Support Workers (Pay Equity) Settlements Act 2017

Support entitlements and employer obligations - Enforcement

14: Support worker may recover unpaid or underpaid wages

You could also call this:

"Getting paid fairly: recovering unpaid wages"

Illustration for Support Workers (Pay Equity) Settlements Act 2017

If your employer does not pay you the right amount of money as required by this Act, it means you are being paid at a lower rate than you should be. This is the same as if your employer paid you wages or other money at a rate lower than what is legally allowed, as stated in section 131 of the Employment Relations Act 2000. You can recover the unpaid or underpaid wages.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM7269157.

This page was last updated on 27 January 2026 — View changes

13: Compliance dispute is employment relationship problem, or

"Disputes with your employer about pay equity are employment problems"

15: Failure to comply with training obligations constitutes grounds for personal grievance, or

"Not following training rules can lead to a complaint"

Part 2Support entitlements and employer obligations
Enforcement

14Support worker may recover unpaid or underpaid wages

An employer’s failure to pay a support worker an amount required by this Act, either in whole or in part, constitutes payment of wages or other money at a rate lower than that legally payable for the purposes of section 131 of the Employment Relations Act 2000.

Notes

Section 14 heading: amended, on 7 August 2020, by section 16(1) of the Support Workers (Pay Equity) Settlements Amendment Act 2020 (2020 No 50).
Section 14: amended, on 7 August 2020, by section 16(2) of the Support Workers (Pay Equity) Settlements Amendment Act 2020 (2020 No 50).