Marie Tovio Consulting

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Marie Tovio Consulting

Marie Tovio Consulting can assist with human resources and strategic planning. She has worked across a wide range of industries, businesses and sectors.

Marie has worked in the field of HR and employment relations for over 28 years (including the past 10 years as a Consultant). Marie is degree qualified, is a registered private investigator and also has governance experience. Marie assists businesses and organisations with all aspects of human resources, taking the stress out of meeting HR requirements for owners, managers and Board members. Contact her today to see how she might assist you.

07/04/2026

On 21 February the Employment Relations Amendment Act 2026 came into force. More recently, attention has shifted to a broader set of changes that will directly impact how organisations manage people, risk, and compliance heading into the new financial year.

Key developments to be aware of:
The Employment Leave Bill has now been introduced, proposing a major overhaul of the Holidays Act framework. While still progressing through the legislative process, it would replace the current system with a simpler, hours-based approach where leave accrues from day one and calculations are standardised across leave types.
From 1 May 2026, new Privacy Act requirements will apply when personal information is collected indirectly from third parties. Organisations will need to take reasonable steps to notify individuals about that collection, reinforcing the need for employers to review their privacy policies and information-handling processes.
On 1 April 2026, we’ll also see the annual minimum wage increase and changes to KiwiSaver contribution rates take effect. These adjustments may appear routine, but they can have real flow-on effects for payroll planning, budgeting, and employment agreements.
And finally, the Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill continues to progress through Parliament, with further refinements expected. The proposed changes aim to clarify duties and improve how the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 operates in practice for businesses.

For employers, none of these changes sit in isolation. Together, they influence payroll systems, employment documentation, privacy practices, and health and safety responsibilities - and the organisations that stay ahead are the ones that plan early, not react late.

I’ve unpacked the key points and what they mean in practical terms in this month’s blog.

Read more here: www.tovioconsulting.co.nz/blog

06/04/2026

I often get asked, “who are the employers I work with who handle tough situations best?”
My answer? “They're not the ones who never have problems.”

Over the past year, working across a range of organisations here in New Zealand, one pattern has stood out clearly - the employers who navigate complex employment matters most confidently aren't those who avoid them.

They're the ones who've done the groundwork before things get hard.

Performance issues, interpersonal conflict, difficult exits - these happen everywhere. But there's a real difference in how organisations experience them depending on whether their foundations are solid or shaky.

So what are effective employers actually doing differently in 2026?
• They're investing in their managers - because promoting someone into a leadership role doesn't automatically give them the skills to manage people well.
• They understand the value of providing proper support - for managers dealing with difficult situations and for employees going through them.
• They're keeping employment documentation current and fit for purpose - reviewed on a schedule, not just when something goes wrong.
• And they're addressing issues early rather than hoping they'll sort themselves out.
None of this eliminates employment risk entirely. But it does mean that when things get complicated, these organisations can demonstrate they acted fairly and reasonably - and that matters enormously.

Read more about what effective employers are doing differently here - www.tovioconsulting.co.nz/blog

If your organisation's employment foundations could use a review, I'd love to have a confidential chat about where to start.

📱 021 932 332 | 📧 marie@tovioconsulting.co.nz | 🌐 www.tovioconsulting.co.nz

𝙈𝙏𝘾 - 𝙃𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘽𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙮

01/04/2026

Redundancy isn’t just a conversation - it’s a process. 🧊
A genuine business reason, proper consultation, and an open mind are all required.
Skipping steps or predetermining the outcome is how employers end up at mediation.
If you’re considering restructuring, reach out for advice before you act.

𝙈𝙏𝘾 - 𝙃𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘽𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙮

29/03/2026

Most workplace problems don't start big. They start small - and get ignored.

A shift in attitude.
A team dynamic that feels off.
Performance that's quietly slipping.

In my experience working with employers across New Zealand, these early warning signs are rarely the issue. The issue is what happens next.

Too often, concerns are addressed informally - a quiet word here, a gentle conversation there - with nothing written down and no clear follow-up. That's understandable. Nobody wants to escalate unnecessarily or create conflict where there isn't one yet.

But when those concerns persist? Employers can find themselves trying to manage a serious situation without a paper trail, without a clear process, and without any evidence that earlier steps were ever taken. That's where things get complicated - and costly.

Structured, fair intervention doesn't mean being heavy-handed. It means being prepared. It means knowing when informal approaches have run their course and when a more documented, consistent process needs to begin.

I've written about this in my latest blog - why early issues escalate, what employers often miss along the way, and how having the right process in place protects both the business and the people in it.

Worth a read if you manage people, lead a team, or are navigating a workplace situation that feels like it's slowly getting away from you.

👉 Read more here - www.tovioconsulting.co.nz/blog

𝙈𝙏𝘾 - 𝙃𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘽𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙮

25/03/2026

What happens when a conflict of interest gets ignored?

Spoiler: it rarely stays quiet for long.

Undisclosed conflicts don't just create awkward dynamics — they can expose your business to serious legal and reputational risk, and quietly destroy trust from the inside out.

In "The Case of the Conflicted Manager", I break down:

🔍 When a conflict of interest becomes a real problem
⚠️ The cost of looking the other way
✅ What employers are actually obligated to do

If you lead people or manage risk in your organisation - this one's worth five minutes of your time.

