It’s Time — To Fight.
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8:03 am, May 8th, 2025 - 18 comments
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Article from Mountain Tui Substack
The pay equity deal is a punch in the guts; it’s an alternating between wanting to shout and cry, and then, on the other hand seeing what abitter gift it all is.
The government voting as one to destroy the fight of women over decades is both extraordinary and yet also eerily mundane – for it is everything this government has done to too many already:
Disabled, poor, homeless, Māori, unemployed, nurses, doctors, public servants, workers overall.
As I wrote last July: First they came for the Māori, but I was too busy making dinner
Who was paying attention?
Brooke Van Velden announced the plan yesterday with a measure of professional pride:
The days of women “fishing for discrimination” are over.
“Equal pay is about gender based and sex based discrimination. Genuine discrimination. We believe that those settings have been muddled.”
In other words, there is no real discrimination here.
Get in line:
Behind the men.
Who in turn, will mostly stand under the “wealthy and sorted”.
For no claim of yours from hereon will succeed under our terms. And the 33 claims in progress are dead on arrival.
It’s as ACT and National suggested for another group too:
Māori do not genuinely experience racism. Take away their rights to claim in future, take away their voices, as fast as we can.1
Every single member of this govt is responsible for this moral decline in our society and government.
And they’ve all rallied in support of this bill – from Chris Bishop to Winston Peters, from David Seymour to National’s Minister for Women, Nicola Grigg, who authoritatively assured us “this is positive news for women.”
No, it’s not on Luxon alone – and New Zealand should never forget.
Although all the coverage has been about womens’ impact, as my friend Stephanie Cullen wrote, it’s not just women that will suffer this loss – it’s men, and entire industries too.
Every industry with large proportions of females suffers this set back today – that means less men and motivated, deserving women as carers, nurses, teachers, old age attendees, vet nurses, vet assistants, dental assistants, dental nurses, librarians, hospice workers.
Do you need them?
Do we?
Do they matter?
Do we?
Does the country?
It’s like that old tripe that motherhood or parenthood is an unmeasured discipline and unpaid work – when it is in fact themost valuable and influential profession in the multi-verse – irrespective of what GDP or any statistic or economist2 tells me.
Still, no-one needs to tell Judith Collins what a poisoned chalice National’s breathtaking incompetence has led them all to.
She knew.
She knows.
Willis tells media that “These women here. We were all around the Cabinet table and we’ve got very strong voices”
Nicola Willis’s clear bungling of her 2025 Budget finances, precipitated by the obnoxious, arrogant, reckless calls at every step3, has led National to the ultimate deal with the Devil today.
The budget hole – based on National’s promises, and not to be mistaken for what is fiscally sensible4 – will be huge for them to be this desperate.
Seymour was gloating that this is ACT’s brainchild and work, and that it is his party and his protégé that saved National’s backside.
The bill has passed as of now.
Under urgency.
Without one member of the public able to provide feedback.
They didn’t even try the disingenuous few day, non-publicised public consultation trick.
A measure of their intense desperation.
They didn’t comply with government standards.
Not even bothering with the critical Regulatory Impact Statement, a standard for all law proposals in NZ.
Cabinet paper shows govt proposal DOES NOT MEET requirements for regulatory proposals
They redacted all human rights considerations under the excuse of “legal privilege” too:
The Regulation Minister, who told us his goal for his shiny $76 million new Ministry of Regulation was to ensure “rigour” and good practice for all law proposals, said nah, it didn’t matter.
Women are angry.
Human rights advocates are outraged.
Humans are hurting.
Done by the right wing government — but dusted?
Never.
It’s time Aotearoa, New Zealand.
It’s time to stand up and fight.
Thanks for reading Mountain Tui! This post is public so feel free to share it.
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Te Pāti Māori is demanding urgent changes to the draft Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) framework, calling it a dangerous step backwards for Takatāpui, trans, and rainbow rangatahi. “This draft erases Takatāpui voices, ignores whānau diversity, and delays consent education. It’s not just inadequate, it’s unbelievably unsafe” said Te Pāti ...1 week ago
- Release: Labour welcomes inquiry into school lunches
Labour welcomes the Auditor-General’s inquiry into the Government’s school lunches programme. ...1 week ago
- Release: Women will keep being paid less under National
This Government is taking the women’s movement backwards, ensuring women will continue to be paid less into the future. ...1 week ago
- Govt takes workplace equity efforts backwards
The Green Party has called out the Government’s latest attack on workers with the announcement that it is halting all pay equity claims. ...1 week ago
- Release: Questions over Erica Stanford’s personal email use
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- Release: Labour backs workers while Govt cuts jobs and protections
This May Day Labour is standing with workers to defend decent jobs and fair pay. ...2 weeks ago
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- Prime Minister congratulates Albanese and Wong
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- Hunting and Fishing Minister joins game bird season opening hunt
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- New air ambulance helicopter for Auckland and Northland
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- New tools to help women navigate online harm
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Ive never seen so many mean looking faces on one page before.
While trying not sound like I'm victim blaming, but this is on everyone who voted for this mob, or deliberately didn't vote, and I suspect a lot of the women being affected by this are in the latter group.
Voting/not voting always has consequences, and should we really be surprised by this? If there's a way to save money (or find money for tax cuts), it's always the lower paid/unemployed/disabled etc etc who pay the price.
Why doesn't this basic fact register with so many of the public? The only way to prevent this sort of carnage is to vote to keep them out.
The well off and rich never get treated like this. It is always those working people (on this occasion women) or those with a disability who get dumped on by these right wingers. Do they have ice in their veins? Would they go out and do these difficult jobs that society is so dependant on? That Van Welden woman seems the coldest creature with no humanity whatsoever.
