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Universities – Dame Winnie Laban awarded honorary doctorate recognisingachievements for Pasifika – Vic

Source:  Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington

The Honourable Luamanuvao Dame Winnie Laban DNZM, will be awarded an honorary doctorate by Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington at the graduation ceremonies this May.

Dame Winnie is a distinguished and transformative leader who has driven profound changes within Aotearoa New Zealand’s political, social, and educational landscapes. From her career in politics as the first Pacific Island woman MP in New Zealand, to her role as the first Assistant Vice-Chancellor Pasifika in New Zealand—at Victoria University of Wellington—she has consistently broken down barriers for Pasifika representation and strongly advocated for the needs of the Pacific Island community.

Her parents emigrated from Samoa to New Zealand in 1954 and settled in Wainuiomata—where she still lives—raising her and her brother, Fauono Ken Laban there. She grew up in an ‘aiga entwined in public service, which instilled in her the traditional Samoan value of supporting other people. 

After completing a Diploma in Social Work at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, she worked as a family therapist, probation officer, social worker, and community development worker.

The closure of the Kenson Industries car part factory in Wainuiomata, where many workers, primarily Pacific Islanders, lost their jobs with no support, motivated her to stand for Parliament in 1999. As an MP from 2002–2010, she worked tirelessly on behalf of Māori, Pasifika, working-class communities, and the elderly. One of her proudest achievements was leading the charge to repeal the Employment Contracts Act and replace it with the Employment Relations Act, to bring good faith negotiations into law. 

Her dedication to improving the lives of others carried on into tertiary education, and during her tenure as Assistant Vice-Chancellor Pasifika at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington from 2010–2024, the number of Pasifika students enrolled at the University, as a percentage of the student population, increased from 4.7 percent in 2010 to over 6.6 percent in 2024.  

“Education has always been a passion of mine because it’s very consistent with my commitment to social justice,” Dame Winnie says. “Because I feel if you have an education, you have more choice, and more doors open to you. But secondly, you research, you read—you’re an informed citizen.”

Dame Winnie believes passionately in making education accessible for all, and spearheaded initiatives such as the annual Pasifika Roadshow, which introduces the university experience to people within their communities, as well as funding a scholarship and promoting Pacific student success in other ways.

Chancellor Alan Judge says, “Dame Winnie’s contributions to the University, and to all of New Zealand, are immense. During her impressive career she has consistently worked to uplift and celebrate Pacific peoples, and we are pleased to award her this honorary doctorate in recognition of everything she has achieved.”

Dame Winnie is a founding member of The Fale Malae Trust, a group whose vision is to build an internationally significant, landmark Fale Malae that will be a place to gather, learn and celebrate the contribution that Pasifika arts, cultures, and histories make to our national identity. Her leadership in this space and in Arts and Education will continue to shape the future of Pacific Islanders in both New Zealand and the wider Pacific region. 

Dame Winnie says, “I am humbled and honoured to receive an honorary doctorate.”

Dame Winnie has earned numerous accolades, including the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2020 Women of Influence Awards, her Damehood in 2018, and an honorary doctorate from the National University of Samoa in 2023.

A Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington honorary doctorate reinforces her legacy as a trailblazer and tireless advocate for the value of education. 

The honorary Doctor of Literature from the University will be awarded to Dame Winnie at the second graduation ceremony at 3 pm, Tuesday 13 May.

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Unions launch petition to protect pay equity – CTU

Source: NZCTU

Major Aotearoa unions have launched a new petition calling on the Government to reverse their proposed amendments to the Equal Pay Act and restore existing pay equity claims.

Unions behind the petition are home to tens of thousands of working people who’ve experienced the life-changing impact of pay equity – including hospital administrators, social workers, nurses, and Allied health professionals.

“For many people who work in underpaid, traditionally female-dominated sectors, pay equity settlements are the difference between families being able to afford dental appointments, tamariki going to school camp, or being able to take the car into a mechanic,” said NZCTU Secretary Melissa Ansell-Bridges.

“The proposed changes will reverse decades of progress to correct pay rates for women and people of all genders working jobs that have been undervalued due to sexism.

“This is about equity and justice – but it’s also about dignity and the cost-of-living,” said Ansell-Bridges. 

The petition calls on the Government to: 

  • Reverse all claim cancellations by restoring existing pay equity claims – including for care and support workers, teachers, and library assistants. 
  • Undo Equal Pay Act changes that make it impossible for people working in female-dominated professions to achieve and keep pay equity.  
  • Deliver pay equity settlements to every worker waiting for their claim. 

In less than 24 hours after the petition launched, it already has more than 5000 signatures.

