Greens co-leader Marama Davidson wants to increase annual leave to five weeks. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Greens co-leader Marama Davidson wants to increase annual leave to five weeks. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The Green Party wants to implement five weeks of annual leave by the end of 2025 if elected.
It comes as Labour leader Chris Hipkins warned of the thousands of public servants a “National, Act, New Zealand First government” would put out of work before Christmas in his pitch for Labour’s re-election.
The two party co-leaders made their comments at the E tū union campaign launch in Māngere in South Auckland.
In a press release, Davidson said current pressures on workers meant they were unable to spend quality time with their whānau and friends.
“Tens of thousands of people are working two, sometimes three, jobs just to make ends meet.
“This leaves hardly any time in the day for people to rest and enjoy time with the people they love.”
Davidson and Hipkins were expected to speak to the policy in a press conference this afternoon.
In a short speech at the launch, Davidson said her main message was her desire to keep “the other lot” out of government. She claimed other parties were spreading “lazy, dog-whistling” racism.
Hipkins, who spoke ahead of Davidson, repeated a common line of his that the election was a “very stark choice” while continuing his attack on National’s proposed tax plan.
Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins (right) waving signs in Nelson. Photo / Tim Cuff
Speaking of his own policies, Hipkins said he could “explain every one of them” and how much they would cost - a reference to National’s reluctance to release its costings, particularly concerning how it would attract the more than $700 million per year it needed from its proposed foreign buyers’ tax to fund its tax cuts.
“The National Party can’t tell you how they’re going to pay for all the commitments they are making.”
Both National and Act proposed cutting the public service in order to reduce government spending.
Hipkins said a government led by National, Act and NZ First would lead to “thousands” of workers out of work before Christmas.
Labour has also added to its policies on workers’ rights and wage growth by promising to repeal pay rates below the minimum wage and increasing access to health and safety training.
It built on earlier commitments including progressively extending the living wage (currently $26 per hour) to workers in the education sector and Te Whatu Ora staff and continuing to raise the minimum wage ($22.7) annually.
“Our health care assistants, caregivers, and school caretakers all play an important role in delivering our public services and should be better supported to have a decent standard of living,” Hipkins said in a press release.
“We’re investing in our frontline services and people, not cutting them,” a reference to National’s intention to make cuts in the public service in order to fund tax cuts.
Labour’s policy statement said the party would “work to increase access to union health and safety training, access for union officials to workplaces for assessment purposes, and issuing of improvement notices”.
Meanwhile, New Zealand First released its list following Wednesday’s 1News Verian poll that the party would return to Parliament with seven MPs.
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Party leader Winston Peters is first on the list. He is not running in an electorate and would only return to Parliament if his party received five per cent of the vote at the election.
Second was Shane Jones, who was contesting the Northland electorate. Casey Costello, previously of Hobson’s Pledge, was third after being announced as a candidate at the party’s convention earlier this year.
Rounding out the top 10 were Mark Patterson (Taieri), Jenny Marcroft (Kaipara Ki Mahurangi), Jamie Arbuckle (Kaikoura), Andy Foster (Mana), Tanya Unkovich (Epsom), David Wilson (Upper Harbour) and Erika Harvey (Tauranga).
Notable exceptions were Fletcher Tabuteau, who was second on the list in 2020. Also missing from the list was Darroch Ball, who was currently acting as campaign manager. Ball told the Herald the party had asked if he would stand for Parliament again, but he said he preferred to continue working in an advisory role with Peters.
”It was a tough decision, absolutely,” he said. Ball felt he had “found his strengths” in his current role and hoped to have a similar position in the next term.
Wednesday’s poll was the first one this year that had NZ First at or above the five per cent threshold required to enter Parliament.
