10. Question No. 10—Workplace Relations and SafetyCAMILLA BELICH (Labour) to the Minister for Workplace Relations and SafetyQuestion No. 10—Workplace Relations and Safety10. CAMILLA BELICH (Labour) to the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety: What recent announcements has he made about increasing wages for New Zealand's lowest-paid workers?Hon MICHAEL WOOD (Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety): Our Government is raising the minimum wage to $21.20 per hour from 1 April. We recognise that many New Zealanders who earn the minimum wage have been vital to our successful COVID-19 response and we're committed to supporting them by raising their wages as we continue to recover and rebuild from the pandemic. We've settled on a minimum wage rate that strikes a fair balance to ensure that working people's pay increases in a sustainable way knowing that our low-income earners will spend their wages back in their local communities with local businesses.Camilla Belich: How many people will the minimum wage increase benefit?Hon MICHAEL WOOD: Raising the minimum wage this year will lift the incomes of approximately 300000 New Zealanders particularly helping many households that have been the most impacted by the ongoing impacts of COVID-19. For someone working a 40-hour week on the minimum wage the increase will see them earning an extra $48 a week gross approximately $2500 per year. We also know that increasing the minimum wage stimulates local economic activity as people will spend the extra money on goods and services which in turn helps to support businesses. This will further help to accelerate our economic recovery.Camilla Belich: What response has he seen to this announcement?Hon MICHAEL WOOD: This announcement was welcomed by the Council of Trade Unions' president Richard Wagstaff who said There's never been a better time to increase the minimum wage. Despite suggestions to the contrary international and New Zealand evidence suggests that increasing the minimum wage does not increase unemployment." I'm also very pleased to see support from the Opposition with Nicola Willis confirming that National supports the Government's minimum wage increase saying "It is wrong to characterise National as opposing the minimum wage increase." It's good to see strong bipartisan support for increasing the wages for working people who have been absolutely essential to our COVID-19 response.Hon Simon Bridges: Supplementary?SPEAKER: No the member's party has used all its supplementaries.Hon Simon Bridges: Oh a point of order. I seek leave of the House for a supplementary.SPEAKER: What to ask a supplementary?Hon Simon Bridges: Yeah.SPEAKER: Is there any objection to the Hon Mr Bridges asking a supplementary? There appears to be none.Hon Simon Bridges: What was the reaction of Business New Zealand and the Employers and Manufacturers Association to the minimum wage announcement?Hon MICHAEL WOOD: As there always is with minimum wage announcements there were a range of responses and I can confirm that the responses from those organisations were consistent with their responses in 2020 when they stated that it would likely lead to a loss of jobs when in fact we got unemployment down to a record low 3.2 percent and I'm confident we'll continue that strong record this year.Hon Grant Robertson: Supplementary question?SPEAKER: The member can't seek leave for the member to have—Hon Grant Robertson: For me yeah.SPEAKER: Oh for yourself. Right OK.Hon Grant Robertson: He's dug his own grave. I'm ready to go. On the subject of consistency of responses can the Minister confirm that Nicola Willis' support for the minimum wage increase was not matched by Simon Bridges who seems to oppose it?Hon MICHAEL WOOD: Mr Speaker—SPEAKER: No no. No no. I think there's a matter of responsibility in that and that's not an area that this Minister is responsible for. And I'll just say to the Deputy Prime Minister I think he knew that—I think he knew that. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt this time but next time he'll be apologising."