Payrise for low-wage workers in aged care and home support #genderpaygap

About 55,000 low-paid workers, mainly women, are about to get one of the biggest pay rises ever after details of a historic pay equity settlement are revealed today. The deal will cost the Government more than $500 million a year when fully implemented in five years, assuming it is signed off by union members and the Cabinet. The settlement will mean hefty pay increases from July in three government-funded service sectors which employ mainly women on low rates: aged residential care, home support, disability services. Prime Minister Bill English says today’s historic pay equity deal is likely to have ramifications for the private sector. –NZ Herald

At Facebook:

The Herald understands that for the primary litigant, rest home caregiver Kristine Bartlett, it will mean an increase from about $16 an hour to about $23 an hour, more than 43 per cent. […] The case is the first legal settlement in New Zealand that recognises that some jobs pay less because they are done mainly by women. […] The Service and Food Workers’ Union lodged a claim on Bartlett’s behalf with the Employment Relations Authority in 2012. […] The union took the case on behalf of Bartlett and 14 other union members of the 110 employed by Terranova rest home. Their wages were effectively set by the government subsidy paid by the Ministry of Health for rest home services. The case was elevated to the Employment Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. But once the Court of Appeal confirmed that pay equity cases could be heard under the Equal Pay Act of 1972, the Government stepped into the process because it was loath to leave a case with such far-reaching repercussions solely in the court’s hands.

At Twitter:

About 55,000 low-paid workers, mainly women, are about to get one of the biggest pay rises ever https://t.co/VuQjLZOB7O pic.twitter.com/4wCjcpDDE2

— nzherald (@nzherald) April 17, 2017

Equal pay settlement reached – caregivers wages to increase https://t.co/d9CwRXGOA1 #equalpay #caregivers #nzagedcare #resthomes

— INsite NZ (@INsite_NZ) April 17, 2017

Big pay rise for women as a result of historic pay equity settlement https://t.co/L33ItTcrjz via @nzherald pic.twitter.com/IzL8Uq7YCS

— NZ Human Rights (@NZHumanRights) April 17, 2017

Exciting to see the settlement of this historic pay equity case: one step closer to closing the #genderpaygap! https://t.co/YfQQqRLV2M pic.twitter.com/SxSqwEudN2

— NZGlobalWomen (@NZGlobalWomen) April 18, 2017

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A U D I O

### radionz.co.nz Tue, 18 March 2017 at 8:11 a.m.
Morning Report with Susie Ferguson and Guyon Espiner
money life and society
Low-paid women are at parliament today for an announcement on pay
Tax specialist Deborah Russell says an announcement today on a reported big pay rise for women in low-paid work.
Audio | Download: Ogg MP3 (4′40″)

The New Zealand GST burden:

### radionz.co.nz Tue, 18 March 2017 at 8:15 a.m.
Morning Report with Susie Ferguson and Guyon Espiner
economy
NZ wage earners among the lowest taxed in OECD
A new report from the OECD shows out of 35 countries New Zealand and Chile workers are taxed the least, and those in Belguim and France the most. As Patrick O’Meara report, this comes as the Government considers tax cuts for low and middle income workers.
Audio | Download: Ogg MP3 (3′50″)

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

This post is offered in the public interest.

‘Low inflation’ v House price inflation

[Japan Times]

### NZ Herald Online 12:00 PM Tuesday Oct 18, 2016
Economy
No inflation? So why doesn’t it feel like it?
By Liam Dann – NZ Herald business editor at large
If yesterday’s Consumer Price Index, showing just 0.2 per cent inflation in the past year didn’t match your experience of rising prices, fear not, there is a new set of data that could offer a more realistic reflection of Kiwi household costs. The CPI for the year to September came in slightly higher than the predictions of most economists but still takes the economy dangerously close to deflation – a phenomenon where falling price expectations start to suppress economic growth. […] Meanwhile, the Household Living-costs Price Index (HLPI) gets much less attention from economists but has been designed over the past three years to reflect the fact that real world inflation varies greatly depending on your household wealth and expenditure, Matt Haigh [Statistics NZ consumer prices manager] said. It offers data for specific sub-sections of New Zealand such as beneficiaries, Maori, superannuitants, five different income groupings and five expenditure groups. In doing so it captures inequalities of price inflation which the CPI does not. So for example rent, which was up 3.4 per cent for the year in Auckland, is factored into the CPI with a weighting of 10 per cent. But, said Haigh, in reality for many renters it is likely to be more like 40 per cent of total expenditure. That weighting is more accurately reflected in the HLPI – especially in the lower income groups.
Read more

█ On November 8 Statistics New Zealand will provide its first live quarterly update for the HLPI data, with details for the year to September, and it should provide more insight for those looking at inflation from a social or political perspective. Backdated HLPI data for the year to September 2015 is already available on the Statistics NZ website.

****

Deflationary cycle web [World Cycles Institute]

For many New Zealanders the low inflation story doesn’t stack up with daily experience. That’s because one of the largest costs we face in life, house price inflation, continues to rise more than anything else.

### NZ Herald Online 6:41 AM Tuesday Oct 18, 2016
Liam Dann: Inflation now at dangerously low level
OPINION Inflation data due today is tipped to show the economy skating dangerously close to deflation. Economists’ forecasts for the September quarter Consumer Price Index have inflation falling in the past three months and now only just above zero on an annualised basis. Most economists are picking it will come in at 0.1 or 0.2 per cent for the year to September 30 – down from 0.4 per cent in the year to June 30. The fall is expected to be driven by lower transport costs as oil slumped again in the quarter while housing costs are likely to be the largest rising category. Persistently low inflation is considered one of just a few dark spots in another otherwise rosy economic picture, although it is consistent with a number of other economies right now.
Read more

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

This post is offered in the public interest.

NZ child poverty rates “stagnating”

### dunedintv.co.nz October 30, 2014 – 5:57pm
NZ child poverty rates haven’t improved since 2008
A new report from UNICEF shows child poverty rates in New Zealand haven’t improved since 2008. That’s prompted calls from locals for more governmental action to address the issue. And it seems even kids in Dunedin are feeling the effects of poverty. Video

### unicef.org.nz 29 October 2014
UNICEF cautions child poverty rates are “stagnating” in New Zealand
An international report by UNICEF has found that child poverty rates in New Zealand have barely changed since 2008, despite similar sized countries significantly reducing child poverty during the recent recession. UNICEF also revealed that youth unemployment has increased and more New Zealanders admit they do not have enough money to buy food.

The report, Children of the Recession, studied the impact of the global economic crisis on child wellbeing in 41 OECD and EU countries. It highlights the fact that the current and future lives of children have been – and are being – neglected in the global response to the Great Recession.

█ Read the full Children of the Recession report

Deborah Morris-Travers, National Advocacy Manager for UNICEF New Zealand, said: “The report shows that child poverty rates in New Zealand have stagnated, reducing by just 0.40 per cent since 2008. At the same time, Finland and Norway, states of a similar size to New Zealand, have reduced their child poverty rates by 4.30 and 3.20 per cent respectively. This strongly suggests that the government needs to review its approach to addressing child poverty and make policies for children a priority. There are many good examples of successful policies being implemented internationally, highlighting that child poverty is not an inevitable result of the recession if governments implement appropriate policy responses.”
Read more

—

Related Posts and Comments:
9.12.13 UNICEF NZ statement on child poverty monitor
29.8.12 Beloved Prime Minister ‘Jonkey’ speaking #childpoverty
17.2.12 Salvation Army: The Growing Divide
23.11.11 Last night, did John Key watch Inside NZ (TV3): Inside Child Poverty
26.10.11 2011 Voices of Poverty: Research into poverty in Dunedin
9.1.11 Detroit: “Make no little plans”

UNICEF NZ statement on child poverty monitor

“The Monitor tells us that 159,000 children (60% of those in poverty) are living in poverty for long periods of time. Living in persistent poverty will undermine a child’s physical, mental, emotional and social wellbeing with the potential for long-term damage.”

UNICEF NZ Statement on Child Poverty Monitor
Monday, 9 December 2013, 10:05 am
Press Release: UNICEF

UNICEF NZ Statement on Child Poverty Monitor, Released Today by OCC

The inaugural Child Poverty Monitor, released today (Monday, 9 December) by the Office of the Children’s Commissioner (OCC), JR McKenzie Trust and the NZ Child and Youth Epidemiology Service at Otago University, contains some deeply concerning figures. However, it is an important step forward for tracking how well New Zealand is doing in giving children the standard of living they need.
Deborah Morris-Travers, UNICEF New Zealand Advocacy Manager, said, “It’s of significant concern that 10% of Kiwi Kids – twice the rate of the New Zealand population as a whole – are living in severe poverty.
Read more at Scoop

Welcome to the First Child Poverty Monitor Technical Report
Monday, 9 December 2013, 9:44 am
Press Release: Child Poverty Monitor

