Living Wage group submits

Members of Living Wage Porirua presented 933 submissions to Porirua City Council’s annual plan last Wednesday. The submissions ask the council to adopt the living wage of $19.80 by 2018.

The minimum wage is $15.25, but Living Wage Porirua says that is not enough to bring people out of poverty.

The New Zealand living wage rate, which will rise from $19.25 to $19.80 on July 1, has been calculated through research car- ried out by Charles Waldegrave from the Family Centre’s social policy research unit, with help from Dr Peter King.

When the living wage was introduced in 2013, it was $18.40.

New Zealand Council of Trade Union president Richard Wagstaff has said the living wage was a timely reminder of what needed to happen with the minimum wage.

Too many people were living in poverty, he said.

Rather than small top-ups, there needed to be a minimum wage policy to sustain a higher level. New Zealand’s living wage employers are a mix of small to medium businesses, community organisations and unions.

Last year, there were 27 fullyaccredited living wage employers in New Zealand. There are now nearly 50.

In 2013, Wellington City Council adopted a living wage policy for its staff, and in 2015 it began extending the payments to contractors.