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Events – Snap rally Sunday in defence of public services PSA

Source: PSA

Snap rally Sunday in defence of public services
What: Snap rally to oppose Government cuts and support public service workers
When: 12-12.30pm, Sunday 24 May
Where: Te Papa forecourt, Wellington
Workers and community members will rally outside Te Papa at 12pm on Sunday 24 May to oppose the Government's reckless public service cuts and stand in solidarity with thousands of workers whose jobs are under threat.
“Since the Government’s announcement on Tuesday, we’ve seen an outpouring of support for public services and the people who deliver them,” said Fleur Fitzsimons. “New Zealanders know that public servants cannot be replaced by Artificial Intelligence.”
“Wellingtonians understand the importance of public services for all New Zealanders and will not put up with this wilful act of destruction.
“Dismissals have a devastating impact on individuals and their families, this rally sends a message to every public servant that their value and commitment to New Zealand is not defined by this Government and their choice to give landlords tax cuts.
Speakers at the rally will include: Wellington Mayor Andrew Little, Labour’s Public Services spokesperson Camilla Belich, Wellington Central MP Tamatha Paul, Te Pati Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, and NZCTU President Sandra Grey.
“Merging departments, replacing workers with untested AI, and a target to dismiss almost 9,000 public service workers by 2029 are all part of the plan laid out by Finance Minister Nicola Willis this week.
“This is just the start,” said Fitzsimons. “The Government will not stop until the public service is destroyed, we will not stop opposing them and resisting their destructive agenda until they’re voted out in November.”
Related media releases:
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 care and community groups.
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Emergency! New pre-Budget report highlights 5 reasons NZ’s ambulance service is heading for breaking point

