E tū is slamming the Government’s announcement that it will make it harder for workers to claim pay equity, describing it as an attack on women and a green light to pay them less for work of equal value.
The changes, announced by Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden, will raise the bar for proving historical undervaluation in female-dominated workforces – cutting off current claims and making new ones near impossible.
Marianne Bishop, a retired residential aged care worker, says the move is a slap in the face to workers who have been fighting for fairness for years.
“I am absolutely disgusted. It makes me angry as a woman, and makes me feel like we’re going backwards,” Marianne says.
“We’ve been fighting for 13 years. To have the rug pulled out from underneath us now is unbelievable. We thought we were going to get there – this just removes our road to fairness.”
Marianne says the impact on the care sector will be severe.
“This will make it even harder to get people working in aged care. People won’t go the extra mile anymore – why would they, if they’re not going to get paid fairly? This announcement is terrible for women and families now and in the future.”
Tamara Baddeley, a home support worker, says the Government’s actions show total contempt for the workers who hold the care system together.
“This makes me feel f***ing angry. This Government is a nest of vipers – they speak with a forked tongue,” Tamara says.
“I challenge every single one of them to come and work with us. On our wages. Getting assaulted at work, paying for travel out of your own pocket. Then tell us why cutting off our pay equity claim is a good idea.”
“Our claim’s been sitting there for 1,040 days. Why the f*** are we still waiting?”
E tū National Secretary Rachel Mackintosh says the decision is cruel, ideological, and deeply anti-women.
“The Government is dismantling one of the most important tools for fixing gender-based pay discrimination,” Rachel says.
“These changes are not about evidence – they are about saving money by keeping women underpaid. It’s a disgraceful reversal of decades of hard-fought progress and an insult to the working women who carried this country through a pandemic.”
Rachel says workers will not stay silent.
“We won’t go back to the days where a woman’s work is automatically worth less just because it’s been done by women in the past. We’re not going to stand quietly while this Government rips up the rules and tells us to be grateful for whatever we get.”
“This is a line in the sand. And women across Aotearoa will fight this every step of the way.”
A new report from E tū and international tax watchdog CICTAR has raised serious questions about whether aged care giant Bupa is shifting profits offshore to avoid paying its fair share of tax in Aotearoa.
E tū is calling for urgent reform and transparency in aged residential care funding, following the revelations that Bupa – the country’s second-largest provider – has paid just $12 million in income tax over the past decade, despite reporting nearly $300 million in profits.
“We spend billions of dollars each year on aged residential care, but there is very little transparency about whether that money supports decent jobs for workers, or simply subsidises corporate profits,” says Edward Miller, researcher with the Centre for International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research (CICTAR).
“Our research suggests that over the last decade, Bupa earned $3.3 billion in revenue and $293 million in profit, but only paid a total of $12 million in income tax – an effective tax rate of just four percent.
“In addition, a major intercompany loan appears to have reduced their taxable income by $150 million over the last decade. That could have cost Aotearoa up to $27 million in lost tax revenue over that period.”
E tū National Secretary Rachel Mackintosh says the report reveals a disturbing pattern.
“At the same time as Bupa is sending tens of millions overseas in interest payments on questionable debts to other Bupa subsidiaries, they’re pushing through dangerous new rosters that cut hours and destabilise care,” Rachel says.
“Care workers are rightly asking whether Bupa is putting tax planning ahead of providing safe, decent care for residents. In 2023, for instance, Bupa made $12 million in pre-tax profit but paid just $11,000 in corporate tax – that’s about what a Level 4 care worker pays.”
Rachel says while more funding is urgently needed for the sector, companies must also be held to account.
“We need increased investment in aged care, but with it must come transparency. New Zealanders deserve to know their taxes are going to support quality care, not just boost overseas profits.
“It’s time to put the wellbeing of our elderly and those who care for them at the centre of this system.”
A quad bike rollover which cost a Tararua farmhand his life could have been avoided if the farm manager had kept the bike in good working order, WorkSafe New Zealand says.
Worn brakes, uneven tyre pressure, and poor suspension were among the defects found on the bike that flipped at low speed and killed 31-year-old Ethen Payne at an Eketāhuna dairy farm in November 2022.
The bike was purchased second-hand and had no crush protection device installed. The farm manager and bike owner, Dane Hemphill, has now been sentenced for health and safety failures uncovered by a WorkSafe investigation. A victim impact statement read in court said Mr Payne’s mother has since died of a broken heart.
