Unite

What Unite does

Unite Union (legally "Unite Union") is a New Zealand–registered, member-run, non-profit trade union founded in 2003 and headquartered at 486 New North Road, Kingsland, Auckland. It represents approximately 6,000 workers in hospitality verticals—fast food (McDonald's, Burger King, KFC), hotels, casinos (via the SEA-Unite sub-brand at Sky City), cinemas, restaurants/cafes/bars, and more recently call centres (One NZ). Its core offering is union membership providing workplace representation, delegate support, collective bargaining, legal assistance in disciplinary matters, health and safety advocacy, and ratification payments tied to successful agreement campaigns.

The union operates a community-led organizing model where workplace delegates recruit members, peer-recruiters earn $20 koha per workmate signed up, and digital enrollment is offered through a website join portal with employer-specific and Sky City–dedicated (bilingual English/Chinese) pathways. Member benefits are extended through partnerships with HealthCarePlus, AIL (insurance), and Northern Drivers' Charitable Trust (scholarships). Pricing is subscription-based at 1.2% of gross pay with a $2.50/week minimum and a $7.75/week maximum (with collective agreement) or $5.25/week (without), adjusted biennially with the next increase effective April 2026.

Unite's revenue is derived almost entirely from membership dues; there is no disclosed revenue figure, no app, no API, and no proprietary technology beyond a membership management platform. The union is governed by a National Executive elected at its annual AGM and operates with a small staff (11–50 employees) under National Secretary Shanna Olsen-Reeder and three Assistant Secretaries. Notable regulatory context includes the May 2023 MBIE approval of Unite's Hospo Fair Pay Agreement application (covering ~160,000 workers and 24,000 employers) and its subsequent repeal by the National/ACT NZ First Government at end-2023, alongside the 2026 Employment Leave Bill that Unite is actively opposing.

Name

Unite

Legal name

Unite Union

Website

https://unite.org.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Unite Union is a New Zealand non-profit trade union founded in 2003 representing ~6,000 hospitality, fast food, casino, hotel, cinema, and call centre workers through collective bargaining, workplace delegates, and member benefit programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Union Membership Fees: Subscription-based union dues at 1.2% of gross pay with minimum $2.50/week and maximum $7.75/week for sites with collective agreements, or $5.25/week for sites without. Fee increases every two years, last increase approved for April 2026.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Unite Union provides paid union membership to approximately 6,000 hospitality workers across New Zealand, offering workplace representation, collective bargaining, and member support services. Core activities include negotiating employer-specific collective agreements (covering wages, hours, sick leave, and working conditions), running a Member Benefits Program leveraging 180,000 union members for discounts and services, and operating the SkyCity Employees Association (SEA-Unite) branch with 650+ casino worker members.

Product overview

Unite Union is Aotearoa New Zealand's hospitality union offering a unified membership service for workers in fast food, hotels, casinos, cinemas, call centres, and restaurants. The core offering centers on union membership providing workplace representation and collective bargaining through Fair Pay Agreements and employer-specific collective agreements. Additional services include a member benefits program leveraging collective purchasing power, delegate training and workplace support, and sector-specific branches like the SkyCity Employees Association.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Unite Union Membership Union membership for hospitality workers in New Zealand, providing workplace representation, collective bargaining, and member support services across fast food, hotels, casinos, cinemas, call centres, and restaurants/cafes/bars.
• Fair Pay Agreement (FPA) Bargaining Collective bargaining service to negotiate improved pay and working conditions across hospitality sectors including fast food, hotels, casinos, and cinemas.
• SkyCity Employees Association (SEA-Unite) Branch of Unite Union representing over 650 members at SkyCity casino, with dedicated office and delegates for Auckland and Hamilton locations, including bilingual (English and Chinese) member support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Recovered tens of millions in incorrectly paid annual leave for workers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• AIL (New Zealand)minorOthersAIL provides automatic insurance coverage for union members: $1,500 for death and dismemberment included in membership, upgradeable to $10,000 for $5/year. This is an optional member benefit program.
• HealthCarePlusminorOthersHealthCarePlus offers Member Benefit Program leveraging collective buying power of 180,000 union members for exclusive services and discounts. Also runs 'Grants for Good' program providing over $250,000 for educational projects and professional development.
• Northern Drivers' Charitable TrustminorOthersProvides skills and training scholarships for union members: up to $3,000 available for trades, skills, and tertiary study. 10 scholarships awarded annually for 2026 year.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Amalgamated Workers Union (AWUNZ): Smaller NZ union covering a range of private-sector workers. Comparable as a competing membership-fee union in NZ but with a broader and less hospitality-concentrated sector footprint than Unite.

Direct peers

• FIRST Union: NZ union covering retail, finance, hospitality, transport and logistics workers. Direct competitor for hospitality and fast-food members, with overlapping organizing models and parallel engagement with major QSR and retail employers across NZ.
• E tū Union: One of NZ's largest private-sector unions covering hospitality, retail, manufacturing, and services. Most direct comparable: similar sector focus, similar membership-fee model, similar employer-by-employer collective bargaining approach, and competing for the same hospitality worker pool.
• New Zealand Council of Trade Unions (NZCTU): National federation of NZ affiliated unions. Unite is a member/affiliate of the broader CTU movement, making NZCTU the apex coordinating body for the same labor organizing ecosystem in which Unite operates.
• UNITE HERE: North American labor union representing workers in hotels, gaming, food service, and related hospitality sectors. Closest international equivalent to Unite's hospitality focus, with shared industry verticals (hotels, casinos, food service) and analogous collective bargaining approach.

Regional players

• Public Service Association (PSA): NZ's largest union by membership, primarily covering public sector and state-sector workers. Operates in the same NZ labor regulatory environment but in a different (public vs private hospitality) vertical; competes for general political influence on employment law relevant to Unite members.
• United Workers Union (Australia): Major Australian union covering hospitality, cleaning, manufacturing, and related service workers. Strong comparable on organizing model and hospitality/fast-food worker focus, though operating under Australian industrial relations framework rather than NZ's.

Broad incumbents

• Service Employees International Union (SEIU): Largest US union covering property services, healthcare, and public service workers. Comparable on the dues-funded service-worker organizing model and political advocacy approach, but operates at vastly greater scale and across more sectors than Unite.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/UniteAotearoa
• Facebookfacebook.com/UniteUnion
• Instagraminstagram.com/uniteunionaotearoa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unite-union

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Unite