PM Jacinda Ardern speaks to media after Cabinet meets

The Government has increased the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) workers cap by 3000 to 19,000 to relieve the horticultural sector, the largest increase in over a decade.

PM Jacinda Ardern is joined by Immigration Minister Michael Wood at her first press conference since returning from overseas.

Horticulture is one of the many groups of employers with chronic shortages in their workforces as a result of border closures during Covid-19.

In a new development, employers will be required to provide sick leave alongside the existing $22.10 minimum wage requirement.

Ardern warned that with more workers came "more responsibility".

Wood said it was important that workers receive adequate care.

Sick leave was now a requirement for RSE workers, Wood said.

The Government was due to reveal more measures to protect against migrant exploitation later this week, Wood said.

Asked if the RSE scheme was akin to "modern-day slavery", Wood said groups had come together to ensure workers had better conditions and that there a suitable standard in place.

Asked if he could guarantee if any of the 3000 would not face exploitation, Wood said that's what they were working on.

Measures that included a roving workplace representative were under discussion and that there was a "robust regime", Wood said.

Wood rejected allegations that exploitation of RSE workers wouldn't have been allowed to continue if the workers were white and said funds had been invested to stamp out migrant worker exploitation.

Asked about a journalist's contention the Christchurch mosque shooter wasn't a "terrorist", Ardern said it was a "misguided publicity stunt".

The Prime Minister wouldn't directly address whether it was appropriate for her Ministers to appear with the journalist.

Crime wave help

In response to the recent spate of ram raids and smash and grabs and what is being done to help, Ardern said 500 businesses were eligible under a retail security fund, but only five had received help so far. Ardern said she wanted to see that ramp up.

Ardern said she wasn't comfortable with the speed at which businesses were getting help and wanted it to happen faster.

A bill on maternal birth injuries is before the House and Ardern said the law was a significant change and was part of a wider body of work to ensure ACC was covering all New Zealanders' needs.

"As a Government, we want to make sure the early stages of a child's life and a family's life together is the best it possibly can be," she said.

Birth is mostly joyous but can also be a traumatic time for women, Ardern said.

The Government was looking to help those women and also to help ensure more was done to help with maternal mental health.

Threats against MPs

Last week, Grant Robertson spoke about threats against MPs and the need for more security for politicians while out in public.

Asked how she felt, Ardern said it was too early to say if she would change how she would run her campaign in an election year.

"'I'd still like to think I'm pretty accessible," she said.

Ardern returned yesterday from the United Nations leaders' week in New York and from attending the Queen's funeral in London.

She attended New Zealand's official memorial service yesterday for the Queen at St Paul's Cathedral in Wellington.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern shakes the hand of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the UN last week. Photo / UN

She ran a shortened Labour caucus meeting this morning to make room for Cabinet, which was rescheduled after the Government made yesterday a one-off public holiday in honour of the Queen.

Ardern has had favourable coverage for several weeks now, with most opinion polls showing a very tight contest between the left bloc and right bloc.

The Herald's Mood of the Boardroom survey of top CEOs on Friday, which has previously rated Ardern very highly, ranked her only the 12th most effective minister. Greens co-leader James Shaw was rated the best performing minister.

When asked about the Mood of Boardroom results, she said she would reflect on other signs on how the economy was performing such record-low unemployment and GDP growth.

"I would have thought those are all signs that [business] should take heart in. We know it has been a tough winter.

"We are rebuilding and working very hard to strengthen the economy, but the signs are there and, of course, we are looking forward with optimism to the summer ahead of us."

Another political opinion poll is due out tonight, the 1 News Kantar poll, which in August had National on 48 per cent and Labour on 44 per cent.

National and Act would have been able to form a Government, had the results been translated into an election result.