Latest news with #MarilynWaring
Newsroom
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsroom
Why I've joined people's pay equity committee
Comment: Dame Marilyn Waring has called on a group of women, all former MPs, from across the political divide to form a people's select committee to hear submissions on the equal pay amendment rushed through Parliament under urgency. I have known Dame Marilyn for several years, although she had left Parliament before I arrived. I first came to understand the significance of her work when I read If Women Counted (also published as Counting for Nothing: What Men Value and What Women are Worth).
Scoop
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
‘Forgotten Where They All Came From': Councilor Lashes Out Over Pay Equity
Article – Matthew Rosenberg – Local Democracy Reporter The new committee is spearheaded by former National MP Dame Marilyn Waring, with its members all volunteering their time. An Invercargill councillor says the people who made changes to the Equal Pay Act have forgotten where they came from. Former-New Zealand First MP Ria Bond made the comments after it was revealed she was one of 10 former female MPs joining the 'People's Select Committee on Pay Equity'. The unofficial committee went public on Monday with its plan to take submissions and examine changes to the Act, which were passed under urgency earlier this month. The changes make it more difficult for those who believe they are being unfairly paid to make a claim. '(I) just feel really let down by this Government and the way that they chose to have it go under no scrutiny and through urgency, with no input from anyone that actually works in these sectors,' Bond said. 'I think they've forgotten where they all come from.' The new committee is spearheaded by former National MP Dame Marilyn Waring, with its members all volunteering their time. Bond was pleased the group had formed, and said it showed the power of people to 'make a movement when things are so drastically wrong'. Waring and Bond are joined by former Labour MPs Lianne Dalziel, Steve Chadwick, Nanaia Mahuta and Lynne Pillay; former National MPs Jackie Blue, Jo Hayes and Belinda Vernon; and former Green MP Sue Bradford. Waring told reporters earlier today there was a good spread of women who wanted to hear the evidence Parliament should have heard. They would reach out to key parties that previously submitted on the legislation as well as 33 groups whose claims were affected by the changes, she said. Submissions to the committee are open until 31 July with an initial hearing to be held in Wellington on 11 August. More hearings will be announced at a later date with a draft report prepared before the end of the year. Bond was a member of parliament with New Zealand First from 2015 to 2017. She was elected to Invercargill City Council in 2022. Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden announced the changes to the pay equity process earlier this month. Claims have been able to progress without strong evidence of undervaluation and there have been very broad claims where it is difficult to tell whether differences in pay are due to sex-based discrimination or other factors, she said at the time. The changes include raising the threshold of professions predominantly performed by female employees from 60 percent to 70 percent.
Scoop
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
‘Forgotten Where They All Came From': Councilor Lashes Out Over Pay Equity
Article – Matthew Rosenberg – Local Democracy Reporter The new committee is spearheaded by former National MP Dame Marilyn Waring, with its members all volunteering their time. An Invercargill councillor says the people who made changes to the Equal Pay Act have forgotten where they came from. Former-New Zealand First MP Ria Bond made the comments after it was revealed she was one of 10 former female MPs joining the 'People's Select Committee on Pay Equity'. The unofficial committee went public on Monday with its plan to take submissions and examine changes to the Act, which were passed under urgency earlier this month. The changes make it more difficult for those who believe they are being unfairly paid to make a claim. '(I) just feel really let down by this Government and the way that they chose to have it go under no scrutiny and through urgency, with no input from anyone that actually works in these sectors,' Bond said. 'I think they've forgotten where they all come from.' The new committee is spearheaded by former National MP Dame Marilyn Waring, with its members all volunteering their time. Bond was pleased the group had formed, and said it showed the power of people to 'make a movement when things are so drastically wrong'. Waring and Bond are joined by former Labour MPs Lianne Dalziel, Steve Chadwick, Nanaia Mahuta and Lynne Pillay; former National MPs Jackie Blue, Jo Hayes and Belinda Vernon; and former Green MP Sue Bradford. Waring told reporters earlier today there was a good spread of women who wanted to hear the evidence Parliament should have heard. They would reach out to key parties that previously submitted on the legislation as well as 33 groups whose claims were affected by the changes, she said. Submissions to the committee are open until 31 July with an initial hearing to be held in Wellington on 11 August. More hearings will be announced at a later date with a draft report prepared before the end of the year. Bond was a member of parliament with New Zealand First from 2015 to 2017. She was elected to Invercargill City Council in 2022. Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden announced the changes to the pay equity process earlier this month. Claims have been able to progress without strong evidence of undervaluation and there have been very broad claims where it is difficult to tell whether differences in pay are due to sex-based discrimination or other factors, she said at the time. The changes include raising the threshold of professions predominantly performed by female employees from 60 percent to 70 percent.
