Category: transport

Labour is launching a members’ bill to stop the Government from putting tobacco industry interests ahead of public health.

“The Tobacco Transparency Bill will strengthen the law surrounding tobacco industry lobbying, to ensure tobacco profits are never put ahead of New Zealander’s health,” Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said.

“This Bill aims to prohibit government support for the tobacco industry and requires transparency around tobacco lobbying.

“Around the world, tobacco companies have a long history of influencing and weakening health policies to better suit their bottom line.

“This Bill will address those influences, and help us protect people’s health by meeting the obligations we’ve signed up to under the World Health Organisation’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

“One of those obligations is to protect tobacco policy from ‘commercial and vested interests of the tobacco industry’.

“New Zealand’s 2025 smokefree goal is at risk and we need to be doing everything we can to meet it, to save lives, and keep people healthy and out of hospital.

“Our world-leading smokefree laws were scrapped by the National Government and smoking rates in New Zealand have risen for the first time in over a decade.

“It’s time we get rid of the smokescreen and protect Kiwis from big tobacco’s lobbying tactics – they have no place in health policy,” Ayesha Verrall said.

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The Labour Party backs volunteer firefighters who are currently not covered by ACC for workplace disease and mental injury and is drafting policy to put this right when the party wins the election in 2026.

“Volunteer firefighters make up 86 percent of the Fire and Emergency frontline workforce, however they are not eligible for the same ACC coverage as paid firefighters as the law currently stands. This needs to change,” Labour ACC spokesperson Camilla Belich said. 

“We cannot have majority of our firefighters, who put their lives on the line to save others, with inadequate support.

“Just as their paid counterparts, volunteer firefighters are exposed to many traumatic incidents, which can result in mental illnesses such as PTSD. Their work also exposes them to a range of gradual workplace illnesses.

“I accepted a petition today signed by more than 35,000 people who share the view that legislation should be changed to allow for volunteer firefighters to access ACC.

“People who put their lives at risk for others should have support if they are injured or ill as a result of their service,” Camilla Belich said.

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National has forced through a law change that will take money out of women’s pockets.

“I hope every National MP takes a good, hard look at themselves tonight,” Labour workplace relations and safety spokesperson Jan Tinetti said.

“This dreadful process, rushing legislation through under urgency with no consultation, will result in women being paid less and that is a travesty.

“This Government is taking women backwards just so they can make their Budget add up. It is women who are paying for their billions in tax breaks for landlords and tobacco companies.

“But I am so proud of our Labour team, who have stood up for women all over the country and fought this at every point. The work does not stop here,” Jan Tinetti said.

“What this week has shown is Labour is the party that will stand up for women’s pay and women’s wages, while National tears them down,” Labour women’s spokesperson Carmel Sepuloni said.

“National MPs will now need to front up to their communities about why they think women should be paid less than men. We will not let them forget it,” Carmel Sepuloni said.

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In the last 12 months life has only got worse for Māori under Christopher Luxon’s Government.

Earlier this year Māori unemployment was a staggering 8.9 percent. It has now gone up to 10.5 percent in the latest figures today – that’s 7000 more Māori unemployed.

“The Government simply doesn’t care about workers and certainly doesn’t care about Māori,” Labour spokesperson for Social Development and Māori Development, Willie Jackson said.

“Māori are tired of been kicked in the guts by this Government, we have had enough. Now wāhine Māori are bearing the brunt of the Government’s changes too, as claims for pay equity are shoved aside.

“These figures are unacceptable and are made worse by the deliberate choices to make life harder for Māori.

“Louise Upston and Tama Potaka have failed miserably to address Māori employment rates.

“I have no faith that this government will be able to deliver anything meaningful for Māori other than more cuts to Māori initiatives to prop up their tobacco and property developer mates,” Willie Jackson said.

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There are more Pacific people unemployed as the rate increases to a staggering 10.8% under National.

“The lack of any action from the Government to bring down unemployment for hard-working Pacific people is shameful,” Pacific peoples spokeswoman Carmel Sepuloni said.

“It’s disheartening to see more Pacific people unemployed as the Government chooses to cut public service jobs and scrap housing and infrastructure projects, while giving billions to landlords and the tobacco lobby.

“We have thousands fewer roles in construction, agriculture, forestry and fishing – industries where many Pacific people are employed.

“This also comes as the Government takes more money out of Pacific women’s pockets and looks to remove the living wage for workers in cleaning, catering, and security services, dealing a huge blow to the many Pacific workers in those jobs.

“Nicola Willis’ slash-and-burn Budget is promising even more pain for communities. Pacific people deserve so much more than the hogwash they’ve gotten so far from National.

“We want our Pacific people to be in secure, well-paying jobs and we will continue bringing their voices to the forefront to challenge a Government which has thus far ignored them,” Carmel Sepuloni said.

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Job losses remain stubbornly high under National, as their attack on jobs, wages, and women rages on.

“This is the cost of a Government that governs by cuts: more Kiwis out of work and leaving for Australia, crumbling hospitals, and a shortage of affordable housing,” Labour finance and economy spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said.

