Reference Ace › Guides › Are employers required to give references in NZ?

Are employers required to give references in NZ?

Short answer no, with one exception. What that means for your referee list.

The short version

The general rule

Once employment ends, a former employer can decline to give a reference, to you or to your prospective employer.

The exception

A settlement agreement can require one. Signed off by a mediator under the Employment Relations Act, it becomes legally binding.

What this means for you

Do not build your job hunt around a referee who has shown reluctance. Find the people who will speak for you and brief them properly.

Where Reference Ace fits in

The honest version of this problem is solvable, and it lasts. No usable referee? We check real examples of your work, confirm they're yours, and vouch for them openly as an independent reviewer. Got referees? We brief them properly, run a practice of the exact call employers make, and use the consent rules that keep your current employer out of it until you have signed. Nothing to hide, nothing that unravels in year two.

Common questions

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Can my old employer give a bad reference out of spite?

Whatever they say should be honest and relevant to work performance. Defamatory or discriminatory content crosses legal lines.

What if the company has closed?

Common, and not your problem to solve. A former manager can still give a reference personally, which is usually better anyway.

Can HR stop my manager giving one?

Some companies route all references through HR. Ask your old manager what the policy was before you list them.

No referee? Show us your work

Reference Ace checks real examples of your work, confirms they're yours, and vouches for them to employers by name, always as an independent reviewer and never as a former boss. Got a referee already? We brief them and run the practice check before a real employer calls.

See how it works and pricing