Author: MIL-OSI Publisher



Source: University of Auckland

Monday 5 October 2026

If you can’t imagine the sound of a dog barking or hear your inner voice, you’re not alone.

University of Auckland’s Dr Zoé Schelp has spent the past three years studying anauralia, the lack of a ‘mind’s ear’, and anendophasia, the absence of an ‘inner voice’.

“Anauralia and anendophasia are differences in how people think, rather than deficits or dysfunctions.

“They’re types of neurodiversity that many people have never heard of, so it feels important to understand them better and raise more awareness about them,” says Schelp.

Anauralia affects about one percent of the population. If a person with anauralia is asked to imagine hearing a sound, such as a bird singing or the chorus of a popular song, they can understand the concept, but don’t hear anything in their mind.

People with anendophasia can’t hear their own voice in their head.

“The two types of neurodivergence often occur together, but people can have one without the other,” says Schelp, who gained her PhD in the School of Psychology and Centre for Brain Research at the University of Auckland.

She surveyed 344 people with different levels of inner voice and mind’s ear to see if having a silent mind impacted on people’s lives.

Her study looked at whether people with silent minds have different levels of schizotypal traits.

Schizotypy is a personality dimension which can include odd beliefs, social anxiety, paranoia, magical thinking, and palpable sensations that things happened when they didn’t. People who experience moderate levels of schizotypy might be regarded as eccentric. However, those who experience abnormal extremes could be diagnosed with schizophrenia – a severe mental illness, which typically involves hearing voices and experiencing hallucinations, delusions, lack of motivation, and low mood.

Schelp’s recently published paper shows people with anauralia are less likely to experience vivid hallucinatory thoughts or magical beliefs. However, anauralics had significantly higher scores for social withdrawal and lack of joy in life.

“What we discovered about people with anauralia is completely new and came as a bit of a surprise,” she says.

People who strongly experienced an inner voice had normal levels of hallucinatory experiences, social participation and joy in life.

However, those who vividly heard imagined sounds had higher scores for certain schizotypy traits, including hallucinatory perceptions.

This suggests that people who have abnormal experiences of ‘hearing voices’ don’t necessarily have a loud inner voice, says Schelp.

“People seem to ‘hear voices’ when they vividly imagine sounds and wrongly perceive them as coming from the outside world.”

The research offers good news for people with silent minds, showing they are able to remember things and function just as well as those with noisier minds.

“Generally, people with anauralia or anendophasia don’t even know they have it, because they’ve lived with it their whole life.

“And of course, none of us really know what happens inside other people’s minds.”

Schelp says it’s important to raise awareness of anauralia and anendophasia, so people know if they have these differing experiences.

It could be beneficial for mental health professionals to be aware that some patients have silent minds, so they can help them appropriately, she says.

“Therapies that involve changing your inner narrative or imagining sounds might be less effective for people with a silent mind.

“If people can’t use their inner voice to give themselves affirming messages, they might be able to try a slightly different technique, like whispering aloud, for example.”

She says schizophrenia and related schizotypal personality disorders could look different in people with anauralia, given they are less likely to experience auditory hallucinations and are more likely to suffer from low mood.

“This could influence whether people with anauralia actually receive a schizophrenia diagnosis.”

Up until now, the silent mind has attracted little study. The term ‘anauralia’ was coined in 2021 by Schelp’s PhD supervisor, psychology professor Anthony Lambert, and former student Rish Hinwar.

Lambert developed the Auckland Auditory Imagery Scale, a tool Schelp used to measure people’s experiences of mind’s ear and inner voice.

Although Schelp doesn’t have a silent mind, as a violinist and music lover she was instantly fascinated by the idea some people couldn’t hear sounds or music in their heads.

She has since discovered people with silent minds can become musicians, but whether they can successfully compose music is a subject for future study.

Originally from Germany, Schelp completed her schooling early, before moving to New Zealand with her family to start university at the age of 15.

After winning a scholarship through the Marsden Fund of her supervisor, she graduated with a PhD on 22 September at the age of 25.

Looking to the future, she’s hoping to find funding so she can continue to explore the field of neuroscience, including schizophrenia, hallucinations, and different experiences of sound and silence inside the mind.



Source: IHC New Zealand

Media are invited to attend Inclusive Futures 2026: National Disability Election Forum, where representatives from New Zealand’s major political parties will discuss their plans for improving the lives of disabled people and creating a more accessible and inclusive Aotearoa.

The forum is organised by leading disability sector organisations and will give voters the opportunity to hear directly from party representatives ahead of the 2026 General Election.

Disability issues affect hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders and their whānau, spanning health, education, employment, housing, transport, welfare and justice. Candidates will respond to questions from disabled people, advocates and community organisations about how their parties would address these issues.

Event details

• What: Inclusive Futures 2026: National Disability Election Forum
• When: Wednesday 7 October 2026, 4pm to 6pm
• Where: Te Wharewaka o Pōneke, Wellington
• Online: Live audience participation via Zoom
• MC: RNZ journalist Susie Ferguson

Participants

• Laura McClure (ACT)
• Julie-Anne Genter (Green Party)
• Priyanca Radhakrishnan (Labour)
• Rima Nakhle (National)
• Jenny Marcroft (New Zealand First)
• Qiulae Wong (The Opportunities Party)

About the organisers

The forum is supported by disability organisations, including IHC, Access Matters, Blind Low Vision NZ, Blind Citizens NZ, CCS Disability Action, Deaf Aotearoa, Disabled Persons Assembly, New Zealand Down Syndrome Association, Spectrum Care, The Personal Advocacy and Safeguarding Adults Trust, and Your Way | Kia Roha.



Source: ASB Bank

• ASB forecasts two more OCR hikes to 3.25% before Christmas as inflation proves more stubborn than expected.
• Fuel prices are delivering a fresh inflation shock, with annual inflation expected to dip slightly in Q3, before climbing back above 4% by year-end.
• Despite the economy growing 0.2% in Q2, households are yet to feel relief with unemployment at 5.6%, and house prices are expected to flatline in 2026.

ASB has lowered its growth outlook and raised its inflation forecasts, with higher fuel prices and a weaker New Zealand dollar expected to keep inflation higher for longer.

In ASB’s latest Quarterly Economic Forecast, Acting Chief Economist Kim Mundy says New Zealand’s economy is holding up, but households are likely to remain under pressure until 2027.

“If this year had a personality, it would be fickle. 2026 has kept holding out the promise of something better, then pulled away just as it felt within reach. As oil prices fell through the middle of the year, we had become increasingly hopeful that weaker Q2 growth was a brief hiccup.

“We now have a sense of déjà vu, with prices at the pump edging back towards their early-2026 highs and no clear path to ending the conflict.”

ASB expects the RBNZ to raise the OCR by a further 50 basis points this year to 3.25%.

“A key risk RBNZ will be monitoring is whether the high inflation environment starts to lift inflation expectations. If expectations become less anchored, the OCR may need to move above our current projection of 3.25% in 2027.”

Despite the shock, the economy has kept expanding. GDP rose 0.2% in the June quarter, following an upwardly revised 0.9% in Q1, driven by strong exports and construction. Goods export volumes were up 9% on a year earlier and services exports up 11%.

“The fact that the largest oil price shock in recent history hasn’t derailed recovery is significant. But growth remains narrow, and the oil shock has added more hurdles.”

The domestic side of the economy is a sticking point. Consumer spending fell in Q2 for the first time after six consecutive quarterly gains, as households pulled back on discretionary purchases. ASB expects a modest rebound in Q3, but the combination of high fuel costs, a soft labour market and rising interest rates will keep households cautious.

“Households are likely to remain cautious for some time. As a result, growth is expected to stay uneven and be driven largely by export demand until pressures on domestic demand begin to ease, which we expect in 2027.”

Unemployment hit an 11-year high of 5.6% in Q2, and ASB expects it to stay in the mid-5s until late 2027. Labour remains easy to source due to elevated unemployment, underemployment and youth struggling to find work. With the RBNZ focused on inflation and firms facing uncertainty and cost pressures, a durable recovery in labour market conditions is unlikely before mid to late 2027.

House sales have retrenched to levels last seen in mid-2024, and buyers have plenty of choice and time to decide. ASB expects house prices to largely flatline in 2026 before rising by 3.5% in 2027. It may be late 2029 before national prices approach their 2021 peaks.

“Structural shifts, including slower population growth, the likelihood of a less borrowing led cycle and a more responsive supply of new housing, point to a more moderate cycle than New Zealanders are used to. That’s good news for affordability, but it also means a smaller wealth effect for households.”

ASB describes the outlook as more uncertain than usual. The main risks are a further swing in oil prices, a possible super El Niño for the rural economy, and stronger than expected population growth if departures to Australia slow. The general election on 7 November also adds uncertainty.

“If 2026 has taught us anything, it’s to plan for the worst, but hope for the best.”



Source: Amnesty International

4 October 2026

• Australia must turn its claim to Pacific climate leadership into concrete action
• Governments urged to end fossil fuel era and deliver scaled up grants-based climate finance
• Amnesty International launches campaign spotlighting environmental human rights defenders

As Pacific leaders, communities and civil society gather in Fiji and Tuvalu for the Pre-COP31 meetings, the expected absence of many world leaders must not become another excuse for climate inaction, Amnesty International said today.

The meetings come after an unusually hot European summer, with August 2026 becoming the joint-hottest month on record. Against the looming threat of a powerful El Niño, widespread wildfires, droughts, and floods, the new UN warning of the world rapidly breaching warming thresholds adds urgency to the need for decisive climate action.

“World leaders have spent years talking about the climate threats facing the Pacific. Now they must come to Fiji and Tuvalu, listen to Pacific communities and act. Rising seas are already eating away at people’s lands, livelihoods and cultures. Concern without action will not hold back the tide,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

“Those who do not show up in person cannot evade their responsibilities. Their absence will not stop the seas from rising or erase the obligations of high-emitting countries towards communities paying the highest price for a crisis they did least to cause.

“An empty seat is not the greatest failure. The greater failure is an empty promise. Pre-COP31 must turn years of rhetoric into concrete commitments and action that deliver the climate ambition the world needs at COP31 in November.”

Fiji’s Environment Minister has said that the Pacific-led summit will proceed “with or without” major world leaders.

The Pacific is sounding the alarm

Amnesty International has documented how climate change is already harming human rights in Tuvalu, Kiribati and other Pacific Island countries. Rising seas, extreme heat, droughts and saltwater intrusion are threatening people’s rights to water, food, health, adequate housing and a safe future. Tuvalu contributes less than 0.003% of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet it faces some of the climate crisis’ most severe consequences.

During her visit to Tuvalu in 2025, Agnès Callamard witnessed efforts by communities and the authorities to reclaim land from the advancing sea and enable people to remain in their homeland.

“To any world leader who hesitates to confront the biggest crisis of our time, I say this: come to Tuvalu. Speak to people living with rising seas and extreme heat. Witness their daily struggle to adapt, protect their rights and push back against the impacts of a climate crisis they did not cause. The reclaimed land in Tuvalu is not a tourist backdrop. It represents a country fighting for its survival,” said Agnès Callamard.

Students from the Pacific took the fight against climate change to the world’s top court, leading the International Court of Justice to issue a landmark Advisory Opinion in July 2025, which made it clear that governments have a legal obligation to protect human rights from climate change impacts.

“The Pacific should not have to plead for the world’s attention. Climate action is no longer simply a political choice. It is a legal and moral imperative,” said Agnès Callamard.

“Governments must end fossil fuel use and expansion through just transitions that leave no one behind, tax big polluters and deliver scaled up grants-based climate finance, providing climate reparations and ensuring communities on the front lines of the climate crisis have the resources and power to determine their own futures. The Pacific is sounding the alarm. If the world fails to act here, it will fail everywhere.”

Australia must turn partnership into action

As President of Negotiations at COP31, Australia has a particular responsibility to stand with its Pacific neighbours and secure an ambitious, human rights-centred outcome. Australia cannot credibly claim climate leadership while continuing to support fossil fuel expansion that deepens the harms facing Pacific communities.

Based on Amnesty International’s recommendations ahead of COP31, Australia and other governments must use pre-COP31 to advance three priorities:

1. Stop the climate crisis at its source by ending fossil fuel expansion and accelerating a full, fast, fair, funded and human rights-compliant transition away from fossil fuels with states most responsible going further and faster. Renewable energy is less expensive than fossil fuels; governments must stop supporting their allies in the fossil fuel industry with tax-payer funded subsidies.
2. Support communities to thrive by ensuring the Just Transition Mechanism is operational and accountable and can help deliver funding and support to affected communities, including Indigenous Peoples.
3. Scale up finance from high income high emitting countries where it is needed most by significantly increasing public, grants-based funding for mitigation, adaptation, and loss and damage, without pushing lower-income countries further into debt.

“Pacific leadership has helped keep the fight for 1.5°C alive, but Pacific communities cannot carry the burden of global climate leadership alone,” said Agnès Callamard. “Australia must use its presiding role to turn Pacific demands into COP31 outcomes, starting with stopping the crisis at source through a just transition away from fossil fuels.”

No climate justice without environmental defenders

Governments cannot deliver climate justice while excluding affected communities or silencing those who challenge harmful projects. Across the world, Indigenous Peoples, environmental human rights defenders and communities on the front lines of the climate crisis are resisting fossil fuel expansion and fighting for fairer, more sustainable futures. Yet many face harassment, surveillance, criminalization, violence and restrictions on peaceful protest.

Australia’s treatment of peaceful climate activists will be an important test of its climate leadership. There are also concerns about restrictions on freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly in Fiji.

Ahead of COP31, Amnesty International is launching a global campaign “Protecting our Future: Environmental Human Rights Defenders Powering Just Transitions” spotlighting environmental human rights defenders and the alternatives they are fighting for around the world. This includes the First Nations people in Australia, who are challenging offshore oil and gas exploration affecting their lands and waters.

The campaign will show what resistance, dignity and a people-powered just transition can look like when communities refuse to see their lands, waters and futures sacrificed for fossil fuel profits.

Australia and Fiji must ensure that civil society, Indigenous Peoples, affected communities and environmental defenders can participate, speak out and protest peacefully without discrimination, intimidation or reprisals.

“Environmental defenders are protecting our shared future. Governments must listen to them, protect them and ensure they have a meaningful say in climate decisions,” said Agnès Callamard.

“COP31 must deliver more than promises. Anything less would betray our shared responsibility to uphold human rights and secure climate justice.”

Background

The Pacific-led pre-COP31 meetings will take place in Nadi, Fiji, and Tuvalu from 5 to 8 October 2026. COP31 will take place in Antalya, Türkiye, from 9 to 20 November 2026.

Official release: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/10/pre-cop31-pacific/



Source: Consumer New Zealand

5 October 2026

Consumers NZ’s fifth annual review of mobile phone provider transparency has found standards at their lowest level since the reviews began.

With providers going backwards despite new Commerce Commission guidelines, Consumer NZ says voluntary measures are not delivering the change consumers need.

Why transparency matters

In November 2025, the Commission published its Mobile Transparency Guidelines, setting out expectations for how mobile providers should give customers clear information about their usage and spending.

Consumer NZ’s Nick Gelling says this information helps people identify whether they’re on the right plan.

“Heaps of people stay on plans that don’t suit them because they don’t know how much data they actually use or what they’re spending. Providers already hold that information. They should be making it easy for customers to compare their options and find a better deal.”

Gelling says the latest results show providers are moving in the wrong direction.

“After five years of reviews and ongoing engagement, 2degrees, Spark and One NZ are going backwards. That’s especially disappointing after the Commission spelled out its expectations in new guidelines.

“Customers shouldn’t have to keep waiting for basic information that could save them money. These results show the voluntary approach isn’t working.”

Provider results

The worst at 46%: 2degrees

“2degrees didn’t send customers an annual summary of their usage and spend between July 2025 and July 2026, while it fixed data issues stemming from a new IT platform,” Gelling says.

Because customers received no annual summary during that time, there was nothing for Consumer to assess in that part of the review, and it pulled 2degrees’ overall score right down to 46%.

“Annual summaries are a crucial part of keeping customers informed about whether they could be getting a better deal – and a bare minimum expectation according to the guidelines – so skipping them for an entire year is not a good look.”

2degrees has since resumed its annual summaries, which Consumer is happy to see.

Second place at 67%: One NZ

One NZ’s annual “your year in review” email gives useful information and meets most of the Commission’s expectations. But its mobile app still shows only 2–3 months of historical data – well short of the 12 months called for in the guidelines.

“One NZ’s app displays 12 months of information for broadband customers, so it’s clearly possible – they just need to present that for mobile customers, too,” Gelling says.

Best of a bad bunch at 69%: Spark

Spark topped the rankings because of its excellent app experience, but its annual email summary has deteriorated. It used to include a best-plan recommendation and information about usage, but it now contains little more than a prompt to open the app or website.

“If 69% is enough to win, that’s a clear sign there’s something not working here,” Gelling says.

Commission signals stronger action

Telecommunications Commissioner Tristan Gilbertson says the findings underline the need for stronger action.

“Consumers should be able to see what they’ve spent, what they’ve used and whether a different plan would save them money. Getting this information should be a basic part of good customer care.

“When consumers can easily identify a better deal, providers have to compete harder to win and retain their business. Poor transparency leaves consumers paying more than they need and weakens competition.”

“The three largest mobile providers have had years to get this right. These results show that things are getting worse rather than better. Voluntary action has not delivered the progress consumers need, so we will now need to reach into our regulatory toolkit to drive change.”

Note to editors

This review is conducted in partnership with the Commerce Commission, which regulates New Zealand’s telecommunications market.

About Consumer NZ and the Commerce Commission

Consumer NZ is an independent, non-profit organisation dedicated to championing and empowering consumers in Aotearoa. Consumer NZ has a reputation for being fair, impartial and providing comprehensive consumer information and advice.

The Commerce Commission [https://www.comcom.govt.nz] is New Zealand’s competition, consumer and regulatory agency. It plays a crucial role in ensuring New Zealand’s markets are competitive, consumers are well informed and protected, and sectors with little or no competition are appropriately regulated.

The Commerce Commission’s vision is that New Zealanders are better off because markets work well and consumers and businesses are confident market participants.



Source: SAFE For Animals

Following a formal complaint lodged over ten months ago, SAFE says the Coalition Government has failed to address concerns over Associate Agriculture Minister Andrew Hoggard’s oversight of animal welfare.

SAFE’s original complaint pointed to a pattern of decisions under Minister Hoggard’s watch that it says prioritised industry interests over animal welfare, including the proposed reversal of the live export ban, the continued use of farrowing crates despite a High Court ruling, and Minister Hoggard’s prominent public endorsement of rodeo. The animal rights organisation says these examples raise serious concerns about conflicts of interest, industry influence, and the extent to which independent advice on animal welfare has been disregarded.

SAFE Campaign Manager Emily Hall says the substantive concerns outlined in their formal complaint warrant proper scrutiny and consideration.

“Our formal complaint reflects what we have consistently seen under Minister Hoggard’s oversight of the animal welfare portfolio, with industry capture going unchecked and animal welfare repeatedly being sidelined.”

After lodging the complaint with the Prime Minister’s Office in November 2025 and subsequently raising the matter directly with Agriculture Minister Todd McClay, SAFE says there has been no action, investigation, or meaningful engagement with the evidence it provided.

SAFE later escalated the matter to the Office of the Auditor-General, citing concerns about accountability and failures in the Government’s response process.

Hall says the issue has become about more than the original complaint.

“We’ve followed every appropriate process available to us, but ten months down the line we haven’t seen any meaningful action or investigation into the serious concerns raised about Andrew Hoggard’s oversight of animal welfare.”

SAFE maintains the evidence underpinning its complaint has not been properly examined, and that responses from Government officials have focused on dismissing the complaint rather than addressing its substance.

“The issue is now not only about the complaint itself, but also the refusal to address the issues raised” says Hall.

“These are serious concerns about the integrity of New Zealand’s animal welfare system and the extent to which industry interests could be shaping decisions on animal welfare at ministerial level.”

SAFE believes the lack of action raises broader questions about whether New Zealand’s animal welfare system contains adequate safeguards against industry influence. The organisation points to its recent call for Federated Farmers Vice President Sandra Faulkner to step down from the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC), maintaining that senior leadership roles within industry lobby groups are incompatible with positions intended to provide independent animal welfare advice.

According to SAFE, both situations point to a wider pattern which risks undermining public confidence in animal welfare decision making.

“A strong animal welfare system must be independent, transparent and accountable, but the current system is failing animals” says Hall.

SAFE continues to call for the animal welfare portfolio to be reassigned while the concerns regarding Minister Hoggard are investigated, maintaining that the Government’s failure to meaningfully engage with the complaint is now a matter of public accountability.

“This case really highlights what is fundamentally wrong with New Zealand’s animal welfare system” says Hall.

“When industry interests are allowed significant influence over animal welfare decision making and serious concerns can be ignored without proper examination, public confidence in the system is seriously undermined.”

SAFE is Aotearoa’s leading animal rights organisation.

We’re creating a future that ensures the rights of animals are respected. Our core work empowers society to make kinder choices for ourselves, animals and our planet.

Notes for editors

Timeline

• 10 Nov 2025: Formal complaint submitted to: Christopher Luxon – Prime Minister Winston Peters – Leader, NZ First David Seymour – Leader, ACT Todd McClay – Minister of Agriculture Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
• 20 Nov 2025: ‘No action’ response from PM’s office
• 2 Dec 2025: Follow up correspondence to PM’s office
• 2 Dec 2025: Letter sent to directly to Todd McClay (Minister of Agriculture)
• 5 Dec 2025: ‘No action’ confirmation from PM’s office
• 2 June 2026: Second letter to Todd McClay (Minister of Agriculture)
• 2 June 2026: Lack of response/process concerns escalated to the Office of the Auditor-General



Source: New Zealand Nurses Organisation

Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO has welcomed Labour’s promised pay rise for care and support workers as a first step. It says care and support workers now need a full settlement of their pay equity claim and a workable pay equity system for all of its members.

Labour today promised to restore pay equity legislation in its first 100 days. It also promised care and support workers a $4 an hour pay rise from 1 January 2027, which is about $160 a week before tax for an average full-time worker.

NZNO says the pay rise is good news, but it is not pay equity.

An extra $160 a week will make a real difference for care and support workers who are struggling to cover the basics. But a pay rise isn’t pay equity, these workers need their claim settled in full.

NZNO also needs to see a clear commitment to resolve pay equity issues for all of our members, including our current claims for nurses at Plunket and Hospice. Our members should not be working for less because they are predominately women.

NZNO is calling for a workable pay equity system that enables all its members to achieve pay equity.

Health is a key issue this election. We need every party to commit to investing in health, including fair pay for the people who deliver it,

More information about Pay Equity.



Source: Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi

Public service funding needs clarity

The Public Service Association says Labour’s commitment to care and support workers’ pay equity is the first step based on work already completed, but the union campaign for a full settlement within the first 100 days of a new government will continue.

“The initial payrise is welcome, but justice will only be done if it is followed quickly by full settlement of the care and support workers’ pay equity claim which is based on the agreed undervaluation of this work which is up to 38 percent,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.

“We will not be taking the pressure off to deliver a pay equity settlement for care and support workers. These workers cannot be expected to keep waiting for pay equity.”

“Care and support workers need a Labour-led Government to ensure that their work is properly valued – this is their only hope after National, NZ First and Act cancelled their claim and gutted the Equal Pay Act 1972.

“We still want to see a full pay equity settlement implemented for these 65,000 workers in the first 100 days and we will make ourselves available to take part in urgent work to make sure this happens.

“We anticipate a settlement could be reached through a one-day meeting if the funding is available and the political will is clear.”

Pay equity makes economic and fiscal sense. PSA analysis based on Treasury’s own model shows reinstating it would grow the economy by $13.5 billion over four years, create around 13,000 jobs, and lift an estimated 11,000 children out of poverty (see below).

Voters also support a settlement of all claims. A Talbot Mills poll commissioned by the PSA shows people would rather push out the surplus target than keep making women wait (see below).

“It is time to right the wrongs committed by this government,” said Fitzsimons. “Pay equity is an expensive election commitment because working women in New Zealand have been undervalued and underpaid for too long. They can’t afford to wait any longer.”

Comment on public service expenditure

Labour also announced it would reverse half of the additional cuts planned for the next Budget and fully reverse the cuts planned for future Budgets.

This is in addition to the party’s commitment to implement the public good test for all restructures put forward at the PSA Congress in September.

“We call on Labour to further clarify that cuts that have not already taken effect at the start of a Labour-led government will not go ahead,” said Duane Leo, National Secretary of the New Zealand Public Service Association.

“Labour will need to spend more on rebuilding the public service which will take significant investment. The cuts have taken their toll on individuals but also on the capacity of the public service to deliver public services.

“A strong New Zealand needs a strong public service, all cuts should be reversed,” said Leo.

Statement re undervaluation of care and support workers

29 September Opening of books must force Opposition parties to commit to pay equity

The PSA and the NZ Nurses Organisation reveal publicly the precise historic undervaluation of care and support workers showing they have been underpaid by between 24 percent and 38 percent.

Pay equity poll

26 September Pay equity poll: voters say make the fiscals wait, not women!

PSA analysis of economic and fiscal upside to restoring pay equity

9 September Restoring pay equity would boost income of 91,000 families by $300/week – PSA analysis

23 August Govt’s axing of pay equity cost jobs & GDP growth – PSA analysis

The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.