When 'I may file a grievance' isn't enough to count as raising one

A property manager dismissed over New Zealand's vaccine mandate claimed she flagged a personal grievance on multiple occasions during consultation. The Employment Relations Authority disagreed.

In a determination dated 21 April 2026, the Authority dismissed every claim brought by Lynda Joynt against Accessible Properties New Zealand Limited, the social and disability housing arm of the IHC group. Joynt had worked as a Property Manager since 2012, looking after more than 250 homes and other premises used by IHC and its operational service delivery arm IDEA Services to support people with intellectual disabilities.

When the COVID-19 vaccination mandate for the health and disability sector took effect at 11.59pm on 25 October 2021, Accessible Properties told Joynt her role was covered. She disagreed, refused the vaccine, and was given eight weeks' contractual notice on 21 December 2021. Her last day was 15 February 2022. She lodged her statement of problem with the Authority on 2 September 2024, more than two and a half years later.

The headline issue for HR readers is what happened next.

Joynt's case rested on the claim that she had raised a personal grievance with her employer on multiple occasions during the consultation period running from 14 November 2021 to 20 December 2021. The Authority worked through each one and found none of them actually raised a grievance. In her witness statement, Joynt set out...

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