Source: Workers First Union

Workers First Union and CICTAR* are today launching  “Emergency! Saving New Zealand's Ambulance Services” – a major new report arguing that New Zealand's partly charity-funded ambulance system is no longer fit for purpose, and that Budget 2026 must mark the beginning of its transformation into a fully publicly-funded service.
The report identifies five compounding pressures that together threaten to permanently overwhelm the current model, and the union is calling on the Government to fully fund ambulance operations and close the Trans-Tasman wage gap as a first step toward eventual public ownership.
Below, the union outlines the key headlines in the report and reacts to the Government’s announcement of a $35 million funding increase this morning.
FIVE PRESSURES
An ageing population. The over-65 population will double by 2065, pushing ambulance callouts up 61% – growing at nearly twice the rate of the overall population. Older patients cost 30% more per callout, take 20% longer on scene, and are 30% more likely to require hospitalisation. The total annual cost to serve is projected to rise from $508 million today to $1.93 billion by 2065, crossing $1 billion for the first time by 2045.
“New Zealand has an ageing population that will double in the next 40 years,” said Anita Rosentreter, Workers First Deputy Secretary. “The cost to serve the over-65 population alone will increase 368% by 2065.
“The ambulance service will cost nearly four times as much within a generation, and the current model has no answer for that.”
A Trans-Tasman wage gap bleeding the workforce. NZ ambulance officers earn 17-33% less after tax than their Australian counterparts – a gap of $13,000 to $35,000 per year depending on role. Australian superannuation contributions are nearly four times higher than NZ KiwiSaver. Training a registered paramedic costs the public nearly $150,000 before they can work without supervision.
“Our ambulance officers are being paid to leave New Zealand,” said Ms Rosentreter. “The moment any of them cross the Tasman, they are substantially better off. We’re effectively subsidising the Australian health system with $150,000 of public investment every time a trained paramedic walks out the door, and every 1% increase in attrition costs this country roughly $5 million a year.”
The collapse of charitable giving. Donations to St John fell 25% in 2022 and have barely recovered, while costs rose $154 million between 2021 and 2024. The average NZ donor is now 71 years old, with no pipeline of younger donors to replace them. Charitable donations are on track to become a negligible fraction of ambulance funding costs within two decades.
“The charitable model is collapsing just when we need it most,” said Ms Rosentreter. “And rather than fixing that, the system is shifting costs onto patients at their most vulnerable – St John raised its callout charge 28% last year to $125 and further rises could be ahead.”
A fuel crisis that has turned a long-term problem urgent. The national ambulance fleet runs entirely on diesel. Electrifying the national fleet would save an estimated $37 per vehicle per day at current fuel prices and $20.1 million per year in social costs from diesel pollution – but the $259-300 million upfront cost is out of reach for charities operating on tight margins. Only Crown financing makes it viable.
Coordination failures across the health system. Because ambulance services sit outside the public health system, workforce planning, recruitment and clinical pathways are managed in isolation from the rest of the sector. Public ownership would allow shared protocols, integrated data and aligned incentives, which would reduce system-wide costs and improving patient outcomes across the board.
AMBULANCE OFFICER REACTS
“The Australian pay packet can be very attractive to ambulance officers at all levels,” said Hannah Kennedy, a Critical Care Paramedic and Workers First delegate. “It’s the reason I moved to Australia after graduating, and after coming back for family reasons, you notice the difference.”
“The cost of living is already putting pressure on many of us, especially those who travel long distances to work with the price of fuel. Banks don’t consider your overtime rates as a base income, so even if you work them every week, getting a mortgage can be tough for people.”
She said the winter flu season was now beginning and older patients required more ambulance callouts as a result. “Care for our patients is not something we would ever compromise on, but it’s ambulance officers who bear the burden in missed breaks, late shifts and psychological pressure.”
“I just want to see the ambulance system fully funded and protected for the future so we can keep helping the patients who need us and keep paramedics working in New Zealand.”
BUDGET 2026
A new ambulance funding cycle begins in July 2026 – the first since the previous Labour Government's 2022 agreement. Workers First is calling on the Government to use Budget 2026 to fully fund ambulance operations and take meaningful steps toward closing the Trans-Tasman wage gap.
The “hurriedly announced” $35 million increase announced this morning was welcome, but another one-off funding top-up would not be sufficient to fully fund ambulance services and left the model reliant on charity, Ms Rosentreter said.
“More one-off funding for our ambulance service is welcome, but we need long-term solutions, not more band-aids and quick decisions made in an election-year. We’re talking about a ticking time-bomb here.”
“The injection of $8.75 million new funding per year does not fully fund the service by any stretch of the imagination, and continues the reliance on donations to fund life-saving emergency medical care.”
Workers First estimates that halving the wage gap in Budget 2026 would require $69.1 million in new remuneration funding – made up of $34.7 million to cover projected attendance growth and a 5% wage increase, and a further $34.5 million to close half of the current 18% average after-tax gap across all roles.
The union is also calling for a single, consolidated reporting system covering the entire emergency ambulance service. Ambulance funding is currently spread across multiple providers, government agencies and budget documents with inconsistent reporting standards, making meaningful public scrutiny almost impossible.
“Transparency is a prerequisite for a system designed to deliver for patients and workers,” said Ms Rosentreter.
“The Government is already the effective economic employer – it sets the funding envelope and that dictates everything operators can and cannot do. Budget 2026 must reflect that reality. Full funding now, and public ownership as the goal.”
Background information
  • New Zealand's emergency ambulance services are currently provided by two partially charity-funded operators: Hato Hone St John, operating nationally, and Wellington Free Ambulance, covering the Wellington and Wairarapa regions. New Zealand is an international outlier among comparable OECD nations in funding ambulance services partly through charitable giving rather than as core public health infrastructure.
  • St John was established in New Zealand in 1885. Wellington Free Ambulance was founded in 1927 after Wellington mayor Charles Norwood witnessed an injured man lying beside the road with no ambulance available. Government contracts were eventually added to these charitable structures, but the underlying model was never redesigned. The Crown is already the dominant funder – covering 87% of Hato Hone St John's annual costs in 2024-25 – but ambulance services remain outside the public health system.
  • The “Emergency!” report was authored by Edward Miller of CICTAR, with contributions from Anita Rosentreter (Deputy Secretary) and Faye McCann (National Organiser) from Workers First Union.
  • *CICTAR – Centre for International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research
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World Vision – URGENT RESPONSE NEEDED TO PROTECT CHILDREN AS EBOLA TAKES HOLD IN DRC

