For two decades, under both National and Labour governments, housing costs have risen far faster than wages. Here’s a horrific graph that shows by just how much. Last Thursday saw the first of what will no doubt be dozens of housing-related set pieces from Labour, wherein they announced 8,000 public and transitional houses. Or, as … Read more
Budget 2020: No increase to benefits or wages, but investment in vocational training could future-proof New Zealand’s workers. The first major Covid-19 stimulus package, equivalent to $12.1 billion, was announced two months ago. It introduced the wage subsidy, a $25 per week increase to benefits, and financial support for leave taken due to Covid-19. At … Read more
Already over $2.7bn has been paid out to New Zealand businesses and their employees under the government’s wage subsidy scheme. We take a look at how it works and how to know if you’re eligible. This article has been updated to reflect changes to the wage subsidy scheme announced on March 27 and March 28. … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Strong public support for midwife petition, Waipareira Trust defends massive Tamihere campaign donation, and most of the bodies on Whakaari now found. A petition for community midwives to get better funding and pay has absolutely taken off. Radio NZ reports the petition, which is hosted on the … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Storming economic figures defy gloomy predictions, govt considering volunteer rural cops, and Auckland to spread around Drury and Pukekohe. It was wholly, entirely unexpected. In fact, some are saying not a single economist predicted it. But data from Stats NZ out yesterday has showed something remarkable … Read more
After years of disappointing wage growth, and income growth more broadly, are the stars aligned for a lift? We all know it. It’s the feeling of busting your gut day-in day-out to finally get to payday, only to feel when you wrest open that little payslip, defeated and a little deflated: I worked all those … Read more
A handful of employers in the retail, hospitality, food manufacturing and events industry have gone above and beyond the minimum wage requirement by paying all their staff at least $20.55 per hour – in line with the official living wage for 2018. Here, they explain why they believe paying staff properly is important and how … Read more
In New Zealand and around the world, modest boosts to the minimum wage have failed to trigger the catastrophic effects detractors prophesy, writes Branko Marcetic No sooner was the new government’s minimum wage hike announced than the land speed record was broken to denounce it. The Employers and Manufacturers Association went first, complaining that it … Read more
Minimum wages are going up – but when they do, Working for Families will go down. The Maxim Institute’s Alex Penk and Julian Wood weigh up the new Government’s wage policy. Raising the minimum wage will usher us forward into the glorious workers’ paradise – or it will grind the economy to a halt? These are … Read more
The Aussies earn on average one-third more than Kiwis, and in some countries the gap is even wider. Data scientist and mathematician John Holt crunches the numbers. New Zealand is a low-wage economy compared to other OECD countries. When a currency’s buying power is taken into consideration, New Zealand ranked 18th out of 36 OECD … Read more