Latest news with #JanicePanoho
Scoop
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Government Abandons Māori And Pacific Whānau Through Kāinga Ora Cuts
Press Release – PSA Te Kaihaut Mori of the PSA Janice Panoho says many of the workers losing their jobs are Mori and Pacific, whose cultural competence and lived experience are essential to connecting with communities in a way that upholds mana. The Government's decision to slash over 620 jobs at Kāinga Ora is another devastating blow to vulnerable communities, especially Māori and Pacific whānau who are overrepresented in the housing crisis. The cuts include essential frontline roles, such as those in call centres and tenant support, who work every day with whānau in desperate need of safe, secure housing. Te Kaihautū Māori of the PSA Janice Panoho says many of the workers losing their jobs are Māori and Pacific, whose cultural competence and lived experience are essential to connecting with communities in a way that upholds mana. 'By disestablishing 769 roles, the Government is actively removing Māori and Pacific workers who bring whakapapa, reo, tikanga and aroha to their roles,' says Panoho. 'These are the people who guide our whānau through complex housing systems and advocate for them in a system that often excludes them,' Panoho says. 'This is not just about job cuts. This is about a government turning its back on its obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Kāinga Ora has been one of the few agencies striving to work alongside Māori to deliver housing solutions rooted in dignity, partnership and manaakitanga. Gutting its workforce is a betrayal. The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi condemns this move as a calculated assault on equity, cultural integrity, and frontline workers who serve our most at-risk families. 'We've seen this before under the previous Key Government, the sale of state housing and the forced removal of whānau from their homes, which led to widespread homelessness, with families left to live in cars, tents, and on the streets,' Panoho says. 'Now we are faced with this Government placing even more pressure on our communities without proper consultation with Iwi Maori and community leaders to maintain sustainable housing for our communities. The PSA warns that these decisions will have lasting consequences. Kāinga Ora's capacity to serve is being hollowed out, with a third of its workforce gone in just one year. 'This Government says it wants better outcomes for Māori, yet here we are, cutting the very services and people that support those outcomes,' says Panoho. 'This is not tino rangatiratanga. This is a continuation of systemic neglect that leaves our whānau homeless, our workers displaced, and our rights ignored.' 'Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi calls on the Government to halt these cuts, honour its commitments under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and invest in public housing and frontline workers, not strip them away,' Panoho says. The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand's largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.
Scoop
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Government Abandons Māori And Pacific Whānau Through Kāinga Ora Cuts
Press Release – PSA Te Kaihaut Mori of the PSA Janice Panoho says many of the workers losing their jobs are Mori and Pacific, whose cultural competence and lived experience are essential to connecting with communities in a way that upholds mana. The Government's decision to slash over 620 jobs at Kāinga Ora is another devastating blow to vulnerable communities, especially Māori and Pacific whānau who are overrepresented in the housing crisis. The cuts include essential frontline roles, such as those in call centres and tenant support, who work every day with whānau in desperate need of safe, secure housing. Te Kaihautū Māori of the PSA Janice Panoho says many of the workers losing their jobs are Māori and Pacific, whose cultural competence and lived experience are essential to connecting with communities in a way that upholds mana. 'By disestablishing 769 roles, the Government is actively removing Māori and Pacific workers who bring whakapapa, reo, tikanga and aroha to their roles,' says Panoho. 'These are the people who guide our whānau through complex housing systems and advocate for them in a system that often excludes them,' Panoho says. 'This is not just about job cuts. This is about a government turning its back on its obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Kāinga Ora has been one of the few agencies striving to work alongside Māori to deliver housing solutions rooted in dignity, partnership and manaakitanga. Gutting its workforce is a betrayal. The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi condemns this move as a calculated assault on equity, cultural integrity, and frontline workers who serve our most at-risk families. 'We've seen this before under the previous Key Government, the sale of state housing and the forced removal of whānau from their homes, which led to widespread homelessness, with families left to live in cars, tents, and on the streets,' Panoho says. 'Now we are faced with this Government placing even more pressure on our communities without proper consultation with Iwi Maori and community leaders to maintain sustainable housing for our communities. The PSA warns that these decisions will have lasting consequences. Kāinga Ora's capacity to serve is being hollowed out, with a third of its workforce gone in just one year. 'This Government says it wants better outcomes for Māori, yet here we are, cutting the very services and people that support those outcomes,' says Panoho. 'This is not tino rangatiratanga. This is a continuation of systemic neglect that leaves our whānau homeless, our workers displaced, and our rights ignored.' 'Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi calls on the Government to halt these cuts, honour its commitments under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and invest in public housing and frontline workers, not strip them away,' Panoho says. The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand's largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.