Welcome to the First Child Poverty Monitor Technical Report

This Technical Report marks a new step in monitoring child poverty and social health indicators in New Zealand. It began with a partnership being established between the Office of the Children’s Commissioner, the University of Otago’s New Zealand Child and Youth Epidemiology Service (NZCYES) and the J R McKenzie Trust. This partnership saw a gap in publicly-available child poverty measures, and is addressing this gap by compiling, publishing and disseminating annual measurements on child poverty in New Zealand.
Last year, the Children’s Commissioner’s Expert Advisory Group (EAG) on Solutions to Child Poverty recommended that a suite of measures capturing different aspects of child poverty be measured and reported annually. We are fulfilling this recommendation. This new Technical Report builds on the Children’s Social Health Monitor (CSHM) produced by the NZCYES since 2009. We have added additional indicators that enable us to monitor child poverty in New Zealand. Along with this full Technical Report we have produced very high level information on the key measures of child poverty, which are available at http://www.childpoverty.co.nz.
We want to promote the common use of rigorous measures of poverty, so we can stop debating about the measure and start fixing the problem.

More info\

Report: 2013_Child_Poverty_Monitor_Technical_Report_MASTER.pdf

****

### stuff.co.nz Last updated 05:00 09/12/2013
One in four Kiwi children living in poverty
By Ben Heather – Dominion Post
More children living in crammed homes are ending up in hospital, as a new report shows one in four children remain mired in poverty. A new rigorous measure of child poverty released today shows that about one in six Kiwi children are going without basic necessities. This could mean not having a bed, delaying a doctor’s visit or missing out on meals. It also shows hospital admissions for children with medical conditions linked to poverty are rising. Tens of thousands of children are admitted every year for respiratory and infectious diseases associated with living in damp, overcrowded homes. “I see these poor preschool children in crowded homes that are cold and damp coming in with skin infections. They are filling our wards,” Children’s Commissioner Russell Wills, a Hawke’s Bay paediatrician, said.

Children, particularly the youngest, remain the most impoverished group of New Zealanders, three times more likely to live in poverty than those past retirement age.

And the gap between those going without and the rest is showing no signs of narrowing, with children born to solo beneficiary parents by far the most likely to get sick or injured. But child poverty is also reaching far beyond beneficiaries, with about two out of five impoverished kids living in working families. Overall 265,000 children live in poverty, which is measured by children living in households with less than 60 per cent of the median income after housing costs.
The report, called the Child Poverty Monitor, was commissioned by Dr Wills after the Government rejected calls to start a comprehensive measure of child poverty.
Read more

STATE OF CHILD POVERTY (via Dominion Post)

█ 265,000 children live in poverty, defined by income.
█ 1 in 3 Maori and Pacific children live in poverty.
█ 1 in 7 European children live in poverty.
█ 1 in 6 struggle to afford basic necessities such as healthcare and clothing.
█ 1 in 10 suffer from severe poverty, lacking basic necessities and adequate income.
█ 3 out of 5 will be living in poverty for much of their childhood.
█ 51 per cent are from sole parent families. 60 per cent are from beneficiary families.

****

Radio New Zealand National
Nine to Noon with Kathryn Ryan
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon
Monday 9 December 2013
The inaugural Child Poverty Monitor ( 11′ 30″ )
09:35 Dr Liz Craig is a Senior Clinical Epidemiologist at the University of Otago.
Audio | Download: Ogg  |  MP3

—

Related Posts and Comments:
29.8.12 Beloved Prime Minister ‘Jonkey’ speaking #childpoverty
17.2.12 Salvation Army: The Growing Divide
26.11.11 2011 Voices of Poverty: Research into poverty in Dunedin
23.11.11 Last night, did John Key watch Inside New Zealand (TV3): Inside Child Poverty

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Commissar Obamanation

Maurice Prendergast says:

I would like to share this very ‘solemn summary’ of the modus operandi of a charlatan and the curiously common characteristics to those exhibited by Farry and his fellow travellers.
This reminds me of the sales pitch used to hypnotise the people into believing that a ratepayer funded stadium would deliver salvation to the all. There are some real parallels – Barack Obama and Malcolm Farry seem to sing from the same song sheet.

—

Email received.

Subject: This belongs in the EMAIL HALL OF FAME
Date: Wed, 24 Oct 2012 23:56:44 -0400

How’s this for apocalyptic literature. This was written by a pastor’s wife in biblical prose as a commentary of current events. It is brilliant.

