For Employers
Onboarding a New Employee
A practical checklist for NZ managers: from signing the agreement to the 90-day review.
Research consistently shows that employees who experience a structured onboarding process are significantly more likely to stay past 12 months. Yet most NZ small businesses treat onboarding as an afterthought.
This guide gives you a phase-by-phase checklist covering legal compliance, practical setup, and the human side of welcoming someone new.
Send a signed employment agreement
Under the Employment Relations Act, a signed written agreement must be in place before work begins. Don't skip this.
Collect tax details
Your new employee needs to complete a Tax code declaration (IR330). Set this up before payroll begins.
Confirm KiwiSaver
All eligible employees must be auto-enrolled unless they opt out. Have the KiwiSaver enrolment form ready.
Set up IT and access
Email, systems, building access. Nothing deflates a first day like sitting around waiting for a laptop password.
Send a welcome message
A short note before day one covering who to ask for, where to park, and what to wear. It removes unnecessary anxiety and makes a strong first impression.
Tour the workspace
Bathrooms, kitchen, fire exits, who sits where. Simple, but often skipped.
Introduce to the team
A quick team intro in person or on a call. Names and roles, not just titles.
Walk through the role and expectations
What does success look like in the first 30 days? Be explicit. Don't assume they'll figure it out.
Cover health and safety basics
Under the Health and Safety at Work Act, you must inform new employees of relevant hazards and procedures on day one.
Give them something meaningful to do
A simple real task early builds confidence and signals you trust them. Avoid filling the day with back-to-back videos.
Schedule a check-in
A 15-minute catch-up at the end of week one. How's it going? What's unclear? What do they need?
Clarify reporting lines
Who do they go to for what? Ambiguity here causes frustration early.
Share key processes and tools
Don't dump everything at once. Prioritise what they need for their role in the first two weeks.
Set 30-day goals together
Collaborative goal-setting creates buy-in. It also gives you a shared reference point for the 30-day review.
Hold a 30-day review
Informal is fine. Is the role what they expected? Are they hitting their stride? What support do they need?
Hold a 90-day review
A more structured conversation before the trial period ends. Under NZ law, an employer can raise performance issues during the trial, but only if it has been a genuine trial with feedback.
Confirm probationary period outcome
If your agreement includes a 90-day trial period provision, communicate the outcome clearly, whether that is confirmation or a difficult conversation.
Gather feedback on the onboarding process
Ask what worked and what was confusing. The best onboarding programmes are refined over time.
NZ Compliance Reminder
Key legal requirements at hire
- ›Signed written employment agreement before work begins (Employment Relations Act 2000)
- ›IR330 Tax code declaration for PAYE
- ›KiwiSaver auto-enrolment for eligible employees
- ›Health and safety induction on day one (Health and Safety at Work Act 2015)
- ›If using a 90-day trial period, it must be in the employment agreement before work starts and cannot be added later
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