# Employment Relations Education: courses and criteria Official source: https://www.employment.govt.nz/fair-work-practices/unions-and-bargaining/employment-relations-education-courses-and-criteria Scanned: 2026-06-07T03:31:31.402Z Use this as a current official guidance reference, not as a substitute for legal advice. ## Page Text Home Fair work practices Unions and bargaining Employment Relations Education: courses and criteria Unions and bargaining Fair work practices Workplace policies and procedures Employee privacy Restructuring and workplace change Unions and bargaining Unions Employment Relations Education: courses and criteria Collective agreements Collective bargaining Strikes and lockouts Ethical and sustainable work practices COVID-19 in the workplace Pay and gender equity Flexible working Everyone Employment Relations Education: courses and criteria Applications for course approval can be made throughout the year, by any individual, group or organisation that wishes to provide Employment Relations Education (ERE). Only approved courses can be used for ERE leave purposes. Union (course provider): APEX APEX contact details Kauri Williams: 09 526 0280 or kauri@cns.org.nz Course ID: 499 Expiry date: 3 April 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: No Course ID: 613 Expiry date: 3 April 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: No Course ID: 745 Expiry date: 18 March 2027 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: No Union (course provider): CTU CTU contact details Taiesha Szymkowiak: TaieshaS@nzctu.org.nz Course ID: 503 Expiry date: 13 December 2026 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 504 Expiry date: 13 December 2026 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 520 Expiry date: 3 April 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 523 Expiry date: 3 April 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 524 Expiry date: 13 December 2026 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 526 Expiry date: 3 April 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 568 Expiry date: 3 April 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 624 Expiry date: 3 April 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 714 Expiry date: 25 March 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 716 Expiry date: 25 March 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 719 Expiry date: 25 March 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 720 Expiry date: 25 March 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 725 Expiry date: 13 December 2026 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 726 Expiry date: 13 December 2026 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 727 Expiry date: 25 March 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 732 Expiry date: 19 September 2026 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 733 Expiry date: 19 September 2026 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 735 Expiry date: 3 September 2026 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 736 Expiry date: 3 September 2026 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 737 Expiry date: 3 September 2026 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 738 Expiry date: 19 September 2026 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 739 Expiry date: 3 April 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 742 Expiry date: 3 April 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 743 Expiry date: 3 April 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Union (course provider): E tū E tū contact details Buzz Worley: 027 590 0047 or Buzz.worley@etu.nz Course ID: 422 Expiry date: 25 March 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 474 Expiry date: 25 March 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 475 Expiry date: 25 March 2030 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 476 Expiry date: 25 March 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 511 Expiry date: 3 April 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 553 Expiry date: 15 December 2026 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 603 Expiry date: 25 March 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 705 Expiry date: 3 April 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 706 Expiry date: 3 April 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 707 Expiry date: 3 April 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 710 Expiry date: 3 April 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 711 Expiry date: 3 April 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 712 Expiry date: 3 April 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 721 Expiry date: 3 April 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 722 Expiry date: 3 April 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 728 Expiry date: 3 April 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 729 Expiry date: 3 April 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 731 Expiry date: 15 December 2026 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: No Union (course provider): WORKERS FIRST WORKERS FIRST contact details Barbara Moses: 027 548 2131 or Barbara.moses@workersfirst.nz Course ID: 483 Expiry date: 25 March 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 494 Expiry date: 3 April 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 495 Expiry date: 3 April 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Union (course provider): MCWU MCWU contact details George Larkins: 021 419 031 or George.larkins@mcwu.org.nz Course ID: 91 Expiry date: 13 December 2026 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: No Course ID: 604 Expiry date: 13 December 2026 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: No Union (course provider): NZALPA NZALPA contact details Legal Secretary: 09 255 1510 or Legal.secretary@nzalpa.org.nz Course ID: 718 Expiry date: 3 September 2026 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: No Union (course provider): NZEI NZEI contact details Shelley Hughes: 027 448 8673 or Shelley.hughes@nzei.org.nz Course ID: 715 Expiry date: 25 March 2027 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Union (course provider): NZMWU NZMWU contact details Amanda Stephens: 021 078 0193 or amanda@mwu.nz Course ID: 700 Expiry date: 25 March 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 741 Expiry date: 3 April 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: No Union (course provider): NZNO NZNO contact details John Howell: 027 466 0706 or John.howell@nzno.org.nz Course ID: 472 Expiry date: 3 April 2027 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 473 Expiry date: 3 April 2027 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 486 Expiry date: 3 April 2027 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 559 Expiry date: 3 April 2027 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 564 Expiry date: 3 April 2027 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 612 Expiry date: 3 April 2027 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Union (course provider): NZPA NZPA contact