Scoop
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Former MPs Announce People's Select Committee On Pay Equity
Press Release – NZCTU In the absence of a select committee process, we have taken it upon ourselves to call for submissions from the public so that experts, organisations, and affected employers and workers can give evidence that should have been before parliament when … A group of 10 former women MPs from across the political spectrum announced today that they have a formed the People's Select Committee on Pay Equity to examine the Government's changes to the Equal Pay Act. It will serve as an extra-parliamentary committee tasked with considering public submissions and independently examining the new law in lieu of a parliamentary select committee process. 'As former women MPs, we have set up this committee to collect the evidence and hear the voices of New Zealanders regarding the policy debate on pay equity,' said Professor Marilyn Waring DNZM. 'In the absence of a select committee process, we have taken it upon ourselves to call for submissions from the public so that experts, organisations, and affected employers and workers can give evidence that should have been before parliament when voting on the legislation.' 'As a researcher, I am dedicated to ensuring that public policy changes are evidence-based. I'm pleased that former women MPs from across the political spectrum are willing to commit their time and energy to gather and report on this information.' 'We will consider submissions and evidence over the next several months and then work to produce a report by the end of the year,' said Waring. Membership of the committee: Professor Marilyn Waring DNZM (former National MP) Jackie Blue MNZM (former National MP) Jo Hayes (former National MP) Belinda Vernon (former National MP) Ria Bond (former New Zealand First MP) Hon. Lianne Dalziel CNZM (former Labour MP) Hon. Steve Chadwick QSO (former Labour MP) Hon. Nanaia Mahuta (former Labour MP) Lynne Pillay (former Labour MP) Dr Sue Bradford (former Green MP)
RNZ News
25-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Pay equity changes: 'People's select committee' formed to gather evidence instead of 'high-flying cliches'
Dame Marilyn Waring. Photo: Supplied Former National MP Dame Marilyn Waring has gathered a group of female former MPs to hold their own 'people's select committee' on the government's pay equity changes . The unofficial committee is rounded out with former MPs Jackie Blue, Jo Hayes and Belinda Vernon from National, Nanaia Mahuta, Lianne Dalziel, Steve Chadwick and Lynne Pillay from Labour, Ria Bond from New Zealand First and Sue Bradford from the Greens. All are working on a 'pro bono' - unpaid - basis. Independent consultant Amy Ross, previously the Public Service Commission's lead on pay equity, and former Parliamentary librarian and researcher Bessie Sutherland would provide additional research support, and would be paid. Dame Marilyn said they were planning to hold their first session, hearing from submitters, in Wellington on 11 August with subsequent sittings via Zoom to allow for submitters to attend from around the country. All sessions would be public. She said they would be aiming to gather the evidence the government should have. "I sat in a Parliament that was bedeviled by urgency under Muldoon... on many occasions. But my beef here is, where was the evidence? "I'm sure it's there, but it has not had a vehicle for publicity. It has not been brought together in a consolidated, rigorous way for people to make their own decisions, as opposed to just listening to a lot of kind of high-flying cliches." The changes sparked protests nationwide. Photo: RNZ/Marika Khabazi Some of the submitters on the original bill - like Business NZ - had changed their minds without explaining why, she said. "We can see that 600 people or groups made submissions the last time the legislation was up for amendment, and we'll be sorting through those to invite key people who made submissions business New Zealand, EMA (Employers and Manufacturers Association), a whole range. "We'll be inviting the 33 groups whose claims were effectively disbanded by this legislation, and we will hope to write a report for the public and for you all by Christmas." While they would be unable to compel people to appear as Parliament could, they could offer confidentiality and anonymity to some submitters, she said. "I expect from both the public and private sector that things will 'fall off a truck'," she said. While the Public Service Association (PSA), the Council of Trade Unions and Whānau Manaaki Kindergartens were also providing support, Dame Marilyn said the idea was entirely hers. The former MPs gathered in less than a week. "It was all my initiative. I did have a friend inside the PSA with whom I was corresponding about the legislation... and she said to me, can you think of anything? So I went for a long swim - which is when I think - and by the time I'd finished the swim, I thought, 'We'll have a select committee.' "I started making calls on the seventh [of May], and it was over by the 12th." She rejected any suggestion the committee's view was already bedded in, saying they would look at the changes made by the government and the evidence for and against. "No. It's an evidence-gathering mission," she said. "There's going to be a really sound report. The government says that it wants to progress pay equity claims, the opposition is saying that it will rescind this and again address the legislation. So we're doing them all a good turn." However, they did appear to agree that the process the coalition had taken in passing the legislative changes was inappropriate. "Well, that's exactly how I couched my invitation to them - that we wanted evidence." She said they were negotiating with Speaker Gerry Brownlee, hoping to hold the first session at Parliament - but Parliament itself would not be providing any organisational support. Finance Minister Nicola Willis. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said they were "enormously proud" to be supporting the initiative, and would be making their own submission, "however, this should not have been necessary". "The government - without any signaling during the election campaign and no ability for women to have their say in a select committee - committed constitutional vandalism and wage theft on a national scale. We really want the opportunity to be heard about how we achieve pay equity for New Zealand women," she said. PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone "The government say they want to achieve that too, so they should have nothing to be scared of in setting up their own select committee. However, given they are unwilling to do that at this stage, we're very supportive and welcoming of this 'people's select committee'." In a statement, National Council of Women spokesperson Dellwyn Stuart said the women's organisations that made up their membership were shocked by "the arrogance displayed by the coalition government". "This government is gaslighting women. It says one thing, and does the opposite. They have executed, under stealth, the biggest setback for women in 35 years. "Through this people's select committee a vital platform for women's voices will be restored, and we encourage women and their representative organisations to make submissions." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