*****

And it came to pass in the Age of Insanity that the people of the land Called America, Having lost their morals, their initiative, and their Will to defend their liberties,
Chose as their Supreme Leader that Person known as “The One.”

He emerged from the vapours with a message that had no meaning;
But He Hypnotised the people telling them, “I am sent to save you.”
My lack of experience, my questionable ethics, my monstrous ego,
And my Association with evil doers are of no consequence.
I shall save you with hope and Change.
Go, therefore, and proclaim throughout the Land that he who preceded me
Is evil, that he has defiled the nation, and that all he has built must be destroyed.
And the people rejoiced, For even though they knew not what “The One” would do, he had promised that it was good; and they believed.
And “The One” said “We live in The greatest country in the world.
Help me change everything about it!”
And the people said, “Hallelujah! Change is good!”
Then He said, “We are going to tax the rich fat-cats.”
And the People said “Sock it to them!”
“And redistribute their wealth.”
And the people said, “Show us the money!”
And then he said, “Redistribution of wealth is good for everybody..”

And Joe the plumber asked, “Are you kidding me?
You’re going to Steal my money and give it to the deadbeats??”
And “The One” Ridiculed and taunted him, and Joe’s personal
Records were hacked and publicised.
One lone reporter asked, “Isn’t that Marxist policy?”
And she was banished from the kingdom.

Then a citizen asked, “With no foreign relations experience and having
Zero military experience or knowledge, how will you deal with Radical terrorists?”
And “The One” said, “Simple. I shall sit with them and talk with them and show them
How nice we really are; and they will forget that they ever wanted to kill us all!”
And the people said, “Hallelujah!! We are safe at last, and we can beat our weapons
Into free cars for the people!”

Then “The One” said “I shall give 95% of you lower taxes.”
And one, Lone voice said, “But 40% of us don’t pay ANY taxes.
“So “The One” Said, “Then I shall give you some of the taxes the fat-cats pay!”
And the people said, “Hallelujah! Show us the money!”
Then “The One” said, “I shall tax your Capital Gains when you sell your homes!”
And the people yawned and the slumping housing market collapsed.
And He said. “I shall mandate employer-funded health care for every worker
And raise the minimum wage. And I shall give every Person unlimited healthcare
And medicine and transportation to the Clinics.”
(And no Muslim shall pay for their share of healthcare.)
And the people said, “Give me some of that!”
Then he said, “I shall penalise employers who ship jobs overseas.”
And the people said, “Where’s my rebate cheque?”

Then “The One” said, “I shall bankrupt the coal industry and
Electricity rates will skyrocket!”
And the people said, “Coal is Dirty, coal is evil, no more coal!
But we don’t care for that part about higher electric rates.”
So “The One” said, Not to worry. If Your rebate isn’t enough to cover
your expenses, we shall bail you out.
Just sign up with the ACORN and your troubles are over!”
Then He said, “Illegal immigrants feel scorned and slighted.
Let’s Grant them amnesty, Social Security, free education, free lunches,
Free medical care, bilingual signs and guaranteed housing…”
And The people said, “Hallelujah!” and they made him king!

And so it came to pass that employers, facing spiraling costs and Ever-higher taxes,
raised their prices and laid off workers. Others Simply gave up and went out of business and the economy sank like unto a rock dropped from a cliff.
The banking industry was destroyed. Manufacturing slowed to a Crawl.
And more of the people were without a means of support.

Then “The One” said, “I am the “the One”- The Messiah – and I’m here To save you!
We shall just print more money so everyone will have enough!”
But our foreign trading partners said unto Him. “Wait a Minute. Your dollar is not worth a pile of camel dung! You will have to pay more…
And “The One” said, “Wait a minute. That is unfair!!”
And the world said, “Neither are these other idiotic programs you have embraced.
Lo, you have become a Socialist state and a second-rate power.
Now you shall play by our rules!”

And the people cried out, “Alas, alas!! What have we done?”
But yea, verily, it was too late.
The people set upon The One and spat upon him and stoned him,
and his name was dung. And the once mighty nation was no more;
and the once proud people were without sustenance or shelter or hope.
And the Change “The One” had given them was as like unto a poison
that had destroyed them and like a whirlwind that consumed all that they had built.

And the people beat their chests in despair and cried out in anguish,
“Give us back our nation and our pride and our hope!!”
But it was too late, and their homeland was no more.

