The People’s Select Committee on Pay Equity held its first hearing in Wellington, with a wide range of senior experts giving oral submissions on the Government’s decision to gut the pay equity claims process. MUNZ and RMTU are warning that deaths will happen at Lyttelton Port Company following an Employment Court ruling that allows Lyttelton Port Company (LPC) to proceed with a restructure that will remove highly experienced foremen from the waterfront. The PSA say that more mental health workers are need at Auckland Hospital to ensure safety.
Union coverage
- MUNZ, RMTU: ‘Is a life worth $3.9m?’: Court decision concerns Lyttelton Port workforce (paywall)
- NZPFU: 1800 firefighters taking industrial action
- PSA: Public Service Association pushes for more staff to boost Auckland Hospital safety
People’s Select Committee on Pay Equity
- Unofficial People’s Select Committee starts pay equity hearings
- ‘Turning women’s wages into a political piggy bank’
- First female MP would have been ‘appalled’ by pay equity changes, says great grandson (paywall)
- ‘Sexist, cowardly’: Great grandson of first woman MP slams pay equity changes
Employment
Politics
- New political poll predicts hung Parliament
- Second poll of the day sees surge for Labour
- Government accused of ‘fence-sitting’ on Palestinian statehood
- Controversial West Coast Te Kuha Mine project has fast-track application declined
- Here’s what was in Winston Peters’ letter to UN Rapporteur on Indigenous Rights
- Terror law consultation extended amid overreach concerns
- Green Party’s Chlöe Swarbrick calls to rally, get organised for 2026 election
- Labour leader Chris Hipkins dismisses criticism of Covid-19 overspending as ‘Treasury spin’
Te Ao Māori
- Govt cuts Māori research projects that don’t fit with ‘growth agenda’
- Green Party launches petition after electorate’s Māori name removed
- Literacy experts say no problem with Māori words in book for learner readers
- Iwi Māori Partnership Boards concerned their role minimised under Pae Ora Act changes
Economics
- One in five businesses reporting losses
- Economy to pick up despite high inflation, experts predict
- Government policies working to fix economy, raise living standards, Luxon says
- Government subsidies to replace gas heaters with heat pumps could save $1.5b, NZGBC says