Industrial Relations Research Centre

In addition to more formally published reports, IRRC research is also attracting coverage in local media and national industry magazines.

Employment law trends coming to light

University of Otago's research report He Kitenga, published in 2000.

"The Industrial Relations Research Centre at the University of Otago has compiled a database of more than 10,000 decisions made by the New Zealand Employment Tribunal since its inception in 1991.

Dr Ian McAndrew, a senior lecturer in industrial relations in the Department of Management, is also a member of the Employment Tribunal and is in a unique position to analyse the data from both academic and practical points of view."

Adjudication in the Employment Tribunal: Does representation make any difference?

LawTalk, 16 November 1999

"In its eight years of operation, the Employment Tribunal has dealt with thousands of applications. Most have been resolved either through consfidential mediation in the tribunal or direct bilateral dealings between the parties but the tribunal has also issued a substantial number of adjudication decisions which it is useful to examine.

"A New Zealand Law Foundation grant this year has accelerated construction of a database of Employment Tribunal decisions at Otago University's Department of Management. The database provides the opportunity to examine the data for patterns and trends, and for gaps that need to be filled. This article reports some initial findings from the body of decisions issued between 1992 and 1997 inclusive, highlighting the relationship between adjudication outcomes and parties' representation at hearing."