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Beloved Prime Minister ‘Jonkey’ speaking #childpoverty

### ODT Online Tue, 28 Aug 2012
Universal child benefit a ‘dopey’ idea: Key
Prime Minister John Key has dismissed as “dopey” a recommendation from a panel of experts that a universal child payment should be reintroduced as a way of reducing child poverty. The expert advisory group brought together by Children’s Commissioner Dr Russell Wills to find solutions to child poverty released its recommendations today.

Group members include AUT accounting expert James Prescott, Major Campbell Roberts of the Salvation Army, Professor Ritchie Poulton of the Dunedin School of Medicine and Philippa Howden-Chapman, a public health expert.

Among [the group’s] recommendations for the longer term was a universal child payment for under sixes. The payment would be highest while the child was a baby, when costs were high, and would decline through childhood. Co-chair Dr Tracey McIntosh said the payment was about ensuring children had the best start in life. “Investment in the early years has a particularly strong link to better outcomes for disadvantaged children”.
Read more

Download report and related documents here:
http://www.occ.org.nz/publications/child_poverty

****

### ODT Online Sun, 26 Aug 2012
Child poverty costs country $6b a year: report
Child poverty is costing New Zealand $6 billion each year, according a new report commissioned by organisation Every Child Counts.

Every Child Counts chairman Murray Edridge defined poverty as children missing out on needed goods and services including adequate housing, nutrition, warm clothing and healthcare.

Manager Deborah Morris-Travers told TVNZ’s political programme Q+A 25 per cent of children in New Zealand are living in poverty. She said it was concerning to see how poverty affected different ethnicities with 40 per cent of Pacific Island children and 27 per cent of Maori children living in poverty. The report, “1000 days to get it right for every child – the effectiveness of public investment in New Zealand children”, released this week, examines initiatives from the Netherlands which could be applied here. APNZ
Read more

Download report here:
http://www.everychildcounts.org.nz/news/1000-days-to-get-it-right-for-every-child-poor-child-outcomes-costing-the-nation-billions/

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Household Incomes in New Zealand: Trends in Indicators of Inequality and Hardship 1982 to 2011 (Aug 2012)

Download report and related documents here:
http://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/monitoring/household-incomes/index.html

—

Related Posts and Comments:
17.2.12 Salvation Army: The Growing Divide
23.11.11 Last night, did John Key watch…(TV3): Inside Child Poverty
26.10.11 2011 Voices of Poverty: Research into poverty in Dunedin

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

2011 Voices of Poverty: Research into poverty in Dunedin

—

Between July 2010 and April 2011, Presbyterian Support Otago (PSO) interviewed eleven families who were representative of their client base. The intent was to gather information on the changes the families either experienced or put in place to mitigate the effects of the increase in GST (1 October 2010, from 12.5% to 15%), rising prices and an uncertain economic environment as New Zealand moved out of its recession.

During the course of the interviews the government instituted the Future Focus policy direction and, allied to this, the Welfare Working Group reported on possible directions for consultation. Behind both of these initiatives was an expectation that all people of working age who are currently dependent on the government can, and will, be encouraged into paid employment.

Ensuring that families and individuals have sufficient income to meet their basic needs (food, clothing, warm housing and medical care) is a priority; whether those families and individuals are on a benefit or a wage.
Can We Do Better 2008

As in previous reports PSO noted that juggling income, debt, inadequate housing, health and transport difficulties and parenting responsibilities is how people below the poverty line live their lives.

The report concludes with recommendations for action by government, local bodies and the public sector. Has the landscape changed? For New Zealand – yes; we have been through a recession and survived. For the “voices of poverty” – no; for many, their landscape is as bleak as it ever was and for some the future doesn’t look great either.

• Has the Landscape Changed? 2011 (PDF, 7.17 MB)
• Can We Do Better 2008 (PDF, 1.52 MB)
• Old Cold and Costly 2004 (PDF, 2.98 MB)
• How Much is Enough : 2003 update (PDF, 137.16 KB)
• How Much Is Enough : 2002 research (PDF, 4.15 MB)

Source: https://otago.ps.org.nz/resources

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Open letter to the Mayor

### ODT Online Tue, 03/03/2009 – 12:41pm.
Comment by Graham Bishop
The Stadium
(an open letter to the Mayor of Dunedin)
(sent February 17, 2009)

Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would ever be necessary me to write to the Mayor of Dunedin in this way. I am appalled at the hubris you and your councillors have shown for the residential ratepayers of this fair city. You have treated them with disregard despite two very clear indications of the majority opinion.

Read more