The New Zealand Labour Party has issued the following statement:

The New Zealand Labour Party is concerned with recent claims from National Party frontbencher, u/Greejatus, which insinuate that a National Government would seek to abolish the minimum wage.

“The minimum wage is a job killer, a business killer, and a wealth killer.”

- u/Greejatus, National Party MP for Ikaroa-Rāwhiti and Opposition Spokesperson

The New Zealand Labour Party condemns these remarks without hesitation. A minimum wage is one of this country’s greatest achievements for workers, having been implemented in 1894. It is a century-old institution and the first of its kind in the world. Then as now, the minimum wage acted as a vehicle to promote decent pay.

National has never been friendly to the minimum wage, but this is a new low even by their standards. It has been 20 years since any iteration of the National Party even countenanced a wage freeze, and no version of the party has proposed its abolition in living memory. The Fifth National Government undoubtedly kept wage growth needlessly low, but even that National Party saw value in year on year increases.

This statement from a leading National Party Opposition Spokesperson shows that Winston’s radical National Party is just not worth risking letting into the Beehive. New Zealanders consistently cite the importance of wage growth and tackling poverty; the minimum wage is an important part of addressing these issues. If we went the way of the current National Party frontbench, progress here would be sent back decades.

The New Zealand Labour Party will continue to support a living wage, with year on year increases. We will never abandon this vital protection for low-paid workers and we will continue to support common-sense reforms to the way the minimum wage is set within Parliament, with the aim of establishing consistency and clarity for workers and businesses alike. This was a vital manifesto commitment on our part and we look forward to seeing these changes enacted in due course during this Parliamentary term.