I'm writing this article from Parliament on Budget Day.
Just earlier, the Finance Minister announced she has repurposed funding allocated for fair pay for women by cancelling 33 active pay equity claims and narrowing the group of workers who can make a claim. It is a cynical move, and it was rushed through Parliament because National simply can't make their numbers work.
For generations, hundreds of thousands of New Zealand women have fought tirelessly for equal pay for work of equal value. The fact that men are paid more for work of equal value is well documented in New Zealand. Women currently earn around 92 cents to every dollar a man earns. The difference gets even bigger in professions that are made up of predominantly women, where work has been historically undervalued.
Good progress was being made towards equal pay for the Kiwis who are a part of the backbone of our society. These include our nurses who care for us, teachers who shape our children's futures, midwives who bring life into our communities, the care workers who look after my elderly parents and hospice workers who look after so many late in life.
However, instead of building on the work of successive governments and focussing on bringing women’s pay into balance with men’s, National has turned its back.
Half a million New Zealanders are currently using food banks each week. The Government has made it harder to get into emergency housing. The Auditor-General is reporting that we are not managing poverty reduction in the way we should.
How is it fair and reasonable of the Government to cut the pay equity settlements of hard working, underpaid New Zealand women and workers?
In Auckland and at Parliament, I stood alongside unions, workers, mothers and concerned New Zealanders to send Christopher Luxon a clear message – women deserve equal pay. Our women, teachers, care and support workers deserve better.
I also hosted a short-notice public meeting at the Trades Hall on Great North Road on the 16 May, where many attended to share their concerns.
I also wanted to share some insights from another public meeting that I hosted on 18 May about Building a Safer Pt Chev. This was well attended, and guest speakers and Pt Chev locals alike shared their experiences and ideas about how to improve safety in Pt Chev.
It follows a recent survey I conducted of over 700 Pt Chev residents. This survey found that the most pressing issue affecting locals is crime and safety. Three quarters of Pt Chev residents have been affected by crime and disorderly behaviour. People described that they have witnessed theft and shoplifting at supermarkets and disorderly behaviour, harassment and intimidation in public spaces. Many feel unsafe going about their day-to-day routines.
The status quo is simply not acceptable. I am absolutely focussed on working towards improvements, including through constructive engagement with the Mayor and local government representatives. It is important to me that I’m advocating for what the community is asking for, which is why the survey and public meeting had a focus on people’s ideas and practical solutions.
I learned that almost 80% of Pt Chev residents support increased CCTV usage around the Pt Chev shops. Others provided ideas concerning the area’s redevelopment, improvements to community facilities and a greater police presence.
I’m running local surveys across suburbs throughout the Mt Albert electorate and using the insights to advocate for our community. If you would like to raise anything local to you in the meantime, please reach out to me at MtAlbertECO@parliament.govt.nz or T: 09 845 1919.
helen.white@parliament.govt.nz
www.labour.org.nz/HelenWhite
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