For years, care and support workers across New Zealand have been told to hold on .Hold on for the Pay Equity process to run its...

New Zealand prides itself on being one of the best places in the world to live. We talk about fairness, kindness, and looking after one another. But those values mean nothing if they are not reflected in the way we treat our most vulnerable — and the people who care for them. You can judge the integrity of a nation by the way it provides care for those who need it most. On that test, our care workers are doing their part brilliantly. The question is — is our government?

For years, care and support workers across New Zealand have been told to wait.Wait for the Pay Equity process. Wait for the recognition they deserve. Wait for the day when their wages reflect the critical, skilled, and emotionally demanding work they do. Now, with the stroke of a pen, the Government has turned its back on them.

Over the last years of bargaining, there has been a patient hope that the pay equity process would see a fir uplift however four years through that process, it was canned, with urgency, secrecy a clear signal that the government has renegged on its duty of care for New Zealands most down.