Employment Hero is G2’s top-ranked workforce management tool in New Zealand

The numbers are in and New Zealand businesses are voting with their reviews.

G2 has published its 2026 Best Software Awards and Employment Hero has landed at #6 on the Best Software Companies list for Australia and New Zealand, making us the highest-ranked workforce management platform in the region. 

Why is this important? This ranking didn’t come from a panel of judges or a marketing budget. It came from real people, at real businesses, sharing their real experiences of Employment Hero.

What G2’s Best Software Awards actually mean

G2 is the world’s largest and most trusted software marketplace, used by more than 100 million people each year to make confident software decisions. Unlike analyst rankings or industry awards, G2’s lists are built entirely on verified reviews from actual users. 

To rank #6 out of more than 1,100 vendors across Australia and New Zealand is a big deal. To be the highest-ranked workforce management tool in that group is something we’re genuinely proud of, because it reflects the trust our 350,000+ customers place in us every day.

Payroll software is having a moment

Employment Hero isn’t just topping regional charts. G2’s latest data reveals something bigger is happening across the HR and payroll software category globally.

According to G2’s Market Movers report published in February 2026, payroll software reviews on the platform surged by 90% year-on-year, representing more than 30,000 new reviews across 611 listed products. That’s the largest annual growth in the category’s history.

Employment Hero was named one of the top three trending products globally in the Payroll Software category,, based on G2’s proprietary buyer behaviour data: review volume, profile traffic and verified buyer intent signals.

Here’s how Employment Hero stacks up in the numbers:

• G2 Rating: 4.3/5
• Total reviews: 760 (a 548% increase year-on-year)
• G2 page views: 12,500+

That 548% jump in reviews shows that more New Zealand and global businesses are evaluating their HR and payroll software. Better yet, more of them are choosing Employment Hero and sticking around to tell others why.

Businesses aren’t just looking for software that processes pay. They want platforms that can handle reporting, stay compliant as the rules shift, and integrate payroll seamlessly in one connected system. That’s exactly what Employment Hero is built to do.

What G2 users are rating us on

G2’s rankings reflect feedback across three core dimensions:

Ease of use — how quickly teams can get up and running, and how intuitive the experience is day-to-day.

Customer satisfaction — the quality of support, the reliability of the platform, and whether users would recommend it.

Market presence — our growth and momentum as the world’s leading AI Employment Operating System.

What New Zealand businesses are saying

Of course, we’re delighted to be celebrating the G2 rankings. But the real story is in what our customers are actually experiencing on the ground. Across New Zealand, from lenders and logistics companies to swim schools and plumbing suppliers, businesses of all shapes and sizes are telling us the same thing: when employment admin is sorted, your people can focus on the work that actually moves the needle.

Here’s a snapshot of what some of our Kiwi customers have found.

Finbase, Auckland – Fast-growing financial services, 25 employees

Finbase, a fast-growing New Zealand lender, has streamlined payroll, onboarding and compliance with Employment Hero. They’ve saved over $1,500 NZD per month and hours of admin.

“It’s streamlined our payroll, strengthened compliance, and freed up time to focus on growth. As we expand, those efficiencies will only multiply.” – Mike, CFO, Finbase

Nelson Airport, Nelson — Regional infrastructure, 30+ employees

Before Employment Hero, timesheets were on paper, leave applications were on paper and recruitment took a while. It worked, but only just. Now, with a workforce spread across three distinct operational teams, including emergency services staff on rotating rosters, everything lives in one place.

“Just do it. […] Employment Hero will make your life so much easier. We use almost every feature, and it’s genuinely made a huge difference.” – Tania Mitchell, Support Services Manager, Nelson Airport

Tax Management New Zealand (TMNZ), Auckland — Finance and professional services, ~60 employees

TMNZ nearly doubled its workforce from 30 to 61 employees without scaling its systems to match, until Employment Hero. Now, the work that used to take hours takes minutes instead.

“It only takes me 5 minutes to generate a contract now. It’s saved me a couple of hours a month on just this one task alone, which will really add up over time.” – Emma Mareroa, Senior People and Culture Advisor, TMNZ

Waterware, New Zealand — Wholesale trade and distribution, 40 employees

Before Employment Hero, Waterware’s HR tasks were entirely manual: onboarding via spreadsheets, contract documents juggled by hand and staff asset allocation tracked with no central system. After consolidating HR and payroll under Employment Hero, everything syncs seamlessly.

“After seeing how easy Employment Hero’s HR software was to use, we decided to consolidate everything under one roof, including payroll, which just makes more sense.” – Danielle Ware, Office Manager, Waterware

What the platform delivers

The experiences above point to a pattern. Whether you’re a 30-person regional business or a large company with a distributed workforce, Employment Hero consistently delivers in three key areas:

Payroll that just works

From variable hours to compliance complexity, automated payroll removes the guesswork and gives employees clear, accessible payslips. No chasing HR required.

Onboarding that starts before day one

Contracts, policies, and introductions can all be completed before a new starter walks through the door, setting the right tone from the very first interaction.

Time back for the work that matters

Whether it’s generating contracts, managing leave or tracking performance conversations, the admin that used to eat up whole mornings now takes minutes. HR and people managers have more time to focus on strategy, culture and growth.

Thank you to our heroes

This achievement wouldn’t be possible without our users. Your feedback drives every update we make and every feature we build. Whether you’ve left a review on G2 or shared your thoughts with our team directly, thank you for helping us eliminate the admin tax for SMEs globally.

We are proud to be helping so many Kiwi businesses and look forward to continuing our mission of making employment easier and more rewarding for everyone.

Ready to see what all the fuss is about?

Whether you’re managing ten people or a thousand, Employment Hero brings HR, payroll and recruitment into one intelligent platform. It’s purpose-built for New Zealand businesses.