Unions supporting the petition include NZCTU, PSA, E tū, NZEI, NZNO, TEU, New Zealand Writers Guild and Tertiary Institutes Allied Staff Association.

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PSA – $19,480 and rising: the cost women workers are paying to plug Govt’s Budget holes

Source: PSA

The Government’s decision to rewrite pay equity laws to save its Budget means 65,000 mainly female care and support workers will continue to be underpaid by $148.50 a week, new figures calculated and released today by the PSA show.
Care and support workers have waited more than three years for the Government to fund their pay equity claim, meaning they have missed out on as of today about $19,480 in pay.
“Despite the Government’s spin, women workers are losing, and will continue to lose, money because of this sexist attack on lower paid, mainly female workers to plug a Budget hole caused by reckless tax cuts and tax breaks for wealthy landlords,” said Assistant Secretary with the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi, Melissa Woolley.
“Women are subsiding the tax cuts and the failure of the Government to effectively manage its Budget,” said Woolley, a former care and support worker who has played a significant role in pay equity negotiations.
Yesterday’s announcement will set back the care and support workers’ claim, one of the 33 pay equity claims covering at least 150,000 workers across education, health, funded, tertiary, local government and public service sectors.
The care and support workers’ claim was a result of the 2017 pay equity legislation that increased the pay of care and support workers to 21 per cent above the minimum wage. This increase was in recognition that care and support workers have been historically underpaid because the sector is female dominated.
The 2017 legislation had a five-year time limit, which expired in June 2022. Since then, as a result of successive governments’ refusal to fund a new pay equity settlement, about 65,000 mainly female care and support workers are losing $148.50 a week they are entitled to. As of today, that amounts to $19,480 each.
With no new pay equity settlement being agreed, care and support workers have seen their hard-won pay equity settlement eroded by inflation and the failure to maintain relativity above the minimum wage.
“These workers are now largely back on the minimum wage, and many have had no wage increase for two years, making a mockery of the pay equity settlement,” Woolley said.
“The Minister has told the House that the new 10-year review period in the legislation means that the care and support workers will not be able to have their claim revisited until 2027.
“Pushing the review out to 2027 when it should have been completed in 2022 is blatantly unfair. It makes a mockery of Government claims the 10-year review period will be adequate to ensure ongoing equity for workers.
“The care and support claim has jumped through every test, survived every change up until now. This is another heartbreaking decision to not give these workers the pay equity they deserve and need.
“Since 2022, successive governments have been ripping off women workers, effectively using their commitment to the people they support, hard work and lost wages to subsidise the provision of care and support for the vulnerable in our communities.
“Now by further delaying settlements and making them much harder to achieve, this Government is further exploiting these largely female workers to plug the holes in their Budget. It’s blatant sexism effectively imposing a penalty tax on women workers.”
PSA analysis of lost wages is based on the 21 per cent margin above the minimum wage that care and support workers received in the 2017 settlement. The settlement rates, or the minimum wage rate, whichever was higher has been compared with what the rate would have been if the 21 per cent margin had been maintained. The comparison is based on a 30-hour work week.
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Local News – Porirua City Council seeks families of unmarked graves of Porirua Hospital patients – Porirua

Source: Porirua City Council

The public’s help is being sought as a project gets underway to memorialise more than 1,800 former Porirua Hospital patients.
The Porirua Lunatic Asylum, later Porirua Hospital, opened in 1887. At its height, in the 1960s, it had more than 2,000 patients and staff and covered 1,000 acres of land, making it one of the largest hospitals in the country. By the 1980s, many patients were in community-based care and the hospital was closed in the 1990s.
As part of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into abuse in care, the Government has set up a fund for headstones for patients buried in unmarked graves throughout the country. Porirua has more than 1,800 unmarked graves at Porirua and Whenua Tapu Cemetery.
Porirua City Council, as overseers of these cemeteries, want to hear from the public as a list of names of those buried is released.
The people on this list are known to be, firstly, patients of the hospital and secondly, without a headstone, Porirua Cemeteries Manager Daniel Chrisp says.
“This project is a significant and meaningful one to the Porirua and Wellington communities,” he says.
“The hospital was once the biggest asylum in the country and working towards naming every single patient buried with us is a huge step to restoring the mana and dignity of those individuals who died while in the hospital’s care.”
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EMA – Unemployment numbers still reflect ongoing financial pressures faced by businesses

Source: EMA

The EMA says today’s unchanged unemployment rate hopefully underlines the bottoming out of the economic bad news, although member businesses are facing ongoing financial pressures.
The latest numbers released by Stats NZ show that the unemployment rate has stayed unchanged at 5.1% for the March quarter.
EMA Head of Advocacy Alan McDonald says “While it’s positive that the unemployment rate has not increased, we’re still seeing pressures on employers, with calls into our AdviceLine service on redundancies and restructures remaining at very high levels. However, last month they did drop off so we’re hoping, like the unemployment number, they may have reached their peak. Those processes usually take another two to three months to work through the system.”
“Unemployment is usually a lag indicator of the economic bad news and, while it’s too early to say the bad news has stopped, it’s encouraging that the number was stable rather than increasing, as had been widely expected.
“The other concern is that we are still seeing a high number of NEETs, that is young people not in employment, education or training. This indicates that employers are overlooking that category in favour of people who already have some work experience, which is another symptom of current labour market conditions.
“In addition, while the high minimum wage doesn’t necessarily stop employers from hiring people, it does change the type of skill set and experience that they are likely to value in potential employees,” he says. 
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Parliament Hansard Report – Equal Pay Amendment Bill — In Committee—Part 2 – 001467

Source: Govt’s austerity Budget to cause real harm in communities

Hon JENNY SALESA (Labour—Panmure-Ōtāhuhu): Mr Chair, thank you for this opportunity. It is my first opportunity to speak on behalf and to ask questions of the Minister on behalf of my constituents, especially women from South Auckland and thousands of women from Panmure-Ōtāhuhu, who will unfortunately be affected by the passage of this bill. It is still shocking to me and I still cannot believe that we are here under urgency debating the Equal Pay Amendment Bill.

I’d like to ask the Minister questions about clause 52(2) of the Equal Pay Amendment Bill. This clause may sound technical, but in reality this clause is a direct attack on the rights of women and our most vulnerable workers. This will replace the existing threshold for initiating a pay equity claim from “arguable” to “has merit”. This may seem like a small language change, but make no mistake, this is a calculated move to raise the bar and lock the courtroom doors to thousands and thousands of women across Aotearoa New Zealand and in particular to Māori, Pacific, migrant, and ethnic community woman.

Under the current law built on the hard-fought gains of the Terranova v Bartlett case, a claim only needs to be arguable. This means that they must bring a credible case of undervaluation worth investigating, not a fully proven thesis before the process even begins. But when this bill gets passed—which will be later on today because we are under urgency—this National-led Government wants to change that. The coalition Government wants women to come armed with legally analysed cases, market data, and evidence before they could even begin the process. That is not access to justice. In my opinion, that is obstruction to justice for our women. It has a systematic silencing of women in low-paid female-dominated industries like our care workers, our cleaners, our teacher aides, and our education support workers.

To be crystal clear, when it is “arguable”, the door to justice is more open; when it is changed to “has merit” under this new clause, it bolts that door shut. The Minister knows, her Cabinet colleagues know, that this will mean fewer claims. It will mean more rejections at the starting line and it will mean that more employers who benefit from systematic undervaluation will be handed more power to deny justice right at the beginning of the process. This is not progress. This bill will take our country backwards.

So my question to the Minister is: how will the Minister ensure that the term “merit” is not used to justify historical gender pay gaps disguised as performance-based differences? Also, can the Minister let us know, in the absence of a regulatory impact statement, which we do not have, what safeguards are there under this bill to prevent employers from relying on subjective or biased assessments of merit that may disproportionately disadvantage women. Does the Minister—another question—accept that historical undervaluation of women’s work stems from societal biases, and how does this clause on merit address this rather than reinforce it?

This bill, in my opinion, is economic violence against women, especially our Māori, our Pacific, our migrant, and our ethnic women who do essential work for little pay and even less recognition. This clause is betrayal of the bipartisan consensus that delivered pay equity progress in this country. It ignores the recommendations of experts, unions, and the Human Rights Commission, and it violates the spirit of our obligations under the Convention on the Elimination on all forms of Discrimination Against Women and the International Labour Organisation convention No. 100.

Another question for the Minister to consider: who asked for this change? Who benefits from this change? Because it most certainly isn’t the women of Aotearoa and it is most certainly not fair nor justice for women of Aotearoa New Zealand. Thank you very much.

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Arrest made following Fort Street firearms incident

Source: New Zealand Police

A man has been arrested following a firearms incident in central Auckland late last month.

An investigation has been ongoing since a man suffered serious injuries when a firearm was discharged on Fort Street just before 4am on 27 April.

This morning, Police executed a search warrant in Avondale.

Detective Senior Sergeant Martin Friend, Auckland City Central Area Investigations Manager, says one man was arrested at the address.

“Investigators have been working diligently to identify and locate the offender involved in this event.

“It’s a pleasing result to have made an arrest, and Police will be opposing this man’s bail at his court appearance.”

