Employment disputes in New Zealand do not have any qualifications or credentials required for an advocate to represent somebody, and there is also not any industry regulation.
In October 2024, Ringa Hora Services Workforce Development Council was approached by industry representatives to discuss issues surrounding this with Employment Advocates and explore potential solutions for industry.
From October 24 to February 25 Ringa Hora engaged with industry representatives, associations and potential providers via online meetings to further explore these issues. See Employment Advocacy Project Summary of Findings for a summary of what was discussed in the webinars.
Two general directions were proposed in the webinars:
Ringa Hora is not an organisation that has authority to work on a regulatory/legislative approach. However, Ringa Hora can play a role in exploring an education approach through the development of credentials such as qualifications, standards, and/or micro-credentials.
If you are interested in being involved in the development of these credentials, please fill out this form. It contains some information on the ways you can assist in the discussion.
More details about steering groups, working groups, and consultation groups which develop credentials can be seen at this link.
The following next steps are indicative and subject to change. These are:
Ringa Hora will engage fully with stakeholders and our wider consultation group throughout the project.
We welcome feedback or expressions of interest to be involved at any time and will continue to add people who are interested.
If you have any further enquiries, please email [email protected].
