Auckland (Avneet Kaur)
A New Zealand employer has been ordered to immediately pay about $36,500 to a former worker after the Employment Court rejected the company’s attempt to delay the payment while challenging an earlier ruling.
The case involved Rooney Farms Limited, which had previously been directed by the Employment Relations Authority to compensate worker Philip Stewart following an employment dispute.
The authority had ordered the company to pay $25,000 in compensation, $7,000 in lost wages, and $4,500 in legal costs, along with reimbursement of filing-related expenses.
However, the company later challenged that decision in the Employment Court and asked the court to pause the payment until the wider legal case was fully decided.
The employer argued there was a risk it might not recover the money if it eventually succeeded in overturning the earlier ruling.
To support its request, the company offered to place the full amount into court temporarily rather than directly paying the worker.
But Philip Stewart opposed the move, saying he was financially stable, permanently employed and fully entitled to receive the money awarded to him.
He also argued the court challenge was effectively delaying tactics that would increase legal expenses and prevent him from accessing compensation already granted in his favour.
Employment Court Judge Helen Doyle ultimately rejected the company’s application.
The judge said there was not enough evidence to show the employer would suffer unfair harm if the payment was made immediately.
The court also noted neither side appeared to be in financial difficulty.
Judge Doyle further ruled that locking the money away in court would unfairly prevent the worker from using compensation already awarded to him, especially while the legal challenge could continue for an uncertain amount of time.
As a result, the court ordered the company to proceed with the payment immediately despite the ongoing challenge process.
The wider employment dispute itself will still continue through the courts, but the latest ruling means the worker does not have to wait for the final outcome before receiving the awarded money.
