Expat Kiwi

It's just the way it is. It isn't that much different in Australia you know - i.e. having to accrue leave before taking it, the Christmas shutdown etc.

In my experience employers in both countries do bend the rules a little to allow people to go into debt with leave, but not too much.

One option is to salary sacrifice and buy an extra five / ten days leave every year, or another is to take unpaid leave over Christmas. Great if you can afford to do it.

I've never worked in the states but I hear leave allocation is a far worse there and people have to use public holidays more to get a break.

Bo-Jangles

It is just another 'quirk' to watch out for, because it can come as somewhat of a bleedin pain in the @$$ to find your leave is not your own to do with as you please. It's fine to Xmas shutdowns if it is known in advance; is in the employment contract etc and can be planned around. In the UK most places pretty much close up or run with minimal staff for the three days between Christmas and New Year so you can oblige and accept a nice week off and there's usually a clause in your contract that will state the maximum amount of days that the company can be set aside for this.

I understand however that NZ Labour laws says employers can pretty much at will, dictate to you when you can and can't take leave. This need not be explicitly specified in the individuals employment contract and there is no limit to the number of days that they can direct you to take.

It is just the sheer bad planning and messing around with peoples lives that sucks. My OHs firm announced less than a month before last Christmas that everyone had to take three weeks leave. It was a pure bolt out of the blue to us, as we had plans already in in place to use that leave for visitors arriving in February. He pleaded his case and was eventually allowed to work one week of the three.

This year, funny eh, they need people to work. Noises started being made earlier this month to not make any plans cos it's uncertain now if leave will be allowed. Its now 22nd November and they've still done nothing, nobody has come forward to volunteer so the next step is to find out who were the last ones put their leave requests in and they will be made to work.

ecalperif

Still considering going to nz ..the uk is well overpopulated and the roads although safe are jammed.i suppose the grass isnt all that greener but driving on loggin roads sounds like a challenge..i go up and down gearbox of truck all day and thats on 1 stretch of the m25..slate nz but u can come back here and live like a overtaxed sardine..

Persephone

The leave entitlement is one that drives me mad. I always had 5 weeks in the UK so only getting 4 here was bad enough but having to work for a year before getting any is just ridiculous- a whole year without time off
This was written into the contract for my first job and I left there after 11 months having accrued nearly a full year's leave. It was only when I was leaving that I was told that they have no problem with you using your leave before that so it is always worth asking.
It worked for me anyway as I have had trouble finding work down here and the extra pay came in handy
I should class myself as lucky that I work in a profession that is generally just as busy over Xmas [if not more] and a Xmas shutdown will never be an issue for me.

You read it wrong!! I live in Christchurch and am fully aware of how the damage is mainly confined to brick buildings, walls and especially chimneys. To be fair these are older brick buildings and not modern builds. I had always said I wanted a brick house as that is what I'm used to and they feel more 'solid', I am now very glad we don't have one...

Genesis

I would never, ever return to the Uk and ONLY because of the overcrowding. I think the UK is a wonderful, wonderful place. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaay more wonderful than NZ in many, many ways. However NZ is all but empty. Thus it has my vote. Now something uncool..............hardly any crash barriers ANYWHERE..no matter how precipitous the drop off the side may be, you should drive up our local volcano ( Mt Ruapehu) in white out conditions during the winter...I was shitting bricks at the top!!!!!!!!!!!!!

jayandbill

sounds like the UK to me, especially the crap Chinese goods. But doesn't everything come from China or India, even designer clothes.It's everywhere. But the thing is, NZ isn't so crowded so there are fewer boy racers noise to cope with. Sorry about the trout, or lack of it.

berkeleymatthew

Uncool thing about NZ? All candy / sweets are called lollies and people laugh when I give my kids 'sweeties and lollipops', lol

discobay

There will be poor quality goods imported from China, India, Pakistan and other countries wherever there is a market for them. It's people buying them that brings more of them in. If you don't like it don't buy it. To be fair not everything that comes from China is crap and not everything that is crap comes from China - e.g. British Leyland.

Justcol

I think you can take 90% of these uncool things and apply them to just about
any other country on the planet.
NZ isnt special when it comes to shit things happening around you.

Expat Kiwi

Any idea where Next, Laura Ashley, M&S clothes are made? I agree with you, not everything that comes from China is crap.

re: lollies, my kids' primary teacher used to give the class lollies as rewards for getting things right, it used to annoy the hell out of me. Not just because of the dangers to their tooth enamel, effects of colourings etc but because they may learn to associate junk food with reward.

londonescapee

Genesis are you sure you aren't driving round in a Metro with a flat cap on it isn't that scary driving up Ruapehu. I mean no disrespect to Metros it was my first ever car but they do have a reputation for being driven round by 80 year old men doing 20 miles an hour

That sick note thing after 1 day....that sucks. It's so open to exploitation by dodgy employers. We got consulted on it today and my work won't be implementing it thank god. Our HR director said that it sounded like John Key was doing a deal to that Rodney guy over something else - is he the ACT one?

Expat Kiwi

Londonescapee have you ever driven up Ruapehu in a white out in winter?

You should give it a go some day.

(does anyone drive a Metro in NZ?)

Genesis

I have owned a Metro in another life and whilst I do not currently own a flat cap my driving is probably more akin to 'flat capping' than anything else. NZs roads make me VERY nervy. I wonder why?

Browner_

Now that I cannot agree with.
Moving house today and out and about in a new area, and even I am astounded at the state of the cars on the road, they are just so offensively and unnecessarily loud, suped up pieces of junk.
And for what purpose - to make some spotty teenagers limpy feel a little bit bigger?

BEVS

Do you know. I have absolutely no idea what your post means.

If it is in reference to my post , then I will repeat. We have been forced to take leave to cover quiet times for the employer (s). We are now faced with the compulsory shut down over the Christmas period for which there will be no pay. We can't do anything with this 2 weeks which will be without pay ,other than to retrench and try to not spend anything. Now, I can quite see the ' look there are loads of free things ' type posts building up to this, but hey, trips cost petrol. Camping needs to be got to & paid for. Food needs to be bought. Bills need to be paid. and it is all at the most expensive time when it is crowded. Nil points.

We need for my husband to go back to the UK to visit his 83 year old Mum. It's a trade off , to be sure, for the move here and being allowed to use the holiday accrual would have helped this , but the employer dictates when days off will be taken . Not us !
Those could well be in short 3 or 4 day working weeks over winter. Not a week or 2 week period. .So. If he goes back, then that will be more unpaid leave. As we live week to week with no built up savings , this time it will be go into debt to achieve this.