As for Nicola Willis and the cancelled ferries – the half billion in costs so far that should be going towards the actual ferries, not cancelled costs and no ferries.
Spot on, with the issues.
Before we fight, we need to organize.
What that looks like will differ depending on who you are.
Once we have 'the Man's' attention, what do we want?
What are our list of demands?
I suggest starting with a few fundamentals and achieve them. Build momentum, get a win then aim for the biggies.
If anyone has an article or two outlining the rise of Rogernomics, the neutering of the unions and how shareholders became top of the pyramid, it would help with the education of those with less grey hairs than me.
I'm going to offer up extra in my union fees to E Tu to help another join.
That Petrol Emotion, Big Decision from 1987.
"What you've gotta do
In this day and age
You gotta agitate
Educate
Organize
Take the time to live
Take the time to give."
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6LXYjkWT0Tg&pp=ygUgdGhhciBwZXRyb2wgZW1vdGlvbiBiaWcgZGVjaXNpb24%3D
Excellent on the Regulatory Impact Statement point, and on the redactions.
Sick.
It is indeed time to fight–but in what way? Māori and allies showed showed how it is done with mass action when they wiped the floor with Seymour and the Hobson white supremacists over the Treaty Principles Bill.
Without revisiting too much history, the formation of the NZCTU and dissolution of the FOL remains a significant class error of the later 20th century. Tripartism, partnership and positive engagement do not work with those that want nothing less than the total destruction of the organised working class and their historic gains. Union density has been low since 1991, as in most other OECD type countries with neo liberalism.
Brooke Van Velden took much glee in kneecapping Pay Equity as she does each time workers rights are wound back a little more. Parasite ACT (Atlas) ideology laid bare.
I don’t particularly expect a general strike due to passivity and lack of class left fightback mentality at CTU leadership level. Anti strike laws loom large in union officials thinking, getting stung for huge costs etc. So, direct action could be organised in a grass roots manner involving all women and their supporters rather than official union channels–rallies, meetings, publicity notwithstanding.
Grassroots action is alive and well, I have seen great leadership from CTU and union "officials" as well as the rank and file leadership and community. Sometimes it pays to have a look at what is going on or even attend a protest in the pouring rain like so many have done today. And talk to people.
C’mon, talking the top echelon not wanting to call direct action for various reasons. Health sector workers have been taking action for months, and today’s events were great.
You can pull your head in too, as a now retired union delegate, exec member, admin staff member, I am still regularly involved in rallies, marches with unions, supporting pickets and Iwi occupations etc.
I don't mean to offend. But there is always someone taking a swipe at the CTU or union leadership. The last general strike was in 1979. I thought yesterday was marvellous.
This is a fight by all women and their supporting partners husbands fathers brothers and extended whanau.
Especially wage and salary earners.
This change does not affect people (women) who earn through rents interest or capital growth of assets like property.
This unfair fast track of the criteria required to freeze 33 applications and make them begin again with far more stringent rules, gives an insight into David Seymour's Regulations Bill, which only 0.33% approved. 1 in 300. out of 12000? submissions.
It will be open slather as Barbara Edmonds showed. Inserting general rules allowing "Later Additions" Our Atlas weasel has been well trained in loopholes.
This "saves" Willis from finding about 1.78 billion a year. So Seymour gloats that Van Velden saved the Budget.
Meanwhile the Minister for women says the Bill is good for women. Something about "criteria being too loose" and this more stringent criteria will be good for women. Wow!!!
Sign the petition.
Find your local action group.
Approach Labour/The Greens/ Te Parti Maori.
Like Maori, we need to develop generational negotiating and targeted skills.
The array of solidarity of NACT women against public good in society on full display.
Not one compares to Marilyn Waring in standing up to tyranny and or for the good of women.
Something happens to women in blue when they pander for neo-liberalism, they start to sound like those women who do pressers for Trump.
100% SPC. Further the women and their supporters trying to get equity of pay, are treated as pawns to be played and sacrificed on the political chess board.
You are correct. Not one woman crossed the floor. Not one of these CoC women questioned the veracity of the arguments.
All the long years of work to improve the status of women in NZ just scrapped for money, so Willis did not have to admit abysmal failure of planning.
Some perspective from the Australian election.
The last re-elected PM – John Howard (11 years).
John Howard led the support for the Trumpite Dutton (including nuclear power) and helped him lose.
Three You Tube videos featuring him and his views
2.(Howard) never comfortable with multiculturalism – last week
3.Anthony Albanese is out of his depth – last week
Now the ugly Australian loses, helped by the Teal rebellion.
https://theconversation.com/the-feminisation-of-labor-is-a-key-reason-australians-embraced-it-and-anthony-albanese-255883
Our government was elected in 2023 despite 55% of women not supporting them.
They know this.
Luxon and his boys and those women who serve them and their agenda do so as gated community (private schools and health insurance) class above and apart from the rest of society.
They intent to establish their neo-liberal regime in place for some and not for all and they will lie about it to achieve this.
This is a time when the right wing being more obvious about their agenda is somehow a sign of alpha male dominance – the ones who are sorted being in charge. The age of obnoxious broligarchy.
They do not govern for the majority of men either, but sort of insinuate that men who oppose them are the ones not winners, to "emasculate" resistance as that of the weak of society. Thus males are herded along to vote with them, as per the USA, where real American men vote GOP, a party that could care less about them.
The pop up actions all around the motu outside CoC MPs offices is inspiring. Despite the pouring rain people are turning out. This is how we organise.
Impressive organising so fast. Good sign.
Looks like the climbdown / explaining has started
https://x.com/NZNationalParty/status/1920633559527956782
Doubledown, not climbdown.
The number of old people will grow year by year
https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360684741/hospices-risk-disappearing-without-more-government-money