Source: World Vision

World Vision warns that children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are at grave risk as a new strain of Ebola sweeps the nation.
Last week the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) declared a new Ebola outbreak, with the number of suspected cases rising quickly into the hundreds.
The outbreak is centered in the Ituri Province which is home to nearly one million internally displaced people, many of them living in overcrowded sites where water is scarce and healthcare is limited.
The National Director for World Vision in the DRC Philippe Guiton says the new outbreak marks a dangerous turning point because there is no known vaccine for the current Bundibugyo (BVD) strain .
“This new outbreak comes amid an already fragile humanitarian situation in the DRC and children are among the groups most exposed to this health threat.
“World Vision is taking measures to limit the spread of this outbreak and save lives, particularly through hygiene promotion, strengthening infection prevention and control, and supporting families in displacement sites where the risk of transmission is highest,” he says.
World Vision has a long history of responding to Ebola outbreaks, not only in DRC, but also in Uganda, Sierra Leone, and West Africa. In these cases, World Vision trained faith leaders and motorbike riders to deliver life-saving health messages and address misinformation in remote communities.
Guiton says the organisation has learned lessons from the 2018-2019 outbreak in Eastern DRC when fear and misinformation spread rapidly.
“In previous outbreaks, families hid symptoms, but with the right approach we saw communities overcome fear, rebuild trust, and protect their children. We know what is possible, but we need more support to take action.
“A new Ebola variant with no available vaccine is a threat we cannot afford to ignore. The lives of thousands of children depend on what we do next,” he says.
World Vision DRC’s East Zone Director, David Munkley, says time is of the essence and it’s vital the international community band together to support the response in the DRC.
“Actue malnutrition is already rife in Ituri region which further weakens people’s immune systems and this combined with extremely limited access to healthcare in remote areas means children and families are at great risk. A rapid and coordinated response will help save lives and reach the greatest number of affected people,” he says.
Munkley says World Vision is calling for urgent international support to fund health workers, community mobilisation, and protective equipment in Ituri province.
New Zealanders wanting to support World Vision’s work in the DRC can give here; www.wvnz.org.nz/CHR
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Events – Anti-War Aotearoa and Greenpeace announce a March for Peace

Source: Greenpeace

Anti-War Aotearoa and Greenpeace have announced a joint March for Peace, calling on New Zealanders to gather at Aotea Square on 20 June 2026. The hīkoi will demand that Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and the Coalition Government prioritise people and the planet over imperial aggression and immediately halt any involvement in US-led wars.
The groups are urging the Government to implement fully independent foreign policy grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi, diplomacy, and international law.
Niamh O’Flynn, Programme Director at Greenpeace Aotearoa, says the nation's environmental and international priorities are fundamentally linked.
“We oppose Luxon and the coalition Government allowing Aotearoa to be drawn into Trump’s wars, and we strongly oppose the minerals deal being negotiated to fuel those wars,” says O’Flynn. “We call for an independent foreign policy in Aotearoa that prioritises peace, upholds the UN charter, and supports the wellbeing of people and the planet. We must not sell off Aotearoa’s natural places to the highest bidding war-monger.”
A spokesperson for Anti-War Aotearoa says the march is a necessary public response to escalating imperial aggression, the erosion of international law, and a dangerous shift in domestic priorities.
“We are marching because Aotearoa needs to become a voice for peace and reason in an increasingly unstable world, rather than acting as a supporting player in these illegal, foreign wars,” Anti-War Aotearoa spokesperson Gabriella Brayne says. “We demand that the New Zealand government places immediate sanctions on Israel to end the genocide in Gaza, gets fully behind the ICC and ICJ cases against war crimes, and pulls public funding from militarisation so it can be invested into health, housing, and education,” said Brayne.
The marchers will unite behind several core demands:
  • 1. The government must condemn the illegal US-Israeli attack on Iran, which has caused global instability. 2. No military support or deployment of New Zealand troops, aircraft, naval assets, rockets, or intelligence support to US-led wars of aggression.
  • 3. New Zealand must refuse any war minerals deals with the Trump administration.
  • 4. Implement immediate and meaningful sanctions on Israel to help end the genocide in Gaza. New Zealand must stand with those living under occupation and demand an end to the collective punishment of civilians.
  • 5. Consistently uphold the UN Charter and support the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ) cases regarding war crimes, including South Africa’s case against Israel.
Organisers are encouraging the public to bring a friend, a banner, a sign, or a drum to hīkoi for peace over power.
EVENT DETAILS:
What: March for Peace
Hosted by: Anti-War Aotearoa & Greenpeace Aotearoa
When: Noon, Saturday, 20 June 2026
Where: Aotea Square, Auckland.
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Pre-Budget Emergency! report launched – tackling the "time bomb" in our ambulance services – Workers First Union

