Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Minimum wage increase welcomed

By Daniel O'Mahoney
Rotorua Daily Post·
2 Mar, 2015 06:39 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Fletcher Tabuteau, Rotorua-based list MP

Fletcher Tabuteau, Rotorua-based list MP

A Rotorua-based MP and the city's Chamber of Commerce head are confident an increased minimum wage will not lead to reduced hours for local workers.

But a city union organiser has said the raise will do little to help those living on the breadline.

Last week the Government announced a rise of 50 cents to $14.75 per hour, effective April 1.

Mandatory wage rises are often criticised by business interests for increasing operating costs but Darrin Walsh, chief executive of Rotorua Chamber of Commerce, said he thought the change was fair.

"Obviously wage bills are a huge cost for small to medium enterprises, so local businesses need to look at how this will affect their overheads.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"But at the moment there is good business confidence as the economy is picking up."

He said he would be surprised if there were many cutbacks of hours for minimum wage workers.

The rise of 50 cents is a 3.5 per cent rise in the minimum wage.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The current rate of inflation is 0.8 per cent.

Fletcher Tabuteau, Rotorua-based list MP for New Zealand First, echoed Mr Walsh's view that the raise was timely.

"If you had to increase the wage now is the time to do it, as other business costs are not going up," he said, describing the 50 cents raise as "just about right - maybe a little bit low".

"But it will be noticeable for people - it all adds up," he said.

Discover more

Fletcher Tabuteau: Free GP visits for seniors bill important

09 Feb 04:00 AM

Inspirational exchange for students

17 Feb 01:11 AM

Foreign patients leave $76k bill

04 Mar 08:30 PM

Time to branch out and grow

05 Mar 05:00 AM

In the most recent New Zealand General Social Survey, nearly half of respondents felt they did not have enough money to meet everyday needs.

Phil Graham, a Rotorua-based organiser for the FIRST trade union, was not convinced the latest raise would be enough.

"Will these increases decrease the gap between the rich and the poor? I think not.

"Workers' feedback on the increase to the minimum wage is commonly laughed at.

"They feel they are walking around with a dollar sign on their heads, where in a lot of cases the only one to benefit from this increase is the employer and their profits."

Last week the Living Wage movement revised its estimate of a basic necessary wage upwards to $19.25 per hour.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Mr Tabuteau called himself a "big supporter" of the movement, but stressed the importance of mass take-up by businesses for it to be effective.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

Bay home crowd rallies behind netball's Magic

11 Jul 05:00 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

Tearful hunter admits shooting and killing friend

11 Jul 05:00 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own

11 Jul 05:00 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Bay home crowd rallies behind netball's Magic

Bay home crowd rallies behind netball's Magic

11 Jul 05:00 PM

The Magic play the Pulse in the ANZ Premiership at Baypark Arena on Saturday.

Tearful hunter admits shooting and killing friend

Tearful hunter admits shooting and killing friend

11 Jul 05:00 PM
Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own

Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own

11 Jul 05:00 AM
Pair deny charges over death of Paige Johnson in alleged hit-and-run

Pair deny charges over death of Paige Johnson in alleged hit-and-run

11 Jul 12:26 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP