And once again raising the minimum wage national doesn't do a damn thing
It's always zero/zilch, another story
The Working Poor – New Zealand’s Big Issue – witchdoctor.co.nz
new phrase has entered New Zealand’s vocab in recent times: ‘working poor’. It’s pretty much what it says on the box. Although 95.5 percent of New
Zealanders are working full-time and earning a wage, they’re still struggling to survive.
Why is this happening?
Figuring first and foremost in this complex issue is the lack of decently paid, skilled work in New Zealand. It’s a sad fact that wages in New Zealand are atrocious. According to countryeconomy.com the average wage in Australia during 2017 was A$64,022 versus a rather pathetic NZ$39,080 in Aotearoa.
The good news is that New Zealand has minimum wage laws. So, employees in New Zealand must be paid at least the minimum hourly wage rate (
which is currently $16.50 per hour, set annually by the government). Being paid less than the minimum wage is illegal if you are a full or part-time employee. It doesn’t, however, apply to contractors.