Source: Workers First Union

WHAT: Workers First Union and CICTAR– are launching a new research paper this Friday 22 May: Emergency! Saving New Zealand’s Ambulance Services.
The report provides important new insights and details five significant issues facing our emergency ambulance services that the authors argue necessitate full governmental funding and in future, public ownership of New Zealand’s ambulances.
WHEN:
Friday 22 May, 1:00 – 2:00 PM
WHERE:
St Colomba Centre, 40 Vermont Street, Ponsonby, Auckland
WHY:
Anita Rosentreter, Workers First Deputy Secretary, said that the Emergency! report provided new insights into the scale and breadth of the challenges faced by our partially charity-funded ambulance services.
“New Zealand has an ageing population that will double in the next 40 years and increase both the number and the cost of ambulance callouts,” said Ms Rosentreter. “The cost to serve the over-65 population alone will increase 368% by 2065, meaning it will cost more than four times as much as today, growing at more than three times the rate of that population itself.”
“There’s a vast pay gap between us and Australia, and any paramedic would be 17-33% better off across the ditch. The most experienced paramedics face the largest financial incentive to leave, costing us millions in public investment that is not recouped.” 
Further information will be presented at the report launch and discussed by the panel, who are available to speak to attending media. These topics include the cost of electrifying New Zealand’s ambulance fleet, the collapse in charitable giving, and coordination issues with the rest of the health service. 
-Centre for International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research ( cictar.org)
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Analysis – Farcical 5 minute select committee submissions on India NZ FTA; Labour must say no

Source: Professor Emeritus Jane Kelsey

“The New Zealand India Free Trade Agreement has been a political stunt from start to finish”, says Professor Emeritus Jane Kelsey, who has over 40 years of expertise analysing such agreements.  

“Now we are told they plan  to rush it through the select committee in just two days, next week and the week after, presumably so they can pass the necessary legislation and the Prime Minister can secure some pre-election glory during Indian Prime Minister Modi's visit in July.”

“New Zealanders, especially the media, were fed carefully prepared propaganda about the deal before anyone could see the text. Once those of us with the skills and responsibilities to do so could  analyse the fine print, it was already signed. That revealed deep flaws in the agreement that will create major problems in the years ahead.”

“We were told we could have our turn during select committee examination of the agreement.”  

Jane Kelsey says that always seemed unlikely, given the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade committee has shown a blatant disregard for its obligations to independently review agreements, and decided not to conduct the review of the treaty examination process recommended by the last Standing Orders Committee review.

“ I indicated that I planned to come from north of Auckland to Wellington, at considerable expense, to discuss my submission with the committee.”

“Instead, the committee has continued to show contempt for submitters by allocating 5 minutes to me as an individual, and 10 minutes to groups, irrespective of our expertise or the significance of the agreement.”

Professor Kelsey urged the Labour Opposition,  whom the government is relying on to make that happen,  to get a backbone and refuse to be complicit in this abuse of parliamentary process. “They are the only ones who can stand up to this.  Their failure to do so will make them complicit in allowing a deeply flawed agreement to be waved through without  even a pretence of scrutiny”.

For Jane Kelsey’s submission see https://www.bilaterals.org/?10-key-takeaways-on-the-india-nz

Professor Emeritus Jane Kelsey
Faculty of Law
University of Auckland
Aotearoa New Zealand.
 
10 KEY TAKEAWAYS ON THE INDIA NZ FTA

Professor Emeritus Jane Kelsey

The Politics of the Deal                                                                                        1
The Economics of the Deal                                                                                  2
India’s Unilateral Clawbacks                                                                                3
Investment Commitment a Free Pass to India                                                     4
Te Tiriti o Waitangi Goes Backwards                                                                    5
Little Difference on Labour Mobility                                                                      6
Traditional Knowledge and Genetic Resources                                                   7
Rongoā and Traditional Medicine                                                                         8
The Mirage of Sustainable Development                                                             9
A Genuine Pre-ratification Review                                                                       10.