👉 Watch now: https://youtu.be/TnGG7X5_teA

24/03/2026

March HR/ER News from Marie Tovio Consulting - https://mailchi.mp/af1d2683421a/marie-tovio-consulting-hrer-news-8335851
March update: law changes, managing complex issues, and getting timing right in employment matters.

23/03/2026

🔍 Does your manager have a personal stake in a decision they're making?
That could be a conflict of interest - and it's more common (and more costly) than most workplaces realise.

It can look like:
→ Hiring a friend or family member
→ Approving a supplier you have a financial interest in
→ Letting a personal relationship influence a performance decision

It doesn't always look like wrongdoing. But it can quietly erode trust, create legal risk, and damage your team culture.
🎧 Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/TnGG7X5_teA

19/03/2026

Holidays Act reform is coming - but the legislation isn’t written yet.
Rewriting policies now would be premature. Instead, make sure your leave records are correct under the current rules and check in with your payroll provider about transition planning.

Preparation beats panic.

𝙈𝙏𝘾 - 𝙃𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘽𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙮

17/03/2026

🎙 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗣𝗢𝗗𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗘𝗣𝗜𝗦𝗢𝗗𝗘 𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗡𝗢𝗪
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗥 𝗣𝗜 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗼
🕵️‍♀️ 𝘌𝘱𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘥𝘦 15: "𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳

Conflicts of interest in the workplace are more common than most organisations want to admit - and more costly when they're ignored.

A manager hiring a family member.
A decision-maker with a financial stake in a supplier.
A leader who lets a personal relationship cloud their judgement.

These situations don't always look like misconduct on the surface. But left unaddressed, they erode trust, expose your business to serious risk, and can unravel even the most high-performing teams.

In this episode, I'm putting on my HR PI hat 🕵️‍♀️ and diving into:
✅ What actually constitutes a conflict of interest at work
✅ The warning signs leaders and HR professionals should never ignore
✅ How to handle these situations fairly, legally, and without blowing up your workplace culture
✅ Real-world scenarios that might be closer to home than you think

Whether you're an employer, people leader, or HR professional here in New Zealand - this one's for you.

👉 Watch now: https://youtu.be/TnGG7X5_teA

15/03/2026

The Employment Relations Amendment Act 2026 is now in force - and if you haven't looked at it yet, now's the time. Many are saying that this is the most significant shake-up to the Employment Relations Act 2000 since it was introduced.

Four key changes that affect employers right now:
1. Staff earning $200,000 or more in annual remuneration no longer have unjustified dismissal rights under the ERA. This applies immediately to new agreements, with a 12-month transition for existing employees. Note: annual remuneration includes more than just base salary.
2. A new five-criteria test now helps determine whether a worker is genuinely a “specified contractor”. If all five are met, they're excluded from employee status. This is not retrospective, but it's worth auditing your contractor arrangements now.
3. Remedies in personal grievance cases can now be reduced by up to 100% where an employee's conduct contributed to the situation. That said, fair process still matters - don't let this change tempt shortcuts.
4. New employees no longer automatically start on collective agreement terms for the first 30 days. Individual terms can apply from day one (union notification obligations still apply).
In short - employment agreements, contractor contracts, and onboarding processes could all need a review.

👉 Read the full article here: https://www.tovioconsulting.co.nz/blog

If you'd like a hand working through what these changes mean for your business, get in touch:
📱021 932 332 I 📧 marie@tovioconsulting.co.nz I 🌐www.tovioconsulting.co.nz

𝙈𝙏𝘾 - 𝙃𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘽𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙮

11/03/2026

Let's be honest – the exit you didn't handle properly has a way of coming back through the front door. 🚪

When an employee says "I quit!" in the heat of the moment, it can feel like a relief. But accepting that resignation too quickly? That's where things can get very costly, very fast.

In my latest podcast I'm unpacking why heat-of-the-moment resignations are one of the most mishandled situations in the workplace - and what every employer needs to do before they take someone at their word.

🎧 Watch here: https://youtu.be/_Q1sVdN3x8A

𝙈𝙏𝘾 - 𝙃𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘽𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙮

10/03/2026

Most employment problems don't happen overnight.
They build quietly - through outdated agreements, unclear expectations, or a manager who wasn't quite sure what to do and hoped things would sort themselves out.

By the time it becomes a formal issue, the cost (in time, stress, and legal exposure) is almost always higher than it needed to be.

That's why I put together a short Employer Risk Check for 2026 - 10 questions to help business owners and HR teams take an honest look at where their employment practices actually stand right now.
Things like:
• Are your employment agreements still fit for purpose?
• Do your managers know when to act - and when to call for help?
• Are your workplace policies genuinely up to date, or just ticking a box?

It's not about finding fault. It's about getting ahead of risk before it becomes a real problem.

If you work through the questions and a few of them make you pause - that's useful information. That's exactly the kind of early signal worth paying attention to.

Read the full Employer Risk Check here - https://www.tovioconsulting.co.nz/blog

If you’d like support working through any of these, please contact me:
📱 021 932 332
📧 marie@tovioconsulting.co.nz
🌐 www.tovioconsulting.co.nz

𝙈𝙏𝘾 - 𝙃𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘽𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙮

𝙈𝙏𝘾 - 𝙃𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘽𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙮

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