Uneven tyre pressure on the quad bike Ethen Payne was killed on.
“This tragedy should be the lightning rod the agriculture sector needs to up its game on quad bike safety,” says WorkSafe’s central regional manager, Nigel Formosa.
“First and foremost, WorkSafe strongly recommends installing a crush protection device on the back of a quad bike.”
Pre-start checks are important, primarily to check tyre pressure and brake function before setting off.
Regular servicing in line with the manufacturer’s recommendation is also a must. This may include oil changes and filter replacements. A checklist can be handy to document the frequency of servicing, what was looked at, and any fixes undertaken.
Any issues identified during pre-start checks or servicing should be addressed promptly to avoid further problems or potential hazards.
“We know life is busy for farmers, but there’s no excuse for letting your quad bike maintenance slide – especially when the consequences can be catastrophic. Ideally maintenance checks are done by a mechanic. If you are too busy to take your quad bikes in for a service, arrange for a mobile mechanic to come out to you. The cost is nothing compared to having a preventable death on your conscience,” says Nigel Formosa.
Agriculture was New Zealand’s deadliest industry in 2024, with 14 workers killed. Vehicles were the leading cause of death and injury on New Zealand farms, which is why WorkSafe’s new strategy targets about a quarter of our future inspectorate activity towards agriculture.
Businesses must manage their risks, and WorkSafe’s role is to influence businesses to meet their responsibilities and keep people healthy and safe. When they do not, we will take action.
Dane Hemphill was sentenced at Wellington District Court on 30 April 2025.
Reparations of $75,000 were ordered to be paid to the family.
Dane Hemphill was charged under sections 36(1)(a), 48(1) and 48(2)(b) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015
Being a PCBU, having a duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers who work for the PCBU, including Ethen Donald Payne, while the workers are at work in the business or undertaking, namely using a Honda TRX420FM2 quadbike at Spring Grove Dairies farm, did fail to comply with that duty and that failure exposed the workers to a risk of death or serious injury.
The maximum penalty is a fine not exceeding $300,000.
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The decision to nearly halve the amount of new investment being made in the next Budget signals that this Government doesn’t care about the users of public services, said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney.
“$1.3bn in operating allowance isn’t enough to pay for cost pressures in health alone ($1.55bn). There is no money for cost pressures in education and other public services, or proposed defence spending. This is a Budget that will be built on cuts to essential services,” said Renney.
“The fact that this announcement has come only three weeks away from Budget suggests that there is no agreement around the cabinet table about what government should be doing.
“We now know that we are looking at a Budget where departments will be asked to make further rounds of deep cuts – just after cuts at Budget 2024.
“The Minister of Finance is blaming borrowing for the need to make cuts. At the last Budget the government borrowed $12bn to pay for tax giveaways, including to landlords and tobacco companies.
“This decision to cut investment is a choice. When child poverty rises, as it currently is, it’s a choice to not increase support. When we can’t support people losing their job, that’s a choice. This Government’s choices are now very clear.
“We implore the Government to rethink this decision. It doesn’t help solve the public investment gap that already exists. It doesn’t help tackle unmet need in health and education. It’s time for a better approach, and to rebuild our public services,” said Renney.
The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi has today launched a campaign to ban the import, supply, and use of engineered stone in Aotearoa New Zealand.
“We are urging the Government to do the right thing and save workers’ lives by banning engineered stone, an extremely dangerous product that causes the fatal lung disease silicosis”, said NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff.
“Engineered stone is the asbestos of our times. It is not an essential product and there are many safe alternatives already in the market.
“Silicosis is a debilitating disease that cannot be cured. The evidence is clear that the only solution is to stop workers from being required to process engineered stone, which exposes them to the dangerous silica dust.
“Brooke van Velden has the power to save workers’ lives. All she needs to do is follow Australia’s example and implement a total ban.
“There is broad support for this campaign. Last year the CTU joined with 18 other organisations, including public health experts and health and safety specialists, and called on the Minister to act.
“Aotearoa has a terrible record when it comes to work-associated deaths. The Government has the opportunity to help turn that around by banning engineered stone. It’s time they stepped up on behalf of Kiwi workers,” said Wagstaff.
The NZCTU have today launched a public petition calling on the Minister to implement a full ban on the import, supply, and use of engineered stone.
The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi is warning that the Government’s decision to adopt a new model for the vocational education and training sector will lead to massive disruptions and instability in an already fatigued sector.
