Category: Labour Party

National has scrapped the pay equity taskforce that fights for equal pay for women and looks at ethnic pay gaps.

“Scrapping the taskforce that helps women get equal pay feels like we’re back to the 1800s fighting for the right to vote,” spokesperson for women Jan Tinetti said.

“This is a blow to women who have at some point in their lives wondered why they make less than men do.

“Nicola Willis has put out a statement today claiming she’s committed to equal pay while she does her best to rebuild the glass ceiling by cutting funding for it.

“She’s getting rid of the six roles that support claims for women to be paid fairly and equally with those who do similar jobs. They provide guidance and support on the pay equity process and advise on pay equity claims.

“New Zealand has a proud history of standing up for fairness and equality and this flies in the face of that,” Jan Tinetti said.

“This taskforce has helped settle around 12 pay equity claims, and there are at least 25 claims outstanding that could now be at risk,” spokesperson for workplace relations and safety Camilla Belich said.

“I am shocked that Nicola Willis, who has benefitted from the courage and determination of women before her, is making a decision that will leave women worse off.

“Her statement is gaslighting women. The recent extra funding was to build capacity for pay equity, not to shut it down. Her argument that the taskforce has been so successful that its work is no longer needed is farcical.

“If she was truly committed to helping other women get what they deserve to be paid, she’d be funding this taskforce so claims could continue to be settled,” Camilla Belich said.

The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock.

“National’s reckless cuts is now seeing 170 roles at Kāinga Ora and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development on the chopping block all to pay for tax cuts,” Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said.

“The National Party needs to make its mind up, does it want to end the housing crisis or does it want to see the end of Kainga Ora? It can’t have both.

“Every time we ask them for an answer about the social housing build programme they point to the review under way. But they’re quite happy to strip the jobs away from people that were finding available land and building houses before the review reports back.

“Our Labour Government delivered the most public homes each year since the 1950s with one in six homes in New Zealand’s entire public housing stock added between 2017 and 2023.

“Chris Bishop and Tama Potaka have promised New Zealanders they would build more houses than Labour yet so far their record on housing is: making it harder for people to access emergency housing, easier to be kicked out of tenancies, giving $2.9b of tax cuts to landlords while refusing to confirm funding for more homes past 2025, building consents falling through the floor, community housing projects cancelled, and now jobs being cut from the agency that has build more houses than any previous National government combined.

“We can’t forget the last National government ended up with 1,500 fewer public homes than it started with and sucked out $576 million in dividends.

“They had a choice and it’s clear they’re choosing tax cuts for landlords over housing Kiwis,” said Kieran McAnulty.

With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks.

“With every scrap, cut and burn this government makes when it comes to our children – it begs the question of where is Minister Karen Chhour in all of this?” said Children Spokesperson, Willow-Jean Prime.

“We’ve heard that she doesn’t consider Oranga Tamariki lawyers who support children in court as being frontline. This comes as there are 447 proposed job cuts at the Ministry which includes its International Child Protection Unit, alongside funding for hundreds of charities that serve children being put at risk.

“The wellbeing of our children is far too important to have yet another Minister missing in action when potentially harmful cuts are made. Minister Chhour’s whole job is to advocate for and protect our children – she must step in and stop these callous cuts,” said Willow-Jean Prime.

“Similarly, Minister Louise Upston’s ill-informed decision to dismantle the Children and Young People’s Commission is a backward step for the advocacy of children and the desperately needed monitoring of our care system,” said Social Development spokesperson Carmel Sepuloni.

“One of the recommendations that led to the establishment of a board was the need to have broader advocacy for children – including Māori and disabled. These are the children who disproportionately end up in state care.

“One singular commissioner has not always enveloped or had lived experience of those children, which is why we strengthened the commission to have this representation.

“Turning the independent children’s monitor into a crown entity will make no difference and acts as a red herring, as they were already independent.

“If we keep doing things the way they’ve always been done, we won’t get the changes our children deserve. It is irresponsible of this government to backtrack on a system we set up, purely out of political spite.

“We’ve made some hard-fought gains in this space to ensure our children and young people have a strong voice advocating for them and their needs. To now drop an axe on the Commission is to take us back years in progress,” said Carmel Sepuloni.

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The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally.

“Sir Robert Martin spent his life advocating for the rights of disabled people and championed deinstitutionalisation,” Disability Issues spokesperson Priyanca Radhakrishnan said.

