New Zealand is not lagging in terms of the right to disconnect from work and employer surveillance. In fact, New Zealand was one of the first countries to introduce legislation to protect workers' rights in this area. The Employment Relations Act 2000 (ERA) includes a provision that employees have the right to refuse to work unreasonable overtime, and this provision has been interpreted by the courts to include the right to disconnect from work outside of normal working hours.

In addition, the Privacy Act 2020 imposes limits on the extent to which employers can monitor their employees' activities, and requires employers to be transparent about their surveillance practices. These laws provide workers with a strong degree of protection against employer surveillance and the expectation of being available for work outside of normal working hours.

While there is always room for improvement, it is not accurate to say that New Zealand is lagging in terms of the right to disconnect from work and employer surveillance.