“The NZCTU remains fundamentally opposed to these reforms, which will create further disruption across the sector and come off the back of a period of disruption and change in the sector over the past five years,” said NZCTU Acting President Rachel Mackintosh.
“We are concerned by the impacts that another several years of change processes will have on the sector, learners, and industries.
“Our major concern regarding the model that the Government is adopting is the risk of the creation of new private agencies competing for public funding within the sector; this model has not served New Zealand well in the past.
“Profit motives drive instability in education, and it is not a good use of resources to have multiple agencies competing for funding as they must focus attention on securing funding at the expense of focusing on delivery for learners.
“The whole process for these reforms has been flawed. There is no reason why the consultation needed to have such a narrow scope, excluding critical stakeholders, and key subject matter experts.
“The Minister’s insistence on pushing ahead with these poorly thought through reforms is likely to create several more years of instability in the sector, and more uncertainty for learners, industries, and the vocational education and training workforce,” said Mackintosh.
AI-driven hazard detection is coming to timber manufacturing, thanks to a new agreement worth nearly half a million dollars between WorkSafe New Zealand and a major player in the wood processing industry.
Claymark, New Zealand’s largest manufacturer and exporter of premium pine products, is putting $481,000 into a range of initiatives. It comes after a worker had two fingers amputated in a machine at Claymark’s Rotorua factory in February 2023.
WorkSafe’s investigation found the machine was unguarded and there was an ineffective system for maintenance. Training and supervision of workers also fell short.
WorkSafe has now accepted an enforceable undertaking (EU) from Claymark. An EU is a binding commitment to fund and resource comprehensive health and safety improvements. Claymark’s EU includes:
CCTV systems incorporating AI technology to indicate risks to workers’ health and safety in real time.
Offering up to 15 trials of the technology to other businesses in the wood manufacturing sector.
Microlearning and interactive displays in break rooms to upskill workers on health and safety.
Reparation to the victim.
We are sharing details of the investment to coincide with World Day for Health and Safety at Work, which this year focuses on the impacts of digitalisation and artificial intelligence on workers’ health and safety.
Workers in action at Claymark’s Vaughan Road factory in Rotorua.
“We are looking forward to seeing Claymark pioneer its AI innovation to benefit the timber processing sector more broadly. Agreements like this are all about enacting positive improvements from an adverse event,” says WorkSafe’s Head of Regulatory Services, Tracey Conlon.
“The initiatives align with WorkSafe’s priority plan for manufacturing, which is one of the most high-risk sectors for workers in Aotearoa. Unsafe machinery is a persistent problem in the sector, which businesses cannot overlook.”
EUs are a way for WorkSafe to hold businesses accountable for health and safety breaches. WorkSafe monitors progress on the agreed commitments and can seek a court order enforcing them if they are not upheld. WorkSafe’s role is to influence businesses to meet their responsibilities and keep people healthy and safe.
Statement from Claymark’s executive director Paul Pedersen
At Claymark, the health, safety, and wellbeing of our people is our highest priority. An incident involving one of our team members has had a significant impact – both physically and emotionally. We acknowledge the effect this has had on the individual, their whānau, and our wider community, and we are committed to learning from this experience to ensure safer outcomes for everyone.
Through our enforceable undertaking, we see a valuable opportunity to drive meaningful, people-focused change – both within Claymark and across the wood manufacturing sector.
Our key initiatives include:
Engaging with local communities and schools in the towns where we operate to promote safe wood manufacturing practices and support safe, informed pathways into the industry.
Working alongside the Central North Island Wood Council (CNIWC) and other industry bodies to share our learnings and help build a stronger health and safety culture sector-wide.
Investing in our people through modern, online and interactive training modules, with flexible learning tailored to roles and responsibilities. We are also exploring the potential of AI to support smarter, more responsive safety systems and personalised learning experiences.
This is about more than compliance – it’s about creating a workplace where our people feel informed, supported, and safe. Claymark is committed to continuous improvement and collaboration as we work towards a safer, stronger future for our people, our industry, and our communities.
Statement from the injured worker
On 27 February 2023, my life changed forever. While performing my job, I suffered an injury that resulted in the amputation of two fingers on my right hand. Since that day, I’ve undergone three surgeries to address the damage, and while recovery has been challenging, I remain hopeful about the possibility of prosthetic fingers in the future.
Everyday tasks I once took for granted like writing, showering, even holding objects, now require patience and adaptation. Music, which has always been a passion of mine, has become a bittersweet pursuit; playing the guitar and trumpet now demands creativity and resilience as I relearn techniques with my altered hand.