details Amanda Craig: Amanda.Craig@policeassn.org.nz Course ID: 470 Expiry date: 3 April 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: No Course ID: 593 Expiry date: 3 April 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: No Union (course provider): PSA PSA contact details Richard Chalklen: 027 645 3357 or Richard.chalklen@psa.org.nz Course ID: 702 Expiry date: 3 September 2026 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 713 Expiry date: 3 April 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 717 Expiry date: 25 March 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Union (course provider): RDA RDA contact details Kauri Williams: 09 526 0280 or kauri@cns.org.nz Course ID: 498 Expiry date: 3 April 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: No Union (course provider): TEU TEU contact details Megan Morris: 021 290 0385 or Megan.morris@teu.ac.nz Course ID: 708 Expiry date: 18 December 2026 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 740 Expiry date: 3 April 2028 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Course ID: 744 Expiry date: 18 December 2026 Approved for CTU and Affiliated: Yes Purpose of ERE course approvals To gain course approval, applicants must ensure that their course furthers the objective of ERE leave set out in section 70 of the Employment Relations Act 2000; that is, to increase employees' knowledge about employment relations for the purpose of: improving relations among unions, employees, and employers, and promoting the object of the Act, especially the duty of good faith. ERE courses should also recognise the complementary legislation governing employment relations within which ERE courses must operate, which includes (but is not limited to) the Human Rights Act 1993, the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and the Privacy Act 1993. In particular, ERE courses should be designed to provide the skills and knowledge relevant to employment relations in a way that recognises and reduces current gaps in access to information, resources, and skills. Criteria for consistency with the Act Courses may deliver skill development and knowledge, including but not limited to the following areas: the principles underlying good faith behaviour, including the specifics of any code of good faith applicable to the employees and employers concerned behaviours and processes that enhance the good faith relationship the ability to assess and convey to others information exchanged during employment interactions participating in the institutions established under the Act processes, behaviours and communication skills that lead to the creation of mutual trust and confidence concepts of employee and union participation in the workplace understanding of the rights and obligations of both employee and employer in the workplace the ability to recognise and respond to the legislative concepts of unfair bargaining and minimum employment standards the legislative underpinnings of the collective bargaining process bargaining skills and behaviours communication skills and behaviours the legislative requirements for the establishment and maintenance of independent and democratic unions methods of union organisation giving maximum opportunities for participation and influence to employees the processes and structures of policy development, decision making and governance within the union the rights and obligations of employees and employers for health and safety in the workplace programs of risk analysis and problem solving effective representation skills, tools in risk analysis, and training the history of and past and present relevance of the Treaty of Waitangi to employment relations workplace issues of specific significance to Māori and Pacific Island employees establishing an employment culture that contributes to closing the gaps for Māori and Pacific Island employees the structure of enterprise and industry economics affecting the employer and employees career, production and remuneration systems applicable to the workplace or industry economic structures, institutions and processes in New Zealand that are relevant to employment relations the ability to analyse proposals against the test of equity of outcomes relevant to the employment situation specific strategies required to reduce disparities in the workplace and economy for groups likely to be disadvantaged in the labour market. Quality assurance criteria For each new course application, applicants must provide: a statement that they have checked the list of approved ERE courses to see whether an existing course might suit their purpose an outcome statement which reflects the expected effect of the course on individuals participating a programme for the day(s) an indication of the standard of qualifications and/or experience and/or training of those delivering the course details of the resources to be provided to the participants. Applicants are required to submit all materials that will be used to teach the course(s) (for example, manuals, resources or participant workbooks) a statement of how the provider will assess the participants' understanding of the course material a copy of the evaluation processes to be undertaken to ascertain whether the course has achieved its stated objectives a profile of the target group for the programme. Information for ERE providers - critical success factors for ERE initiatives The Employment Relations Education Ministerial Advisory Committee (EREMAC) commissioned evaluation research on ERE courses, and subsequently organised a two-day conference on “Evaluating Workplace Learning: Identifying Success”. These two events provided us with clear guidance on how to make courses and other education initiatives successful in order to achieve learning outcomes and build productive relationships in the workplace. Pre-course/initiative factors Right people Be clear who the course is intended for (for example, type of organisational role, type of prior learning experience or not). Actively encourage line manager support of participants. Helpful to have a critical mass (more than one person) attending from each workplace. Right information Provide pre-course preparation material in order to allow the course to focus on making learning relevant to actions in the workplace. Collect background information from participants (for example, reasons for attending; challenges they might anticipate in implementing the learning; learning experience) and have the facilitator/educator build on this. Right targeting Have a title for the course which clearly conveys either its content or its desired outcome. Clearly target the course, not only to get the right people, but also to quantify the benefits to the individual and the workplace (thus encouraging line manager support). Consider developing the course collaboratively with a trade union or an employer group. Course or initiative delivery factors Delivery mechanism Ensure that the delivery mechanism (for example, conventional course, online learning, DVD, txt, mixed methods) matches the desired learning outcomes and quality standards. Consider delivering the course jointly with a trade u