Scoop
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Government's Attack On Pay Equity A Major Setback For Māori And Pacific Wāhine
Press Release – PSA Announced without consultation and passed into law last night, the rollback creates new barriers to pay equity claims and undermines hard-won gains in fairness and justice, says PSA Te Kaihaut Mori Janice Panoho. The PSA strongly condemns the Government's sudden decision to rewrite Aotearoa's pay equity laws, a move that threatens decades of progress for women, especially Māori and Pacific wāhine. Announced without consultation and passed into law last night, the rollback creates new barriers to pay equity claims and undermines hard-won gains in fairness and justice, says PSA Te Kaihautū Māori Janice Panoho. 'The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is particularly concerned about the impact on Māori and Pacific wāhine, who are disproportionately represented in underpaid sectors and already suffer the combined effects of racial and gender-based inequities. 'This decision will only entrench intergenerational poverty in our communities. The PSA calls on the Government to honour its commitment to equity and Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and to reverse this cruel and short-sighted move,' says Panoho. 'The changes will worsen pay gaps, particularly for those in already underpaid sectors. The PSA highlights the contradiction in dismantling protections while claiming commitment to equity under the Kia Toipoto (the Public Service Pay Gaps Action Plan 2021-24). Progress achieved through efforts like Te Whakapiri (the joint working group of union and Government agency representatives), which in 2024 saw Māori pay gaps drop to 4.8% and senior leadership representation increase to 17.1%, is now under threat, Panoho says. 'The PSA stands with affected workers and calls on the public and allies to unite against this discriminatory legislation and uphold the right for women to be paid fairly through Pay Equity,' Panoho says.
Scoop
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Government's Attack On Pay Equity A Major Setback For Māori And Pacific Wāhine
Announced without consultation and passed into law last night, the rollback creates new barriers to pay equity claims and undermines hard-won gains in fairness and justice, says PSA Te Kaihaut Mori Janice Panoho. The PSA strongly condemns the Government's sudden decision to rewrite Aotearoa's pay equity laws, a move that threatens decades of progress for women, especially Māori and Pacific wāhine. Announced without consultation and passed into law last night, the rollback creates new barriers to pay equity claims and undermines hard-won gains in fairness and justice, says PSA Te Kaihautū Māori Janice Panoho. 'The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is particularly concerned about the impact on Māori and Pacific wāhine, who are disproportionately represented in underpaid sectors and already suffer the combined effects of racial and gender-based inequities. 'This decision will only entrench intergenerational poverty in our communities. The PSA calls on the Government to honour its commitment to equity and Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and to reverse this cruel and short-sighted move,' says Panoho. 'The changes will worsen pay gaps, particularly for those in already underpaid sectors. The PSA highlights the contradiction in dismantling protections while claiming commitment to equity under the Kia Toipoto (the Public Service Pay Gaps Action Plan 2021-24). Progress achieved through efforts like Te Whakapiri (the joint working group of union and Government agency representatives), which in 2024 saw Māori pay gaps drop to 4.8% and senior leadership representation increase to 17.1%, is now under threat, Panoho says. 'The PSA stands with affected workers and calls on the public and allies to unite against this discriminatory legislation and uphold the right for women to be paid fairly through Pay Equity,' Panoho says.
Scoop
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Government's Attack On Pay Equity A Major Setback For Māori And Pacific Wāhine
The PSA strongly condemns the Government's sudden decision to rewrite Aotearoa's pay equity laws, a move that threatens decades of progress for women, especially Māori and Pacific wāhine. Announced without consultation and passed into law last night, the rollback creates new barriers to pay equity claims and undermines hard-won gains in fairness and justice, says PSA Te Kaihautū Māori Janice Panoho. "The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is particularly concerned about the impact on Māori and Pacific wāhine, who are disproportionately represented in underpaid sectors and already suffer the combined effects of racial and gender-based inequities. "This decision will only entrench intergenerational poverty in our communities. The PSA calls on the Government to honour its commitment to equity and Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and to reverse this cruel and short-sighted move," says Panoho. "The changes will worsen pay gaps, particularly for those in already underpaid sectors. The PSA highlights the contradiction in dismantling protections while claiming commitment to equity under the Kia Toipoto (the Public Service Pay Gaps Action Plan 2021-24). Progress achieved through efforts like Te Whakapiri (the joint working group of union and Government agency representatives), which in 2024 saw Māori pay gaps drop to 4.8% and senior leadership representation increase to 17.1%, is now under threat, Panoho says. "The PSA stands with affected workers and calls on the public and allies to unite against this discriminatory legislation and uphold the right for women to be paid fairly through Pay Equity," Panoho says.
