The Pacific Business Trust (PBT) today welcomes the Government announcement to conduct further work to simplify the Holidays Act.

Workplace Relations & Safety Minister the Hon Brooke van Velden has directed her officials to alter the direction of work to simplify the Holidays Act, saying consultation with the business sector on a draft bill had exposed risks of complications in reforming the Act.

PBT clients are among the businesses to provide submissions to the Government on the draft bill and PBT chief executive Mary Los’e says it is sensible and pragmatic to fully incorporate all the feedback from the SME sector.

“There are a lot of compliance issues for small and medium-sized businesses and the Holidays Act is one of them,” says Los’e. “The cost of compliance to our clients is not inconsiderable and it is important the Government gets this right.”

PBT is Aotearoa New Zealand’s Pacific economic development agency and conducts a broad range of workshops on issues such as tax and regulatory compliance for its more than 2000 business owners, operators and managers.

Los’e says the fact that large public organisations and companies had struggled with Holidays Act requirements demonstrated the need for reform.

“If the big operators have problems with the Act, then consider how hard it is for the smaller SME sector to comply,” she says.

“Minister van Velden is to be commended for prioritising the reduction of compliance costs and complexity,” Los’e says.

“Our Pacific businesses have survived through a global pandemic, many significant weather events, inflation, rising costs and a prolonged recession, so legislative reform to reduce costs and simplify regulatory compliance is very welcome indeed.”