The Government decision to announce the ending of 33 separate pay equity claims, on the grounds that they will cost the taxpayer dearly, has women and unions up in arms.
Yesterday I attended one of many protests that happened on Friday 09 May 2025 as New Zealanders, young and old, took to the picket line to protest the scraping of pay equity by the National-led coalition. I went to the protest as much for the wrongness of the legislation as I did to support the denunciation of the extremely backward manner in which it was sped through Parliament with no public input and under Parliamentary Urgency.
The protests might seem minor in numbers. However noting that they happened with less than a weeks warning, and are backed by a petition now numbering 60,000+, along with full page adverts in the print media – at least in The Press today – is a good indicator of the union muscle that is backing the pushback.
We are the country of Kate Sheppard, who at this moment I imagine to be spinning in her grave at this backwards legislation. We led the world in getting women the vote in 1893, when Richard Seddon permitted a petition signed by 32,000 people – then more than 3% of the population – to be presented to Parliament by suffragettes. We are a country that has had 3 female Prime Ministers and 4 Governor Generals. New Zealand prides itself on being a world leader in womens rights.
When one says to me that womens work is not the same as being an air traffic controller, police officer or pilot or other occupation generally believed to be dominated by males, one could not be more wrong about the value they bring. Every child needs to be nurtured to be a man, a woman – anything more developed than being a child. Every child is born from a womans womb, which had to bear it for 9 months or more if the pregnancy goes to plan. Would the same people criticizing women, with a clean criminal record, be prepared to be a primary school, early childhood education or as a social worker? Would they be prepared to be nurses in elder care facilities, hospitals or hopsices?
As I have worked in my rental car job, I have seen many women come and go. Many were at university whilst holding down a washbay job part time to cover their costs – they have gone on to be pilots, agriculture workers, civilian staff in the Police, Army and Navy. The idea that women do not deserve pay equity is a load of complete and utter tripe.
I really struggle to understand how educated women can possibly believe that killing pay equity will help women around Aotearoa New Zealand. And yet the Minister for Women (Nicola Grigg in Selwyn) and Minister of Workplace Relations Brooke van Velden believe and – as of 6th May 2025 – under Parliamentary urgency, have done exactly that.
Now I wait to see how strong the Opposition pushback against such inanity will be. Labour, traditionally the party of the workers, has room for some significant gains in the poll from so many disgruntled women. Will National be able to contain the potential damage or is Prime Minister Christopher Luxon “very relaxed” about this?
Leftist Kiwi Writes 