Category: Political Parties

Source: National Party – Headline: Where’s the money coming from Minister?

Long-awaited funding to fight the outbreak of the cattle disease Mycoplasma Bovis will be welcome news to affected farmers, but it remains to be seen how quickly compensation will be paid out, National’s Primary Industries spokesperson Nathan Guy says.

“The Government’s announced funding of $85 million for operational and compensation costs but it looks like they’ve included $10 million previously set aside, and the $11 million that industry has been asked to stump up.

“It’s highly likely the Government’s contribution has been reprioritised from other funds that have been shelved. We know that irrigation projects have been put on ice – and the Primary Growth Partnership’s R&D funding has been raided to rebrand MPI.

“Given the massive spending pressures the Coalition is already under I can’t imagine the Finance Minister Grant Robertson writing out a new cheque for Damien O’Connor.

Bio-security spokesperson Barbara Kuriger says she hopes that the funding will at least mean the compensation process for affected farmers can move at pace.

“I’m pleased there is finally some relief and certainty for our farmers and rural communities. The sector has been crying out for this support for a long time now.

“The overall response has been too slow and the incursion has spread.

“It is imperative that farmers lodge a claim for compensation. So far it seems that just 51 have made claims for compensation out of 1500 that have potentially been affected.

“Of those 51, just 10 have been paid in full or in part so I’m urging all affected farmers to lodge a claim and get themselves in the system,” Mrs Kuriger says.

Source: National Party – Headline: Govt should be encouraged to support Nat’s pay equity Bill

Confirmation from a second working group into pay equity principles that National’s policy settings were largely on the right track should encourage the Government to support a private member’s Bill, National MP Denise Lee says. 

Maungakiekie MP Denise Lee’s Employment (Pay Equity and Equal Pay) Bill re-introduces the previous Government’s pay equity legislation which was withdrawn from Parliament in November last year by the Labour Government.

“The reconvened Joint Working Group on Pay Equity Principles has reported back to Ministers reconfirming the principles recommended by the first Group to the National Government.

“The reconvened Group has changed just one principle to clarify and simplify the process for initiating a pay equity claim and has agreed that principles on comparators are appropriate and sufficient.

“Given this, it’s my hope that the Government will now support my Bill at its First Reading to Select Committee so we can make progress as quickly as possible.

“This Bill is a significant step towards closing the gender pay gap by ensuring female-dominated jobs are paid fairly,” Ms Lee says. 

“It sets out a practical and fair process for employees working in jobs predominantly performed by women to follow if they believe they are not being paid what their job is worth.

“We are committed to achieving pay equity in New Zealand. Addressing and correcting the pay imbalance will benefit individual women, their families, and future generations of New Zealanders.”