Whanganui trials citizens assembly deciding pools future
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RNZ News
9 hours ago
- RNZ News
Pay equity: Five unions to take government to court over law changes
Pay equity protesters voice their opinions outside Parliament in May. Photo: RNZ/Marika Khabazi Five unions are taking the government to the High Court over changes to pay equity laws. The sudden and controversial changes cancelled existing claims from mostly female-dominated jobs and made it harder for new claims to succeed . Workplace Minister Brooke van Veldengave a figure of 33 current claims that would be stopped, as the legislation was put through under urgency in May. The Nurses Organisation, Tertiary Education Union, Educational Institute, Post-Primary Teachers' Association, and Public Service Association argued the new rules breached the Bill of Rights Act. "The legal challenge argues the coalition government's legislation breaches three fundamental rights: freedom from gender-based pay discrimination, the right to natural justice, and the right to fair legal process," the unions said in a joint statement. "The case gives workers who have been denied their right to challenge gender-based pay discrimination a chance to challenge the government in court. If successful, a Parliamentary Select Committee must consider the declaration of inconsistency and a Parliamentary debate must occur. The government is then required to formally respond." The claim would be formally lodged on 29 August at the High Court in Wellington following a rally by women whose pay equity claims had been cancelled, the unions said. A spokesperson for the office of Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told RNZ: "The Bill was considered for consistency with the Bill of Rights Act before introduction, and the Acting Attorney-General concluded the Bill appeared to be consistent with the Bill of Rights Act". Public Service Association national Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said the government avoided proper scrutiny, bypassing consultation. "We are asking the High Court to declare that the government's actions are inconsistent with the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 because of the discrimination New Zealand women will face as a result of the government's action," she said. "The government silenced women but we know the High Court will listen to our claims. This is just the start of our campaign for pay equity for New Zealand women and we will be leaving no stone unturned to achieve pay equity. "The decision to cancel claims that were about to be heard by the Employment Relations Authority is inconsistent with the constitutional foundations of New Zealand which do not provide for the government to interfere with the judicial system in this way." Educational Institute national secretary Stephanie Mills said the government did not follow a democratic process. "The scrapping of the teachers claim without consultation and under urgency was a kick in the guts for our teacher members after years of blood, sweat and money getting the claim moving," she said. "We'd had five years of work on it with hundreds of interviews with members about their work, and it was a genuinely joint process with the Ministry of Education and their pay equity team." NZNO delegate and Plunket nurse Hannah Cook said nurses and care workers were devastated by the scrapping of their pay equity claims. "Plunket nurses were so close to finally having our hard work recognised. Nurses and care workers are the backbone of a caring society and the coalition government needs to value us. These changes don't just impact us. They impact our families, our livelihoods and our quality of life," she said. "The coalition government has shown it doesn't value us nurses and those of us in women dominated workforces. It is 2025 for goodness sake. We shouldn't still be paid less than those in male dominated occupations." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
10 hours ago
- RNZ News
Pay equity: Five unions take government to court over law changes
Pay equity protesters voice their opinions outside Parliament in May. Photo: RNZ/Marika Khabazi Five unions are taking the government to the High Court over changes to pay equity laws. The sudden and controversial changes cancelled existing claims from mostly female-dominated jobs and made it harder for new claims to succeed . Workplace Minister Brooke van Veldengave a figure of 33 current claims that would be stopped, as the legislation was put through under urgency in May. The Nurses Organisation, Tertiary Education Union, Educational Institute, Post-Primary Teachers' Association, and Public Service Association argued the new rules breached the Bill of Rights Act. "The legal challenge argues the coalition government's legislation breaches three fundamental rights: freedom from gender-based pay discrimination, the right to natural justice, and the right to fair legal process," the unions said in a joint statement. "The case gives workers who have been denied their right to challenge gender-based pay discrimination a chance to challenge the government in court. If successful, a Parliamentary Select Committee must consider the declaration of inconsistency and a Parliamentary debate must occur. The government is then required to formally respond." The claim would be formally lodged on 29 August at the High Court in Wellington following a rally by women whose pay equity claims had been cancelled, the unions said. A spokesperson for the office of Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told RNZ: "The Bill was considered for consistency with the Bill of Rights Act before introduction, and the Acting Attorney-General concluded the Bill appeared to be consistent with the Bill of Rights Act". Public Service Association national Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said the government avoided proper scrutiny, bypassing consultation. "We are asking the High Court to declare that the government's actions are inconsistent with the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 because of the discrimination New Zealand women will face as a result of the government's action," she said. "The government silenced women but we know the High Court will listen to our claims. This is just the start of our campaign for pay equity for New Zealand women and we will be leaving no stone unturned to achieve pay equity. "The decision to cancel claims that were about to be heard by the Employment Relations Authority is inconsistent with the constitutional foundations of New Zealand which do not provide for the government to interfere with the judicial system in this way." Educational Institute national secretary Stephanie Mills said the government did not follow a democratic process. "The scrapping of the teachers claim without consultation and under urgency was a kick in the guts for our teacher members after years of blood, sweat and money getting the claim moving," she said. "We'd had five years of work on it with hundreds of interviews with members about their work, and it was a genuinely joint process with the Ministry of Education and their pay equity team." NZNO delegate and Plunket nurse Hannah Cook said nurses and care workers were devastated by the scrapping of their pay equity claims. "Plunket nurses were so close to finally having our hard work recognised. Nurses and care workers are the backbone of a caring society and the coalition government needs to value us. These changes don't just impact us. They impact our families, our livelihoods and our quality of life," she said. "The coalition government has shown it doesn't value us nurses and those of us in women dominated workforces. It is 2025 for goodness sake. We shouldn't still be paid less than those in male dominated occupations." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
13 hours ago
- Scoop
Alliance Council Candidate Slams Manji's Past Record On Social Housing
Tom Roud, the Alliance Party candidate for Central Ward, is taking a firm stance on housing, and is putting the spotlight on former Councillor Raf Manji's past attempts to dismantle social housing in Christchurch. 'We need to be clear about what's at stake in this election,' says Mr Roud. 'In 2014, Raf Manji called it the 'perfect time' for the council to sell off its social housing. We can only imagine the disastrous impact on homelessness and housing affordability had he succeeded.' In 2014, as Council finance committee chairman, Mr Manji pushed for the council to leave the social housing sector entirely, labelling investment in affordable housing as 'unwise at best and financially imprudent at worst.' 'Thank goodness he failed,' Mr Roud says. 'Instead, we now have the Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust (ŌCHT), the largest council-owned community housing provider in the country and the envy of other cities. Had Mr Manji's vision of privatisation won out, the housing crisis in Christchurch would be far worse.' Mr Roud says he was also disappointed with recent comments from fellow Central Ward candidate Hayley Guglietta defending Airbnbs. 'Short-term rentals deprive our communities of neighbours and residents, leaving people isolated while putting upward pressure on rents. Unlike hotels, they provide next to no local employment. We cannot incentivise developers to build housing designed for short term stays, we need housing that functions as homes for our people.' Mr Roud is advocating for a significant increase in resources for ŌCHT, an investigation into expanding eligibility for social housing, and better regulation of Airbnbs and unoccupied homes in the central city. 'If we can build a stadium for the better part of a billion dollars, we can and must address homelessness and housing affordability. It's about priorities. My priority is housing our residents, not selling them out.'