“He fought staunchly for disabled people and helped progress the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, becoming the committee’s first elected member with an intellectual disability.

“This a huge loss to the disability community both domestically and internationally and we send our aroha to his loved ones,” Priyanca Radhakrishnan said.

“I remember Sir Robert fondly during my time as Minister. He was an excellent ambassador for New Zealand on the world stage and inspired international leaders to enact change for disabled people,” Social Development spokesperson Carmel Sepuloni said.

“He was a big supporter for the establishment of Whaikaha, a standalone Ministry that served disabled people, and was globally recognised for his advocacy.

“I experienced the mana that Sir Robert brought to the world stage firsthand. I simply mentioned his name during a speech at the UN general assembly, and the room broke out in applause.

“His legacy of advocacy and hard-fought gains for the disability community will continue to live on long into the future. Arohanui to his whānau, friends and the many disabled people and organisations he worked with and for,” Carmel Sepuloni said.

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Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said.

“In government Labour was proud to introduce a ban on live cattle export by sea, which took effect one year ago today and has seen an estimated 130,000 cattle saved from the practice,” says Rachel Boyack.

“New Zealanders are rightly appalled at the reports and images of cattle crammed into tight spaces on ships, standing up to their knees in their own muck, and suffering from dreadful diseases such as salmonellosis, conjunctivitis, pneumonia and leptospirosis.

“The Animal Welfare Amendment Act future-proofed our economic security amid increasing consumer scrutiny on production practices and protected New Zealand’s reputation for world-leading animal welfare standards.

“It is extremely disappointing that the Coalition Government plan to reintroduce the practice of live cattle export by sea. The majority of New Zealanders do not support the practice.

“The Government has also stated that live exports will be undertaken on custom built ships. But they are avoiding all questions about who will build these ships and how much they could potentially cost the taxpayer.

“Other countries like the UK are following our lead and introducing a ban, so it is bizarre that the Government is looking to take us backwards, and reduce New Zealand’s animal welfare standards,” says Rachel Boyack.

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Weekly expenses will grow for more than 1.6 million New Zealanders as the Government ends free and half price public transport fares tomorrow.

“National’s scrapping of free public transport for children 5 to 12 and half-price discounts for ages 13 to 24 will make life more expensive for families with kids and young New Zealanders,” Labour transport spokesperson Tangi Utikere said.

“In the middle of a cost of living and climate crisis, this will make it harder to choose affordable and sustainable transport options.

“The Labour Government made free and half-price fares for young Kiwis permanent to give them one less worry as they went about their daily lives – be it attending school, helping them get to work, or simply just getting around town.

“By removing this subsidy, the Government is putting further burdens on students, pressured families and working Kiwis, who will all be paying the price of National’s tax cuts for landlords.

“This proves that tax cuts are an empty promise with the rising costs that National is putting on New Zealanders.

“Using National’s own tax cut calculator, someone in their early-20s that takes the bus each day and earns the average wage for the demographic could be worse off by more than $70 a fortnight.

“For parents this will really hit their back pockets. Not only will they now have to find extra money to pay to get their under-13s to school, but possible cuts to the free school lunch programme would also cost them an extra $33 per week per child.

“They’re also reducing access to free prescriptions adding another cost for those in need.

“National is focused on unaffordable tax cuts that could leave some worse off, and not focused on helping people with the cost of living as they promised during the election campaign,” Tangi Utikere said.

This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime.

This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime.

“Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act was brought in by the last National Government to protect Māori children. Repealing it is wrong, and this urgent Waitangi Tribunal interim report should help National wake up to the fact that ACT’s policy should not be government policy,” Willow-Jean Prime said.

“The Tribunal has gone over the head of Children’s Minister Karen Chhour and straight to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon with its concerns. Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka who as Māori development spokesperson in opposition did not support a full repeal of the provision, is also copied.

“Submissions to the Tribunal from a range of groups, including the Māori Women’s Welfare League, said the policy would increase the probability of negative outcomes for Māori children in care.

“If that is not reason enough to scrap this policy, then National need to take a good, hard look at their priorities and be straight up with New Zealanders about who they are governing for. Because it certainly isn’t everyone,” Willow-Jean Prime said.

The interim report raises three serious concerns. It says the Government’s singular focus on implementing a commitment made in one of the coalition agreements has caused it to disregard its obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi; that a rushed repeal with no alternative will cause actual harm; and that the legislation already provides for a periodic review of the legislation, an avenue it calls ‘a more principled way forward.’

