Latest news with #JanTinetti
RNZ News
5 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Oral Questions for Thursday 5 June 2025
Questions to Ministers TIM COSTLEY to the Minister of Transport: What announcements has he made about increasing the speed limit on State Highway 1? Hon BARBARA EDMONDS to the Minister of Finance: Does she stand by all her statements and actions? RIMA NAKHLE to the Minister for Tourism and Hospitality: What recent reports has she seen on tourism growth and international visitor spending? CAMERON LUXTON to the Associate Minister for the Environment: What recent announcements has he made about reforming freshwater rules? Hon JAN TINETTI to the Minister for Women: Does she stand by all her statements and actions regarding pay equity? Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER to the Minister of Transport: Are local road controlling authorities required to increase speed limits under the Government's policy if one of the reasons for a speed limit reduction since 2020 was proximity to a school, and are impacts on road safety a factor that allows local road controlling authorities to retain safe speeds on streets? JOSEPH MOONEY to the Minister of Conservation: What recent announcements has he made about Milford Sound? Hon PRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN to the Minister of Conservation: Has he received any advice on the impact of Conservation funding cuts on jobs and communities; if so, how many jobs have been identified as at risk? SUZE REDMAYNE to the Minister for Hunting and Fishing: What recent announcements has he made in the Hunting and Fishing portfolio? STEVE ABEL to the Minister of Agriculture: Does he agree with the Prime Minister that New Zealand farmers are the "No. 1 most carbon-efficient in the world"; if so, on what factual basis? SHANAN HALBERT to the Minister for Vocational Education: Has the Treasury advised the Government that "Demand for tertiary education and training is currently forecast to exceed the volume able to be funded"; if so, what advice has she received about the potential for job losses at New Zealand's Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics, and universities? TAKUTA FERRIS to the Minister for Vocational Education: Does she stand by all her statements and actions? To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
RNZ News
15-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Chris Hipkins takes responsibility for Labour MP's question that led to C-bomb
In a belated u-turn Labour's Chris Hipkins has taken responsibility for one of his MP's using Question Time to quote a newspaper column that called female ministers the c-word. The party leader fronted reporters at Parliament on Thursday - a media appearance usually filled by his deputy Carmel Sepuloni - to take the rap for Labour MP and former minister for women, Jan Tinetti. Parliament descended into chaos on Wednesday after Tinetti put a question on notice to Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden - one of the ministers the c-word had been directed at - that quoted from the controversial Sunday Star-Times column. It prompted a fiery response from van Velden, who denounced the use of the word, criticised Tinetti for not condemning the language used, and accused the journalist who wrote the piece of misogyny. Hipkins had this week refused to condemn the c-word being used in the column, and on Wednesday following Question Time Tinetti stood by her question line in the House. But on Thursday Hipkins u-turned, saying the issue had become a distraction from the "plight of low-paid women who are simply asking to be paid fairly". "In so far as our quoting from a rather controversial comment piece yesterday meant the Labour Party was contributing to the distractions around that, I think we will own that. "It would have been better if we had quoted from something else rather than that particular column," he said. "The government desperately wants to move the debate away from pay equity, I think we did play into their hands in that regard a little bit yesterday, I think that was unfortunate." Asked whether he was aware the question was going to be asked by Tinetti, he did not directly answer. "We've got a process for signing off questions, it went all the way through that process, we collectively own that, so as leader of the Labour Party I'll own that." Pushed on whether he personally approved it, he told RNZ, "as the leader of the Labour Party I'll accept responsibility for it". Chris Hipkins says Labour may have played into National's hands with the c-word controversy as it distracted from the issue of pay equity. Photo: Reece Baker On Thursday in Question Time Speaker Gerry Brownlee told the House he should never have allowed Tinetti's question to be heard. "Although I note no party raised issues with the question during the pre-publication period. "It was reasonable then to reach the assumption that the House had accepted the content of the question, as the House is, of course, the architect of its own procedure," he said. And on the matter of van Velden using the c-word in her answer to Tinetti, Brownlee said he should not have "allowed the word used in response to the question to go unchecked". "The member concerned may wish to think about a belated action to uphold the dignity of the House." Hipkins said he had changed his position on the appropriateness of the column because of the distraction it was causing, which was "taking away from what is a very fair issue". "I think we made a mistake there, and when people affected by this see politicians fighting with each other and making it all about themselves, as we've seen in the last 24 hours, I think they'll feel somewhat despondent and dejected. "We should get back to talking about the issues that affect them." Hipkins said part of the reason he did not condemn the use of the c-word against female ministers was to avoid that aspect of the pay equity debate becoming the focus. "I'm not going to appoint myself judge, jury, and executioner on things that people write in newspaper columns." He acknowledged the language in the column was not words he would use. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
14-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Labour defends raising column as C-word debate spirals
