‘Anger, integrity and passion': Whanganui protest targets Equal Pay Amendment Bill
'Considering how quickly this has been pushed on us, I think it was an incredible turnout,' she said.
'We know there were protests all over the country today that were pulled together really quickly, and that shows me that New Zealand is angry.'
Melser believed Whanganui should be concerned about the amendments because it had a lower average household income than the national average.
'Our cost of living is dramatically increasing and ... we rely on these roles that are predominantly filled by women to support our community.
'This legislation change is something our community should be really worried about.'
Bates said 'context is important' when considering the law changes.
The Equal Pay Amendment Bill does not remove the possibility of sector-wide claims being made, but it makes the requirements stricter.
The changes include raising the threshold for work 'predominantly performed by female employees' from 60% to 70%; stricter guidelines on the use of comparators; and adding more ways in which employers can meet pay equity obligations.
'What we did this week was take the legislation back to be more representative of the amendments that National was in support of in 2020 to make sure that we have a sustainable, robust system of pay equity,' Bates said.
'The amendments this week had no impact on equal pay and the National Party remains committed to equal pay and pay equity.'
Since the bill passed, a petition supported by unions, such as E tū, New Zealand Writers Guild, Tertiary Institutes Allied Staff Association and more, has amassed almost 55,000 signatures.
Bates did not make an appearance at the protest because of a prior commitment to attend the Rural Nats Forum in Rotorua, but said he welcomed anyone with questions and concerns to speak to him.
Melser hoped Bates would attend to gain insight into the process of the amendments. She also had concerns about the bill being passed under urgency.
Bates said urgency used to keep the legal process smooth.
'If the Government had said 'this is happening' and there was a long period of time before it actually happened, it could create challenges around those legal processes for all involved.'
The Equal Pay Amendment Bill does not officially become law until it receives royal assent, via the Governor-General, which is likely to be given early next week.
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Otago Daily Times
8 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Te Pāti Māori stand down confirmed
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MP Parmjeet Parmar - a member of the Committee - was first to speak on behalf of ACT, and referenced the hand gesture - or "finger gun" - that Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer made in the direction of ACT MPs during the haka. Parmar told the House debate could be used to disagree on ideas and issues, and there wasn't a place for intimidating physical gestures. Greens co-leader Marama Davidson said New Zealand's Parliament could lead the world in terms of involving the indigenous people. She said the Green Party strongly rejected the committee's recommendations and proposed their amendment of removing suspensions, and asked the Te Pāti Māori MPs be censured instead. Davidson said The House had evolved in the past - such as the inclusion of sign language and breast-feeding in The House. She said the Greens were challenging the rules, and did not need an apology from Te Pāti Māori. 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RNZ News
12 hours ago
- RNZ News
Politicians across political spectrum open to investigating law changes after press secretary's 'disturbing' allegations
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Otago Daily Times
21 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Waikato University pressing on with med school plan
The University of Waikato is pressing ahead with its third medical school proposal, despite all indications it is now on life support. The Otago Daily Times has obtained a document advertising the position of an "independent commissioning agent" for the project. Interested parties have until the end of the month to submit applications, and a decision is due to made before July 4. "It is important to note that this procurement exercise is being conducted in parallel to the approval of the detailed business case being considered by government for a proposed medical school," the document said. "As such, there is no commitment that this contract will be awarded should the business case not be approved." A firm preference is placed on those with previous experience within the sector. "We are seeking respondents that have demonstrable experience in successfully delivering independent commissioning agent services on projects with a similar nature to ensure a seamless set-up and handover of the building to the university." The role would last about two and a-half years, depending on how long the first stage took to complete. It does not mention a salary band. There was also a outlay plan for stage 1 of the "division of health" precinct, which would provide teaching and learning facilities for the proposed new medical school and support the division's existing programmes in nursing, midwifery and pharmacy. "The division is in a strong growth phase and has more than 1000 equivalent fulltime students in these existing programmes," a Waikato University spokeswoman said. Green MP Francisco Hernandez said there was a level of desperation to these documents. "Aotearoa desperately needs more doctors and medical professionals, but unfortunately this government is just tinkering around the issue while at its core the problem gets worse. "The Health Minister should do the right thing and kill off this zombie project once and for all rather than keeping it in limbo. "Setting up a new medical school at a university with no track record of delivering medical graduates and which will require substantial levels of capital investment is a bad use of time and resources." The Waikato Medical School proposal has proved controversial — the existing medical schools at Otago and Auckland Universities argue they can deliver more medical school students more cheaply and efficiently. National campaigned on the third medical school at the 2023 election, but Act New Zealand made it part of its coalition agreement it would not like the project to go ahead without a detailed cost-benefit analysis. When asked about progress on the project, and when the government would likely announce an outcome, Health Minister Simeon Brown reiterated the proposal remained under "active consideration". This is despite the fact no extra money exists in the Budget for the project for this year. Documentation from Treasury, the Tertiary Education Commission and Ministry of Education have all expressed concern about the cost of the project, the logistical hurdles in establishing it and the speed at which the government hoped to complete it. An Otago University spokeswoman said ministers had been clear both before and after the Budget no final decisions had been taken on the proposal for a third medical school. "Already this year we have taken 10 more domestic students, and we will take another 10 students next year. "Otago is able to immediately increase our medical intake from 323 to 348 students, raising it to 450 from 2027. "This increase in students would not require any new capital funding as we would largely reconfigure use of existing facilities and resources."