Throughout this journey, my wife, children, and wider whānau have been my rock. Their unwavering emotional support and practical help have carried me through the darkest moments of my recovery. I cannot overstate how grateful I am for their love and strength.
I’m deeply appreciative of Claymark’s commitment to workplace safety improvements outlined in this agreement, many of which I’ve witnessed firsthand. At 51, retirement isn’t an option I’m ready to consider which is why I feel fortunate to continue contributing to Claymark’s team. While my path forward looks different than I once imagined, I’m determined to adapt and keep moving ahead, one day at a time.
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi is concerned for low-income workers given new data released by Stats NZ that shows inflation was 2.5% for the year to March 2025, rising from 2.2% in December last year.
“The prices of things that people can’t avoid are rising – meaning inflation is rising faster for those on low incomes,” said NZCTU Economist Craig Renney.
“Inflation was driven by increases in rents (up 3.7%), rates (up 12%), household energy (up 7.2%) and insurances (up 8%). Grocery prices were also higher, rising 4.3%.
“Earlier this year, the minimum wage rose by 1.5% – a full 1% less than actual inflation. This is the second year the Government has increased the minimum wage by less than inflation, which means that a full-time minimum wage worker is now cumulatively $2,438 worse off in real terms. Minimum wage workers are missing out on $28.36 a week because of the Government’s decisions.
“The Government is considering removing the Living Wage guarantee for government contractors who are caterers, cleaners, and security guards. This data shows why that protection is so important – working people can’t rely on this Government to protect them through the Minimum Wage.
“With 46% of workers receiving a pay rise less than inflation last year, it also shows that many working people are still doing it tough. Unemployment is still rising, with tens of thousands of more people on Jobseekers Support. It is clearly not workers who are benefitting from the very little economic growth is being delivered.
“This data is another piece of evidence about who is winning and losing in the economy. The poorest working people are facing higher costs they can’t avoid – but with less money to pay.
“Workers need a change in direction and a government that will actively address low pay, unemployment, and poverty – it’s time for a different approach,” said Renney.
As winter creeps closer, WorkSafe New Zealand is reminding businesses to take heed of the risks when workers are operating at height.
The consequences have been laid bare at the sentencing of a Wellington business, whose worker was critically injured in April 2023 when he fell six metres from a slippery, unsafe rooftop.
38-year-old Josh Bowles had only been in his job for two months and had no experience or training in working at height when he fell from a commercial rooftop in central Wellington. He spent six months in hospital recovering from a traumatic brain injury and multiple broken bones. The father of five still lives with continuous pain, and has been unable to work since the fall.
The scene on Hopper Street in central Wellington where Josh Bowles was left critically injured in 2023.
A WorkSafe investigation found there was only limited edge protection to the roofline. In its absence, a harness system should have been used to keep workers safe but was not. Regardless, Mr Bowles had no formal training on use of a harness or roof-anchors.
The business, Prowash, did not properly manage the risks of working in rainy conditions on a new iron roof with cleaning product on it. Prowash was unable to provide WorkSafe with any policies, or risk/hazard identification and control process, to prove it had a safe system of work in place.
“This was a preventable fall which has permanently impacted a young father’s quality of life and job prospects,” says WorkSafe principal inspector, Paul Budd.
“Falls from height are a well-known risk and there is no excuse for not putting proper protections in place – especially in bad weather. If the work needs to be postponed until conditions are more favourable, then do so.
“The best controls are those that don’t require active judgement by a worker. This includes solutions such as edge protection or scaffolding. If a worker slips or missteps, as we saw in this case, there is a physical barrier between themselves and the ground below,” says Paul Budd.
Businesses must manage their risks and where they don’t WorkSafe will take action. This is part of WorkSafe’s role to influence businesses to meet their responsibilities and keep people healthy and safe.
Prowash Wellington Limited was sentenced at Wellington District Court on 15 April 2025
A fine of $40,000 was imposed, and reparations of $77,456 ordered
Prowash was charged under sections 36(1)(a), 48(1) and (2)(c) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015
Being a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU), having a duty to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers who work for the PCBU, including Joshua Bowles, while the workers are at work, namely while carrying out work on the roof of 258 Taranaki Street, Wellington, did fail to comply with that duty, and that failure exposed workers to a risk of death or serious injury from a fall from height.
The maximum penalty is a fine not exceeding $1.5 million.
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