New Zealand Department of Labour

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Department of Labour

Established:	1891
Minister of Labour:	Hon Ruth Dyson
Secretary/CEO:	Dr James Buwalda (till May 2007)
Budget:	NZD....
Employees:	1500

The New Zealand Department of Labour [1] was established in 1891 and is responsible for workplace health and safety, employment relations and immigration.

The department's chief exective is the Secretary of Labour [2], currently Dr James Buwalda who resigned recently with effect from May 2007. The department is responsible to several cabinet ministers, including:

• The Minister of Labour (Hon Ruth Dyson)
• The Minister for ACC (Hon Ruth Dyson)
• The Minister of Immigration (Hon David Cunliffe)
• The Minister for Social Development and Employment (Hon David Benson-Pope)

[edit] Organization

Previously the department operated under several brands including Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), the Employment Relations Service (ERS) and the New Zealand Immigration Service (NZIS). Since 2004 the department has tried to consolidate its identity under the single brand "Department of Labour". Offshore the immigration arm of the department is known as Immigration New Zealand[3] and this brand is sometimes used within New Zealand as well.

The department is now organised into five "groups" each headed by a Deputy Secretary.

• Workforce - responsible for immigration, settlement and employment-related customer services and information, and policy advice on these areas to government.
• Workplace - responsible for employment relationship and workplace health and safety customer services and information and policy advice to government on these areas and ACC.
• Work Directions - responsible for improvements in the performance of our workforce and workplaces by actively responding to the constraints and opportunities of our current and future labour markets
• Corporate - Corporate supports the Chief Executive and whole-of-Department capability through a range of central services, advice and standards. Corporate responsibilities include human resources, information technology, communications, financial management, planning and reporting, audit and administration.
• Legal - Legal provides legal services and advice to the Department and Ministers, and oversees our official information and privacy requirements.