“The Government is refocusing its priorities to put the cost of living front and centre of our new direction,” Chris Hipkins said.
“I said the Government is doing too much too fast, and that we need to focus on the cost of living. Today we deliver on that commitment.
“Work on the TVNZ-RNZ public media entity will stop entirely. Support for public media needs to be at a lower cost and without such significant structural change.
“Cabinet has agreed to provide Radio New Zealand with additional funding to strengthen its public media role. New Zealand on Air will also receive additional funding to support public media content and that funding will be available to a wider range of broadcasters. Remaining funding will be redirected to other Government priorities.
“The social insurance scheme is off the table and will not proceed as proposed. We will need to see a significant improvement in economic conditions before anything is advanced.
“Work will continue to explore ways to best address these inequities in the long term when the economy is better placed to make change. But it is off the table for now.
“The Human Rights (Incitement on Ground of Religious Belief) Amendment Bill will be withdrawn and the matter referred to the Law Commission. This will allow the Law Commission the opportunity to consider a difficult and highly contested area of law in totality.
“Cabinet also agreed that the biofuels mandate will not proceed. The mandate would have increased the price of fuel, and given the pressure on households that’s not something I’m prepared to do.
“Cabinet considered the 3 Waters programme. The need for reform is unquestionable. The events in Auckland have once again demonstrated the limits of our existing infrastructure and the need for change. But careful consideration is required.
“This is the first and most significant set of decisions that reprioritises the Government agenda and sets out our new direction. It will help to provide greater bandwidth and resource for where focus is needed most – the cost of living.
“When I became leader I promised that the Government would do more to help families with the cost of living. With this in mind, Cabinet today also set a new minimum wage in line with CPI.
“Cabinet has agreed to lift the minimum wage by $1.50 – to $22.70 per hour. It will apply from 1 April, 2023. The Starting-Out and Training minimum wage rates will be maintained at 80 per cent of the adult minimum wage.
“In tough times, it’s critical to support those who struggle the most to make ends meet. Those on low incomes make impossible trade-offs between food and medical care, dry homes and a pair of shoes. These families need our support now more than ever and an inflation-adjusted lift in the minimum wage will means thousands of New Zealanders do not go backwards.
“We’ve tried to find the right balance. Analysis from MBIE that fed into our decision suggests this increase is unlikely to have a significant impact on unemployment, because it is broadly in line with existing average wage growth across the economy.
“The impact on inflation is negligible. In the 2022 Review, MBIE estimates that an increase of 7 per cent in the minimum wage will have only a minor inflationary impact of 0.1% on the wages portion of GDP.
“These decisions are a start and show the new direction of our Government. Increased support for business, increased support for those on low incomes and a reprioritisation of our work programme to shift it to the bread and butter issues New Zealanders want us focused on,” Chris Hipkins said.
Summary
- Work on the TVNZ/RNZ public media entity to stop; Radio NZ and NZ on Air to receive additional funding
- Social insurance scheme will not proceed this term
- The Human Rights (Incitement on Ground of Religious Belief) Amendment Bill to be withdrawn and not progressed this term. The matter to be referred to the Law Commission for guidance
- Biofuels mandate to be stopped
- Government to consider changes to 3 Waters programme soon
- Minimum wage to increase by rate of inflation from 1 April.
This dip**** thinks putting the minimum wage up $1.50 will help…and yes folks more lay-offs and knock on costs for every item you purchase…Good one idiot!!!!
Get rid of Three Waters. Local ratepayers own the assets and THATS where they should stay. So Wellington enjoyed low rates for years and didn’t invest in their infrastructure? TOUGH SH1T! Catch up time now.
We have paid exorbitant rates here in Rotorua and I object to paying for Wellington who have paid low rates and neglected their water system.
Also END THE MANDATES NOW for health workers and any other remaining people.
NOW.
Sucking us in with the typical government speak, tell lies and do the opposite – give me a break you seriously think we are thick!
How about investigating the convid and the con that it so is but no you won’t. You shut down two kaumatua asking questions at Waitangi day SHAME ON YOU ALL – working for the people, what a joke!
Everyone in the wasps nest must go! every single one of you gutless terrorists is what you all are and I spit on you for causing the totally unnecessary hurt to our country.
Do us all a favour a leave.
It’s an election year. Dump the unpopular policies and hope that people are thick enough to still vote for them
Trouble is Karen they are thick and most probably will vote them back in. That’s the big worry. Next they will all sign up for vaccine passports, digital currency and roll their sleeves up for upcoming new vaccines. One can only hope most of this cannon fodders toes would of curled up by then.
Still not voting for you.
Desperate to put a new nice face on the guilty party for the election.
If this is what he believes, why did he not say or do something over the past few years ?
Not to be trusted.
When media is funded by the govt. and part of that is to produce news content, isn’t that a conflict of interest?
Sell our lame ass media, the money could be better spent on bringing a lawsuit against Pfizer and Ol’ Jabby herself.
I have always believed we should of kept Telecom and sold TVNZ……but like always for decades now our govt. only do what the globalists want.