File photo. Labour's Jan Tinetti rejected the notion Labour had used poor political judgment by referencing the column. Photo: Phil Smith Labour has rejected the idea that it was a poor political judgment to reference a column using the c-word in connection to female ministers overhauling the pay equity scheme in Parliament. Labour's Jan Tinetti asked the Minister responsible a question about the piece during Parliament's Question Time on Wednesday, to which Brooke Van Velden dropped the c-bomb in protest over the slur being used. Van Velden has defended the use of the word, blaming Labour for introducing the column in the first place. "I think it's really important that I shone a light on the misogyny that Labour actually did bring into the House. "They brought it here, I responded." But Tinetti rejected that, and said there was nothing in the quote she referenced in her question that brought misogyny into the house. "I deliberately went through that to find the quote that would mention the economic backhander." It was pointed out to Tinetti that the column in question used the c-word, "that c-word I would never use," she said. "That doesn't mean to say that people's emotions aren't riled by the fact there's been choices made here with the budget, and future pay cuts have been made to women. "This has got people very uptight and very angry, and emotions have risen." She rejected the notion Labour had used poor political judgment by referencing the column, and said the party was having a discussion around misogyny, as well as women taking money off other women in "future pay cuts." Labour leader Chris Hipkins. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone The coalition has criticised Labour for not calling out the column itself, with Finance Minister Nicola Willis taking aim at Labour leader Chris Hipkins directly for his past position of believing men should speak out against gendered abuse. Hipkins said newspapers make editorial judgments about what they are and aren't willing to publish, "and that's a question for the editors and the people writing that material." "Given the opportunity to make that exact statement, he did not; instead, he suddenly discovered free speech, and my view is that actually the standard you walk past is the standard you accept," said Willis. NZ First MP Shane Jones said it had been the "most extraordinary day of language in the House" and discussion carried over into General Debate later in the afternoon. Chris Bishop said the c-word had been "thrown around a bit" in the last week. "I want to read out some c-words that I think apply to the Labour opposition: callous, cruel and cowardly." He also said the "double standards" and "misleading statements" put out by the Labour Party over the last week were "cruel." "Because this debate all started because of the actions the government took when it comes to equal pay, and we have heard all sorts of nonsense from the Opposition." Hipkins took aim at Bishop too, for "jumping on his high horse", and saying Labour needed to do better. "I can only say I hope he didn't injure himself as he fell off his high horse when it was flying at breakneck speed in the wrong direction. "Because at the same time he was saying we needed to do better, his own party was posting artificial intelligence-generated images of me when he was saying that we needed to 'raise the tone' of the debate." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Govt Finally Admits 180,000 In Line For A Pay Cut
Press Release – New Zealand Labour Party Across the country thousands of women are making their voices heard and Labour proudly stands with them. We will restore womens fundamental rights to equal pay for equal work, Jan Tinetti said. The Government finally admitted late last night that roughly 180,000 people will be affected by its decision to halt pay equity claims. 'Last week the Government killed 33 pay equity claims, pushing the law change through under urgency, with the clear intention of paying for their budget off the backs of hardworking women,' Labour workplace relations and safety spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. 'Now the Minister has finally admitted just how many people they've screwed over: roughly 180,000 people, mostly women, had their claims tossed out, just in time for Mother's Day. 'This is money that was set aside to lift women's pay, but this Government has chosen to take this money because their Budget didn't add up. That is a pay cut, plain and simple. 'These are nurses, teachers, care and support workers who have been fighting for years for pay equity. These are the workforces made up of mostly women, who hold this country together. This is National telling them they are not valued. 'Across the country thousands of women are making their voices heard and Labour proudly stands with them. We will restore women's fundamental rights to equal pay for equal work,' Jan Tinetti said.
Scoop
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Govt Finally Admits 180,000 In Line For A Pay Cut
The Government finally admitted late last night that roughly 180,000 people will be affected by its decision to halt pay equity claims. 'Last week the Government killed 33 pay equity claims, pushing the law change through under urgency, with the clear intention of paying for their budget off the backs of hardworking women,' Labour workplace relations and safety spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. 'Now the Minister has finally admitted just how many people they've screwed over: roughly 180,000 people, mostly women, had their claims tossed out, just in time for Mother's Day. 'This is money that was set aside to lift women's pay, but this Government has chosen to take this money because their Budget didn't add up. That is a pay cut, plain and simple. 'These are nurses, teachers, care and support workers who have been fighting for years for pay equity. These are the workforces made up of mostly women, who hold this country together. This is National telling them they are not valued. 'Across the country thousands of women are making their voices heard and Labour proudly stands with them. We will restore women's fundamental rights to equal pay for equal work,' Jan Tinetti said.