The 28-year-old man has been charged with presenting a firearm, unlawful possession of a firearm and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Detective Senior Sergeant Friend says the victim is continuing to recover from the ordeal.

“The victim suffered significant injuries as a result of this reckless behaviour,” he says.

“He is at home recovering, and we have updated him on the news of today’s arrest.

“Police are continuing to work with the victim and his family moving forward.”

Police acknowledge the support of central city residents in the investigation.

“We appreciate the incident did create some nervousness within the community, and we have been working around ongoing visibility in the city as a result,” Detective Senior Sergeant Friend says.

“Let’s be clear, we will not tolerate this sort of violence in our city.”

The man arrested is expected in the Auckland District Court today.

ENDS.

Jarred Williamson/NZ Police

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Unions launch petition to protect pay equity

Source:

Major Aotearoa unions have launched a new petition calling on the Government to reverse their proposed amendments to the Equal Pay Act and restore existing pay equity claims.

Unions behind the petition are home to tens of thousands of working people who’ve experienced the life-changing impact of pay equity – including hospital administrators, social workers, nurses, and Allied health professionals.

“For many people who work in underpaid, traditionally female-dominated sectors, pay equity settlements are the difference between families being able to afford dental appointments, tamariki going to school camp, or being able to take the car into a mechanic,” said NZCTU Secretary Melissa Ansell-Bridges.

“The proposed changes will reverse decades of progress to correct pay rates for women and people of all genders working jobs that have been undervalued due to sexism.

“This is about equity and justice – but it’s also about dignity and the cost-of-living,” said Ansell-Bridges. 

The petition calls on the Government to: 

  • Reverse all claim cancellations by restoring existing pay equity claims – including for care and support workers, teachers, and library assistants. 
  • Undo Equal Pay Act changes that make it impossible for people working in female-dominated professions to achieve and keep pay equity.  
  • Deliver pay equity settlements to every worker waiting for their claim. 

In less than 24 hours after the petition launched, it already has more than 5000 signatures.

Unions supporting the petition include NZCTU, PSA, E tū, NZEI, NZNO, TEU, New Zealand Writers Guild and Tertiary Institutes Allied Staff Association.

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Wages grow, unemployment steady

Source: NZ Music Month takes to the streets

Data released today showing the unemployment rate has remained the same over the last quarter is encouraging, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.
Stats NZ today released its labour market update for the March 2025 quarter, showing unemployment remains at 5.1 per cent, the same as last quarter.
This is a lower rate of unemployment than either Treasury or the Reserve Bank forecast.
The data release also showed that average hourly wages rose 4.5 per cent over the year.
“While this result is encouraging, it reinforces the need for strong fiscal management and economic growth.
“I know people are still struggling in this economy, that’s why on May 22 the Government will deliver a Budget that continues the work to get the books back in order, while building on the foundations we’ve laid to foster economic growth. It will be a responsible Budget that secures New Zealand’s future.”

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Casting the net on coastal challenges

Source: Secondary teachers question rationale for changes to relationship education guidelines

Local fishing management and public education about exotic caulerpa are key advocacy initiatives for Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board.

Sometimes local boards are not the decision maker when it comes to projects or important decisions that will affect locals significantly.

When this is the case, the board advocates for the community and does everything it can to make your voices heard.

After reading and listening to feedback from the Annual Plan consultation, the board submitted local input to the council in late April 2025. Part of that feedback included two key advocacy initiatives.

The first is a request for continued support for communications to keep educational public messaging on exotic caulerpa.

Caulerpa has been a problem for the marine environment around Aotea since 2021 and has more recently been found in other parts of the Hauraki Gulf including near Waiheke.

To limit the spread of this invasive weed, boat owners need to be aware of why it is such a threat to our marine life, and steps they should take to reduce the risk of transporting it to new areas.

The second advocacy initiative is establishing local management of Aotea coastline and fisheries.

“With the recent closure of the inner Hauraki Gulf to both recreational and commercial spiny rock lobster fishing, we are extremely concerned about fishing efforts being displaced to the outer gulf and heavily impacting Aotea,” says board chair Izzy Fordham.

“Residents have already noted an increase of fishing activities around the coastline.”

The board is beginning conversations with stakeholders including iwi, Fisheries NZ, central government and Auckland Council.

So far, the board has sent a letter to Minister for Oceans and Fisheries Hon Shane Jones, noting its disappointment in the decision not to include Aotea in the closure of rock lobster fishing in the Hauraki Gulf. The letter also seeks to provide local protection around the island’s coastline. A copy of the letter can be found on the April business meeting agenda.

Minister Jones has responded and is open to further discussion. His letter will be included on the May 2025 business meeting agenda.

The board will keep the community informed as talks progress.

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