In New Zealand, staff get a paid 10-minute rest break for a work period of 2 to 4 hours, and a paid 10-minute rest break plus an unpaid 30-minute meal break once it's over 4 hours. Longer shifts add more breaks. When you roster, the job is to make sure every shift has room for those breaks without leaving the floor short.
The rules come from the Employment Relations Act 2000, and Employment New Zealand explains them on its rest and breaks page. This post is about building rosters around them, not legal advice.
How many breaks do staff get for each shift length?
Here's the minimum, based on the length of the work period:
| Work period | Rest breaks (paid) | Meal breaks (unpaid) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 to 4 hours | One 10-minute | None |
| Over 4 to 6 hours | One 10-minute | One 30-minute |
| Over 6 to under 10 hours | Two 10-minute | One 30-minute |
| 10 to 12 hours | Three 10-minute | One 30-minute |
| Over 12 to 14 hours | Three 10-minute | Two 30-minute |
| Over 14 to 16 hours | Four 10-minute | Two 30-minute |
Employers must pay for the minimum rest breaks. They don't have to pay for minimum meal breaks, although some employment agreements do.
What counts as the "work period"?
The work period runs from when someone starts work to when they finish, and it includes all paid and unpaid authorised breaks. That matters for rostering.
Take a shift rostered 9am to 3pm. That's a six-hour work period, even though 30 minutes of it is an unpaid meal break. It falls in the "over 4 to 6 hours" row, so the person gets one paid 10-minute rest break and one unpaid 30-minute meal break.
Stretch the same shift to 9am to 3:15pm and it's now over six hours. That tips it into the next row: two rest breaks and a meal break. Fifteen minutes on the roster, one more break to cover. It's worth knowing where those lines sit when you're nudging shifts around.
When should breaks be taken?
Ideally, you and your staff agree on timing. Lunch at lunchtime for kitchen staff isn't usually realistic in a cafe, so many places agree on something that works around the rush.
If you can't agree, the Act sets default timing, so long as it's reasonable and practical. A few examples from Employment New Zealand's guidance:
- 2 to 4 hours: the rest break in the middle of the work period.
- Over 4 to 6 hours: the rest break a third of the way through, the meal break two thirds of the way through.
- Over 6 to under 10 hours: the meal break in the middle, with a rest break halfway between the start and the meal break, and another halfway between the meal break and the finish.
So for a 9am to 3pm shift with no agreement, that's a rest break around 11am and a meal break around 1pm. For 9am to 5pm, roughly a rest break mid-morning, a meal break around the middle of the day and a rest break mid-afternoon.
Can an employment agreement reduce break entitlements?
No. An agreement can't remove or reduce the minimum breaks, and a clause that tries to has no effect. Agreements can give more, such as paid meal breaks, but not less. There are narrow exemptions for essential services and national security work that won't apply to a cafe or shop.
Breastfeeding breaks are separate again. They're in addition to rest and meal breaks, and unpaid unless you agree otherwise.
How do you roster so people actually get their breaks?
The law is the easy part. The hard part is the Saturday when it's slammed and nobody can leave the coffee machine. A few habits help.
Overlap your shifts. If two people are on from 7am to 3pm and nobody else starts until noon, someone's break gets squeezed. Starting a third person at 11 gives cover for breaks during the middle of the day, which is usually when meal breaks fall.
Stagger start times. If everyone starts at the same time, everyone's default breaks fall at the same time too. Staggering starts by 30 minutes or an hour spreads them out naturally.
Watch the thresholds. As above, a shift that's just over six hours needs an extra rest break compared with one that's exactly six. Sometimes that's fine. Sometimes trimming 15 minutes makes the day simpler.
Plan breaks on the roster, not in your head. Write break times on the day's notes, or plan for them when you build the shift. "We'll sort it out on the day" is how breaks get skipped.
Keep records. If your staff clock in and out, record breaks too. It protects both of you if there's ever a question about whether breaks were taken.
How does WeRoster help with breaks?
The roster editor uses a 15-minute grid, so you can see shift lengths at a glance and line up overlaps for break cover without fiddly maths. You can add a note to any day (for example, who covers whose meal break). If you use shift tracking, staff start and end their breaks as they go, a shift can have more than one break, and you can review the hours before exporting them for payroll.
WeRoster doesn't decide your break times for you. That's between you and your team. But it makes it much easier to see whether the roster you've built leaves room for them.
Frequently asked questions
Are rest breaks paid in New Zealand?
Yes. Employers must pay for the minimum 10-minute rest breaks. Minimum 30-minute meal breaks don't have to be paid, unless the employment agreement says so.
How many breaks for an 8-hour shift in NZ?
An 8-hour work period falls in the "over 6 to under 10 hours" range, so the minimum is two paid 10-minute rest breaks and one unpaid 30-minute meal break.
Does a 4-hour shift get a meal break?
No. A work period of 2 to 4 hours gets one paid 10-minute rest break. A meal break starts once the work period is over 4 hours.
Can staff skip their break to finish early?
Breaks are a minimum entitlement and can't be traded away in an employment agreement. If timing is the problem, agree on different break times with your staff. Employment New Zealand's rest and breaks page covers the details, or call their helpline on 0800 20 90 20.