“The Tribunal goes as far as to say this Government’s approach could breach the Treaty of Waitangi, because of its disregard of consultation with those it affects. It says ‘to simply tell those parties what is going to happen, and invite them to make submissions to select committee, is to dishonour the very basis of the agreement itself’, Willow-Jean Prime said.

“The point of 7AA is to help give practical effect to Treaty principals and reduce disparities for Māori, and so a concern I would have is around transparency and accountability, particularly given recent news that the government is getting rid of Treaty response teams. The proposal to repeal 7AA would also remove requirements to report on the outcomes of Māori children, which is important data that helps governments to make good decisions for tamariki and respond to need.

“I agree with the Waitangi Tribunal’s suggestion that this repeal should be stopped in favour of a review of the legislation, which is a requirement before 1 July next year. The Government would do well to take note of this report,” Willow-Jean Prime said.

Labour is calling for more accountability for preventable workplace deaths because everybody who goes to work deserves to come home safely.

“International Workers’ Memorial Day is a chance to reflect on those we have lost in New Zealand and think about how we can improve our laws and policies to make sure everyone who goes to work comes home again,” Labour’s workplace relations and safety spokesperson Camilla Belich said.

“This International Workers’ Memorial Day I am calling on the Government and other political parties to support my Member’s Bill, the Crimes (Corporate Homicide) Amendment Bill, which will see much better accountability on companies that are knowingly reckless with health and safety.

“The Bill would introduce a criminal offence of corporate homicide for employers that do not prioritise health and safety at work. Good employers with robust health and safety measures will not be affected.

“Everyone in New Zealand has the right to expect a safe workplace and to be able to come home safely to their family at the end of the day. Sadly, for many people this is not their reality.

“According to the Council of Trade Unions, every week 17 people die as a consequence of their work, and every 15 minutes a worker suffers an injury that requires more than week off work.

“The International Labour Organisation reports that New Zealand has three times the fatality rate of the United Kingdom. We also know that our fatality rate is almost twice that of Australia. These deaths and injuries are preventable and totally unacceptable.

“The scale of our workplaces deaths in New Zealand shows that our current health and safety laws and practices are not working hard enough to protect New Zealanders.

“My Member’s Bill is targeted at employers who know there are risks in their workplaces, fail to address these, and this failure results in a workplace death. The new offence provides that a person or entity will commit the offence if they have a relevant legal duty of care, and engage in conduct that exposes any individual to whom that duty is owed to a risk of death or serious injury, are reckless as to that risk, and their conduct results in the death of the individual.

“This type of offence is common in other countries. The purpose of the Bill is to encourage a good health and safety culture but also to bring accountability and justice to individuals and the families of those wrongly killed at work.

“I also call on the Minister to use her review of the Health and Safety at Work Act to make improvements to workplace safety and ensure that agencies responsible for monitoring health and safety like WorkSafe and the Labour inspectorate are not subject to further cuts in funding and are properly supported through adequate investment to keep New Zealander workplaces safe,” Camilla Belich said.

Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said.

The law says those who served after 1974 aren’t entitled to the same support as those who served before that date. It’s been reported recently that Australia has a much more consistent veterans’ support system.

“At a time when New Zealand is looking towards greater cooperation with our traditional military allies, let us align the entitlements of those who have been, and will in future be serving alongside those from other nations’ armed forces,” Greg O’Connor said.

“In the spirit of Anzac Day, let’s honour those who served together and commemorate their efforts on the battlefield, in service here and abroad.

“It is reassuring to see the Veterans’ Affairs Minister Chris Penk acknowledging the current system needs fixing and I hope he can work with his Government colleagues to invest in a group of people to whom this country owes not only gratitude, but also material assistance.

“Let’s band together to fix the system over the longer term, regardless of political stripe. We should do better by our veterans.

“In the short term, the Veteran’s Independence Programme needs continued funding. It supports those who have served to remain independent in their own homes which is better for their wellbeing and keeps pressure off other parts of the health system and aged care.

“We can’t let cost pressures cripple the agency that supports people who gave so much for their country.

“I have offered my support to the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs so we can better support veterans into the future,” Greg O’Connor said.

This Anzac Day veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor will attend the Dawn Service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park, before heading to the Tawa RSA Service to lay a wreath. He will join veterans and supporters for a post-service get together at the Tawa RSA.

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