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New Year Honours recipients recognised – Fire and Emergency NZ

Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand

Fire and Emergency New Zealand personnel from across New Zealand have been presented with New Year Royal Honours by the Governor-General, the Rt Hon Dame Cindy Kiro, at Government House in Wellington.
“These recipients have dedicated decades to supporting their communities to become stronger, safer, and more resilient through their roles with Fire and Emergency and through their many other community contributions. It is wonderful to see their efforts recognised,” Fire and Emergency Board Chair, Rebecca Keoghan says.
“On behalf of Fire and Emergency and the people of New Zealand, we thank you for your outstanding service, your communities are stronger because of your work.”
Congratulations to this year’s recipients:
For appointment as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM)
Mr Donald George (Don) GEDDES
For services to Fire and Emergency New Zealand, Land Search and Rescue and the community.
Mr Don Geddes worked with Ashburton District Council as both Principal Rural Fire Officer and Civil Defence Emergency Management Officer for 18 years. Through this role, Mr Geddes managed 10 rural fire forces and 180 volunteers. In 2016 he helped facilitate the implementation of a Welfare Trust, which supports the welfare of volunteer firefighters and their families. He has been a key liaison with Federated Farmers, developing long-standing relationships with the arable farming sector, particularly for the safe burning of crop residue. He has volunteered for Land Search and Rescue New Zealand (LandSAR) with the Methven Group for 50 years and chaired the Group for 20 years. He has served on the Canterbury Regional SAR Committee and chaired that Committee for a term. He served as a Gazetted Advisor (LandSAR) to the New Zealand Police. He was part of a five-person National LandSAR Advisory Panel in 2016, to the then Chief Executive Officer of LandSAR New Zealand. He is a Trustee and Chairperson of WanderSearch Canterbury, a volunteer organisation providing free radio frequency devices for vulnerable individuals at risk of wandering. Mr Geddes has served as a Trustee of the Mid Canterbury Rural Support Trust and continues his involvement with the Trust as a volunteer.
For the award of the King’s Service Medal (KSM)
Mr Lloyd Bertram CLAUSEN, MStJ
For services to Fire and Emergency New Zealand and the community.
Mr Lloyd Clausen has been a leader in the Leeston community for several decades, serving with a range of organisations.
Mr Clausen joined the Leeston Volunteer Fire Brigade in 1969, since serving in several roles including Deputy Chief Fire Officer and Chief Fire Officer, and being made a Life Member in 1994. He has promoted and led extensive Community Fire Safety programmes in the area. He has been on the Leeston Township Advisory Committee for 30 years, serving as Chair from 2004 to 2024. He has overseen and operated the Leeston Learners Pool for more than 30 years, organising volunteer operation and maintenance. He is the current President of the Ellesmere Returned and Services Association, after 20 years of membership, including organising the annual Poppy Day sales and ANZAC Day services. He is a long-serving member for more than 20 years of the Ellesmere and Selwyn St John Area Committee. Starting in 2011, he has been a Foundation Trust Board Member of the Ellesmere Heritage Park Trust. Mr Clausen has played with the Ellesmere Brass Band for 22 years and the Royal New Zealand Air Force Base Wigram Brass Band for 13 years, performing at various functions locally and nationally.
Mr Paul David HARRIS, JP
For services to Fire and Emergency New Zealand and the community.
Mr Paul Harris has contributed to the Waipara community for 50 years.
Mr Harris has served with the Waipara Volunteer Fire Brigade since 1975 and as Chief Fire Officer from 1999. He is involved in a wide array of community groups, including the Glenmark Reserves Committee, which he chaired for 15 years. He has raised funds for the Friends of Glenmark Church to maintain this century-old structure. He has been a judge for the New Zealand Shearing Sports committee since 1995 and a referee for the World Sheep Shearing Record Society from 2007 to 2024, judging record attempts nationally and in the United Kingdom and Australia. He was Chief Referee for the World Shearing Championships in Invercargill in 2017. He has chaired the South Island Shearing Sports Committee and the World Sheep Shearing Record Society since 2021. He organised one of New Zealand’s earliest long-standing Speed Shear competitions, held in annually in Waipara for 25 years. Since 1980 he has been a member of the Glenmark Rifle Shooting Club and has helped organise various tournaments. Mr Harris has been a Justice of the Peace in the Waipara community since 1998.
