The Prime Minister says a minimum wage of $15 an hour isn't a viable option in New Zealand, but 3 News political editor Duncan Garner disagrees. He believes New Zealand workers will reach this sum by the end of the current political term.
“I think their aim will be to try and get up to $15 by the end of this term, by 2014, but there’s no guarantees – you’ve got to do it based on growth in the economy.”
From April the minimum wage will rise by 50 cents to $13.50 an hour, a move the Government was forced to make.
“National could have not put it up at all, but that wouldn’t have been viable politically and economically, but this is a party that doesn’t actually overly believe in the minimum wage,” says Garner.
Key says a small increase means that people will keep their jobs, and can stay on top of their bills but the Council of Trade Unions, and the opposition, are disappointed at the Government's stance – the opposition had been pushing for the rate to increase by $2.
But the party which has been most vocal about criticising the Government is one of their own coalition partners, the Maori Party.
The National Party’s plans to sell state-owned assets and the minimal minimum wage increase have both copped flak, but Garner says the Maori Party needs to do more than just political pointscoring.
“I just wonder how many times can the Maori Party sit there and say ‘you’ve failed us, you’ve failed us, you’ve failed us’ – there will come a time where those empty threats have to be fulfilled,” he says.
3 News