by the Government. The amendment does allow for parties to explicitly opt out of this provision, meaning if agreed an employee on more than that threshold could bring a grievance against their employer. Why an employer would opt into that remains to be seen! For new employees this position is effective immediately. For existing employees you have 12 months to negotiate this point before the default position applies, being that an employee earning $200,000 or more per annum cannot raise a personal grievance for unjustified dismissal. 90-Day Trial Period Further protection for employers is now available. It is a technical point legally, but previously a compliant 90-day trial period provision and associated termination gives an employer legal protection against a personal grievance for unjustified dismissal. However, it is common knowledge and practice that lawyers & savvy advocates turn such challenges into claims of unjustified disadvantage instead, thus potentially circumventing the legal protection for the employer under the Act. This avenue is now blocked. Under this Amendment Act an employee (or representative) cannot claim unjustified dismissal or unjustified disadvantage relating to the dismissal. 30-day rule abolishment  For businesses where collective employment agreements (CEA) are in place, previously any new hire whose work would normally fall under the scope of a CEA scope of such must be hired at least for 30 days on the CEA before even negotiating with the person the option of an individual employment agreement (IEA). Employers Assistance 17.2.2026