In the summer of 2015-2016, Melissa Bowen witnessed a series of events at her workplace, the Bank of New Zealand (BNZ), that she believed amounted to serious wrongdoing.
Just last week, after a lengthy court fight, the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) found the bank tried to fire her for reporting it.
Bowen – who had worked for the bank for more than two decades and was a manager in a unit for small business customers – made a protected disclosure in November 2016.
According to a landmark decision by ERA member Peter van Keulen, when BNZ eventually restructured her out in 2018, it was unjustified in doing so.
