Women revolt at NZ government's pay equity walk-back
New Zealand's government is confronting a backlash from women after cancelling dozens of gender-based pay claims to make savings ahead of a tough-as-nails budget.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis is poised to bank billions from the move, which was announced and legislated inside 48 hours last week.
The new law prompted hastily organised protests spanning the length of the country, recalling the mighty pushback that Chris Luxon's government weathered around ill-fated Treaty of Waitangi reforms.
This time around, rather than Maori who raised their voices, it has been women.
"Women across the country will pay the price for this ... it's a dark day," public sector union boss Fleur Fitzsimons said.
Pay equity claims are designed to raise wages in female-dominated industries, in a complex process that involves comparing their work to similar industries.
One such example was nursing, which saw a pay equity claim finalised in 2023, bumping salaries for 30,000 workers by tens of thousands of dollars a year - partially to compete with Australian wages.
Teachers, hospice workers and midwives were among 150,000 workers in industries who were hoping to finalise similar claims with the government until the shock move last week, which axed 33 unresolved claims.
Those industries are expected to lodge claims under a new model, despite the higher thresholds involved.
Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden said the system needed to be streamlined, given settled claims were costing the government an extra $NZ1.78 billion ($A1.64 billion) each year.
Her argument of cost-saving, ahead of the May 22 budget, has allowed opposition parties to claim the government had effectively docked their pay.
Prime Minister Chris Luxon argues that isn't right.
"The opposition, the unions and frankly the media have been actually scaremongering and being a bit disingenuous about all of this," he said.
"We know what we want to fix ... we have moved quickly to make sure that we can get one system in place."
Others believe otherwise.
"I don't think we've ever seen a clearer example of a government gaslighting half the population than the one we've seen in the last few days," Labour leader Chris Hipkins said.
"This is about saving money."
Alongside the spontaneous protests this weekend, there was near universal condemnation from the commentariat, including one explosive attack from senior and respected journalist Andrea Vance.
Ms Vance labelled Ms Willis a "c***" and a "girlboss" who betrayed feminism by defending the cuts by holding a press conference backed by five other female ministers.
"All united in a historic act of economic back-handing other women ... kind of like watching a 'Lean In' seminar hosted by the ghost of Margaret Thatcher," Ms Vance wrote in Wellington newspaper The Post.
In a right-of-reply in the same masthead, Ms Willis said she was appalled by the arguments.
"Having the C-word directed at me by a journalist in a mainstream publication wasn't on my bingo list for Mother's Day 2025. Nor was being accused of 'girl-math'," she wrote.
Ms Willis defended the cuts to "unwind a blow-out in costs that Treasury had been forecasting" in favour of other spending.
But there will be precious little of that in the May 22 budget, given she has already trimmed her operating allowances in pursuit of a surplus in 2027.
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