“They’ve also completely abandoned women’s equality with their shameful move to scrap pay equity claims. Women still have more than double the rate of underemployment as men. National has betrayed women on both fronts: jobs and wages.

“These weak workforce numbers are the result of Nicola Willis and Christopher Luxon’s disastrous choices. They chose to scrap housing and infrastructure projects that our communities rely on. They chose to lay off thousands of public servants. They chose to weaken worker protections and cancel pay equity claims.

“In the March 2025 quarter, 45,000 fewer New Zealanders were employed full-time, compared with the March 2024 quarter. We continue to lose thousands of construction jobs. Women’s unemployment also remains higher than the national average at 5.3%.

“And as if high unemployment isn’t bad enough, Nicola Willis’ slash-and-burn Budget next week promises even more pain for Kiwis.

“They’ve refused to rule out cuts to KiwiSaver and Best Start and they’re scrapping pay equity claims, all to fund tax cuts for landlords and handouts for tobacco companies. It’s outrageous that in their crusade for Budget surplus they’re taking it from women, families, and retirees.

“Labour believes in rebuilding an economy that works for everyone, with well-paying jobs, quality healthcare, and affordable housing. We are fighting for equal pay and stronger protection for workers,” Barbara Edmonds said.

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Labour welcomes the Auditor-General’s inquiry into the Government’s school lunches programme.

“After months of chaos and kids going hungry, I’m glad that David Seymour’s school lunches mess is now being investigated,” Labour’s education spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime said.

“I’ve heard from schools who’ve shared their heartbreak at seeing kids going hungry following the government changes to the programme. It’s even more disheartening when the Minister’s response has been to blame and shame schools that speak out.

“It’s been a huge waste of time and resources for schools and has distracted many teachers from their classrooms as they dealt with David Seymour’s mess.

“We’ve seen reports showing the lunches are not up to nutritional standard and a procurement process that has raised many unanswered questions.

“Where Education Minister Erica Stanford has failed to act, I’m glad the Auditor-General is. David Seymour guaranteed that all will be fixed come Term 2, but the problems continue,” Willow-Jean Prime said.

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This Government is taking the women’s movement backwards, ensuring women will continue to be paid less into the future.

“Instead of continuing the good work of successive governments to close the well-documented gender pay gap in our country, the Government is making it harder for women to get ahead,” Labour workplace relations and safety spokesperson Jan Tinetti said.

“Women have historically been paid less, currently it’s at around 92 cents to every dollar a man earns.

“Government absolutely has a role to play to reduce the gender pay gap over time, and yet this one is about to push through legislation under urgency to stop women from making pay equity claims when they are paid less than their male colleagues doing a similar job.

“Not content with trashing workers’ rights, Brooke Van Velden is now going after women on Christopher Luxon and Nicola Willis’ behalf.

“She thinks teachers don’t have the right to feel angry with the government, but 94,000 teachers who have equal pay claims would disagree.
“This is a Government that is choosing to ignite a debate around women’s bathrooms, while destroying a women’s right to be paid the same as men. I don’t think I’ve ever seen something so gross and backwards in my life.

“Funny how they can find money for tax cuts for landlords and the tobacco lobby but not for women.

“If this is how Nicola Willis is planning to pay for her Budget then I suspect many people are going to let her know pretty quickly that she’s made the wrong decision,” Jan Tinetti said.

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Erica Stanford has been misusing her personal email address to manage sensitive information relating to Budget and visa changes prior to their public release.

“Documents show the Education Minister has sent sensitive government information to an unprotected email address,” Labour’s education spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime said.

“We’re talking about serious government decisions that affect peoples’ lives and have millions of taxpayer dollars attached to them. Ministers have a responsibility to keep this information safe.

“Going off the grid with sensitive information is hanging a welcome sign to threats to our national security.

“In 2023 the Cabinet Manual was updated, and now specifically states ‘As far as possible, Ministers should not use their personal email account or phone number to conduct ministerial business.’ This goes far beyond that.

“We have rules for a reason and Erica Stanford isn’t above them. She needs to be upfront about what she is using her personal email for and how much sensitive information has been shared,” Willow-Jean Prime said.

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After failing to be upfront about cuts to intensive care beds, it’s now becoming clear that other downgrades to Dunedin Hospital are being concealed by the Minister of Health.

“National is reducing dementia and psychogeriatric beds capacity at the new Dunedin Hospital by almost half, with no alternative clinical option for older people,” Labour mental health and seniors spokesperson Ingrid Leary said.

“Psychogeriatric care is complex, requiring specialist services and care which are already very scarce in the community.

“Labour had a review underway to look at the best model of care for psychogeriatric services, but that work seems to have been shelved.

“Scaling back the hospital beds on the basis of an as-yet undefined model of care is at best magical thinking, at worst another way of concealing cuts.

“The lower South Island has an older population per capita than most parts of NZ and is already amongst the worst off when it comes to the postcode lottery for access to specialist mental health services.

“To make slash and burn decisions in this context is a slap in the face to our communities and renders Simeon Brown’s assurances earlier this year plain gaslighting,” Ingrid Leary said.

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