Mr Patrick Gerard O'ROURKE
For services to Fire and Emergency New Zealand and the community.
Mr Patrick O'Rourke has served with the Rissington Rural Volunteer Fire Force, north-west of Napier, since 1993.
Appointed Controller in 1999, Mr O'Rourke oversaw the relocation of the Rissington Fire Station to its current site, and led the Brigade through its integration with Fire and Emergency New Zealand. He ensured the geographically isolated Brigade remained a vital first response to a wide range of emergencies. Following Cyclone Gabrielle, he applied his emergency management training to mobilise the Brigade and wider community, establishing a temporary hub to connect residents with support services, during a three-week period of isolation from Napier and Hastings. His leadership contributed to an additional permanent Community Hub building constructed next to the fire station to enhance community resilience. He is a Trustee of the Tumanako Charitable Trust, established in response to Cyclone Gabrielle to financially support recovery efforts for families in the Rissington, Patoka and Puketitiri districts. He has volunteered extensively in the Rissington community since the early 1990s. As Chairperson of Rissington Community Group since its inception in 2011, he has overseen initiatives including scholarships, reunions and community events. Mr O’Rourke served on the Rissington School Board of Trustees from 1994, including nine years as Chairperson, supporting staff and students through fundraising, camps and other activities.
Mr Stanley Donald (Don) SCOTT
For services to Fire and Emergency New Zealand and civil defence.
Mr Don Scott has been involved with volunteer fire brigades since the 1960s across several regions.
While a paid firefighter in Auckland, Mr Scott established the Onewhero Rural Fire Brigade in 1985, serving as its first Rural Fire Controller. He then volunteered with the Eastland Rural Fire Brigade from 1994, helped establish the Tamatea Rural Fire Force in Central Hawke’s Bay in 2011, before relocating to Hokitika in 2019. He is Health and Safety Officer and Welfare Support Officer for Wairoa Volunteer Fire Brigade, having joined in 2024. Identifying that volunteer rural firefighters were not represented on rural fire matters as a national collective, he approached the Forest and Rural Fire Association of New Zealand in 1989 and established an agreement for the inclusion of Rural Forces as members. He then served as a Committee member from 1994 to 2015. He carried out volunteer civil defence functions between 1996 and 2024 with the District Councils of Gisborne, Wairoa, Hastings, Central Hawke’s Bay, Buller and Westland. He held various roles and provided leadership, notably, for the 2007 Gisborne earthquake, 2019 Fox River flood event, and the 2021 and 2022 Westport flood events, as well as supporting the response to the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes and Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023. Mr Scott served as Treasurer of Hokitika Lions Club.
Mr Paul Gregory (Tomsie) TOMS
For services to Fire and Emergency New Zealand and football.
Mr Paul “Tomsie” Toms has volunteered with Te Aroha Volunteer Fire Brigade since 1981 and has been involved with Te Aroha Soccer Club since the late 1970s.
Mr Toms trained as a firefighter-driver and has maintained a high callout attendance percentage. He was Brigade Secretary from 1986 to 1990, Treasurer from 1993 to 1997, joint Secretary/Treasurer until 2001, and has since been Treasurer. He served on numerous Brigade committees for special projects, including to build a shed for the rural fire tanker, alterations to the ageing fire station, bi-annual fundraisers for rescue equipment, and the purchase of two other utility vehicles. He is a Life Member of the Brigade and has continued to promote fire safety and awareness in local schools and through school tours of the fire station. He coached Te Aroha Soccer Club’s first women’s team in the 1980s. He was one of the driving forces behind the building of the clubrooms and moving from Te Aroha College grounds to their present home on Boyd Park. After retiring from playing in the 1980s, he has been a referee with the local Waikato League and has continued to offer advice to the club and coaches on rules and interpretations. Mr Toms has been Membership Secretary of Te Aroha RSA since 1981. 
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Human Rights Commission – Definitions of Woman and Man legislation not necessary, risks further harm to Rainbow people

Source: Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission

All people have the right to a life of dignity and freedom from discrimination.

Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission says the Legislation (Definitions of Woman and Man) Amendment Bill falls short of the government’s human rights obligations, and risks harm to communities who continue to experience discrimination on the basis of their gender identity. The bill passed its first reading on Wednesday.

The NZ Bill of Rights Act 1990 and the Human Rights Act 1993 protect people in Aotearoa New Zealand, including transgender, non-binary, and intersex people, against unlawful discrimination. The Commission has long interpreted the prohibited ground of sex discrimination as being inclusive of gender identity, accepting complaints of discrimination from transgender people on this basis.

“There's no need to define ‘man’ and ‘woman’ in the law because the law already works well using the usual meaning of those words. Adding strict definitions can create confusion, leave people out, and cause problems without actually changing how the law works,” says Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner and Women’s Rights spokesperson, Professor Gail Pacheco.

“Consultation is needed with the communities that would be affected by the proposed legislation. Everyone has the right to be involved in decisions which affect their lives.”

Disability Rights Commissioner and Rainbow rights spokesperson, Prudence Walker adds: “This Bill does not advance human rights. I am concerned this legislation will trample on the mana of trans and intersex people, who already face well-documented discrimination in Aotearoa. It also attempts to completely erase non-binary people.”

“Tangata whenua have experienced firsthand what happens when language is weaponised against a people,” says Indigenous Rights Governance Partner, Dayle Takitimu. “There have always been diverse gender identities in Aotearoa, and this narrowing of peoples’ identities would be another colonial harm inflicted on those communities.”

Under international human rights standards, all people have the right to define their own gender and be free from harm based on their gender.

The Attorney-General wrote a 2006 opinion concluding that transgender people were covered by the Human Rights Act. More specifically, the opinion found that the prohibition of discrimination on the ground of sex in the Act includes prohibition on the ground of gender identity. The Commission has taken this position since 2005. Last year, the Ombudsman supported our interpretation of the Act, finding that it aligned with our statutory obligations and under international law.

We encourage trans people to make use of our resource Trans Rights are Human Rights. More data about trans and non-binary people’s experiences can be found in the Counting Ourselves Health Survey.

While Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission can’t make findings or decide if the law has been breached, we can help by providing information and support and in some cases can offer a dispute resolution process for complaints.

If someone believes they have experienced unlawful discrimination, they can make a complaint via our website ( https://tikatangata.org.nz/resources-and-support/make-a-complaint ) or by contacting us on 0800 496 877 or infoline@tikatangata.org.nz.

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Total exports reach $8.6 billion in April 2026 – Overseas merchandise trade: April 2026 – Stats NZ news story and information release

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Employment Disputes – Migrant bus drivers to protest at Britomart over "unfair" immigration policy – WORKERS FIRST UNION

Source: Workers First Union

WHAT:
Migrant bus drivers in Auckland will be protesting at Britomart Square on Friday afternoon, seeking support from the public for the Union Network of Migrants (UNEMIG) campaign: ‘ Migrants are not Disposable Workers’.
WHEN:
Friday 22 May, 16:00
WHERE:
Britomart, Te Komititanga Square along Customs Street, Auckland
WHY:
“Migrant bus drivers have helped to keep Auckland moving through staff shortages, but they are being treated as disposable because of unfair immigration policy,” said Max Santiago, Workers First organiser.
“The English language requirement for bus drivers seeking residency is unreasonable and discriminatory. The standards imposed are at an academic level while wealthy investors are able to access the Golden Visa pathway without any English language examination.”
“These workers contribute enormously to public transport and deserve dignity, respect, and proper support – not insecurity and fear for their livelihoods.”
“We invite workers, passengers, unions, migrant communities, and supporters to stand together in calling for fair treatment and decent working conditions for all bus drivers.”
“We are also calling for a suspension of the 12-month stand-down period that prevents experienced drivers from continuing to work and supporting their families.”