The Commerce Act seeks to ensure that businesses in New Zealand compete on their merits, and do not engage in illegal (and in some cases, criminal) anticompetitive conduct.

Most HR professionals do not routinely receive training on compliance with the Commerce Act.

However, HR professionals have a vital role to play in terms of ensuring staff understand their obligations under this significant piece of legislation and managing disciplinary conduct in parallel with Commerce Commission investigations. With the recent tightening of labour markets, globally the spotlight has also come on certain practices, such as agreements between companies not to poach each other’s staff and collusion between businesses on remuneration setting.

Businesses can be fined more than $10m for breaches of the Commerce Act, and individuals who deliberately engage in some forms of anticompetitive conduct can face up to 7 years imprisonment.

Join Lane Neave’s Competition team this month for a free seminar aimed at assisting HR professionals to understand and comply with this important piece of legislation, and promote compliance with the Commerce Act across their organisations.

Who should attend

Lane Neave’s Competition team has developed this free seminar specifically for HR professionals, including HR Directors, Managers, Business Partners, Advisers, Remuneration Managers, and Recruitment and Talent Specialists. The seminar is also suitable for Employment lawyers looking to develop a deeper understanding of their clients’ responsibilities under the Commerce Act.

What you will learn

Topics that will be covered in the two-hour seminar include:

• What the Commerce Act is and its relevance in the HR setting.

• Important issues to be aware of when handling disciplinary matters that involve potential breaches of the Commerce Act.

• Why ensuring organisation-wide Commerce Act compliance is so important and how to promote compliance in the workplace.

• Recognising potentially anticompetitive conduct in labour markets, such as collusion over remuneration, and agreements not to headhunt staff.

Our speaker

Anna Ryan specialises in corporate and commercial law and heads Lane Neave’s national Competition and Consumer Protection Law team (which is ranked as a leading New Zealand competition practice in international legal directory Chambers & Partners’ 2023 Asia-Pacific Guide). She routinely advises on the Commerce Act, Fair Trading Act and all aspects of competition law. Anna holds a Masters Degree from the University of Melbourne in Competition and Consumer Protection Law, and chairs the Advisory Board of the Competition Law and Policy Institute of New Zealand.

This is a free seminar, but space is limited, so please register as soon as possible to guarantee a place. Tea and coffee will be provided.

An Introduction to the Commerce Act for HR Professionals - Christchurch