Legal Project Management Plan & Checklist
Purpose of this Guide: Use this plan when a worker engaged as an independent contractor wishes to challenge their status under the 2026 contractor gateway to claim employee rights and raise an unjustified dismissal grievance. This guide is used by legal practitioners to analyze the relationship, raise the grievance, and secure a declaration of employment status in the Authority.
Jurisdiction: New Zealand Employment Relations Authority (national registries). This fork covers preliminary status challenges under Section 6 of the Employment Relations Act 2000.
| Field | Token | Type | Required | Defined in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matter(4) | ||||
| Matter numberⓘ | ||||
The Process at a Glance: The process starts with an audit of the contractor agreement against the five statutory criteria. The practitioner serves the personal grievance letter asserting employee status. If unresolved, the practitioner files Form 1 requesting a status declaration, exchanges witness evidence, and represents the client at the preliminary hearing.
Key Legislation and Case Law: Employment Relations Act 2000 - s 6 (definition of employee). Key cases: [Bryson v Three Foot Six Ltd [2005] NZSC 34](https://www.employmentcourt.govt.nz/) on the real nature of the relationship.
* Disclaimer: We're nobody's lawyer, because we aren't lawyers. You are, so you know better than to take legal advice from an app. We also aren't accountants or dog trainers - just digital spirit guides taking zero liability for any of this. This site exists to gather the collective knowledge of practitioners like you. Verify everything and submit your feedback on the Personal Grievance for Unjustified Dismissal (Applicant) - Contractor Status Challenge matter plan to improve the playbook. THIS IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE, it's a request for input.
This legal matter plan provides a structured workflow for Employment Law cases, outlining the standard DISPUTE_LITIGATION process. Utilize these tracking templates to manage your legal cases efficiently.
matter.matterNumber |
| text |
| Required |
inheritedmatter-core |
| Matter title | matter.title | text | - | inheritedmatter-core |
| Matter typeⓘ | matter.matterType | text | - | inheritedmatter-core |
| Matter status | matter.status | text | - | inheritedmatter-core |
| Client(1) | ||||
| Client name | matter.clientName | text | Required | inheritedmatter-core |
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