The Business Advisory Blog

Insight, news and updates from Alliott NZ Chartered Accountants, Auckland New Zealand. The views expressed here are the views of the author and should be discussed in further detail should an article be relevant to your individual circumstances.

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Minimum wages increase from 1 April 2026

Greg Millar

Published on 2026-03-30

NZ Wage rates are going up

Get ready for the minimum wage increases now so that you are paying your employees the correct rate next month.

From 1 April 2026:

the adult minimum wage will go up from $23.50 to $23.95 per hour
the starting-out and training minimum wage will go up from $18.80 to $19.16 per hour
all rates are before tax and any lawful deductions, for example, PAYE tax, student loan repayment, child support.

What to do now

Take this opportunity to review your business processes, employment records and systems.

Check that your payroll system is ready and updated for the 1 April changes, whether you have a manual or computer-based system.
Re-calculate and update your budgets and cashflow as the increase may have an impact, including on items such as ACC levies, KiwiSaver contributions and holiday pay.
Check if you need to adjust other pay rates to keep things fair.
Consider reviewing your pricing strategy.