Flavell Te Ururoa: Employment Relations (Rest Breaks and Meal Breaks) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Flavell Te Ururoa: Employment Relations (Rest Breaks and Meal Breaks) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:662;Page:10516] 
TE URUROA FLAVELL (Maori Party—Waiariki) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Assistant Speaker 
 
 kia ora tatau katoa. Na runga i te hiahia kia korerotia to tatau reo Maori i roto i te Whare nei kua kawe haerehia tenei korero i roto i te reo Maori. 
Ehara i te mea no inaia tonu nei tenei momo ahuatanga no mua noa atu no nga tau kua hipa. I a au e ata rangahau ana i tenei o nga pire ka ata kite atu a i te tau 1908 i tu tetahi raruraru nui o roto i a koe pea i Te Wai Pounamu i te takiwa o Te Poutini i te taone o Blackball. E ai ki ta wetahi kaore tetahi o tera hunga o tera taone i whakaae kia mutu wawe nei tana kai. I te tekau ma rima meneti i whakaritea mai ai mo te wa tina. Ko te ingoa o te tangata nei ko Hickey. Ka mutu na runga i tana kore whakaae kia mutu tana kai i te wa whakaritea mai ai ko ia me ona hoa e ono i panaia i te mahi. A i te kaiwaro tenei o roto o te taone o Blackball. I tera wa ko te kaiwhakahaere o tera wahi i hiahia ia kia whakarahi ake nga haora mahi mo te ra ki te tekau haora. Na na wai ra na wai ra a i pahu mai tera mea e kia ana ko te Blackball strike a ka mutu i puta mai te uniana me tana kore hiahia ki te whaiwhai haere i tera tikanga a he hiahia ke no ratau kia waru haora i te ra mo te wa mahi. Na i haere te take nei ki te koti a ka mutu i whainahia nga kaiwaro nei ka mutu kaore nga tangata nei i hiahia ki te utu i nga nama a i haria katoatia wa ratau taputapu i hokona engari i tona mutunga mai ka ki mai nga kaiwaro kia kaua e hoko nga taputapu e korero ake nei. E ai ki taku mohio e toru nga marama e penei ana te ahuatanga a tona mutunga mai me ki i hoki nga tangata nei ki roto i wa ratau mahi. 
A i penei ra taku whakamarama ki a koe Mr Assistant Speaker i te mea anei tatau i tenei wa tonu nei kotahi rau tau mai i tera wa a e korerohia ana tenei pire ahua orite tona putake tona ngako engari ara ano etahi paku rereketanga. E ai ki ta te pire me whakarite i etahi wa whakata etahi wa kai me te ki ano hoki me whakaaetia nga wa me te roa o te kai i waenganui i te kaiwhakahaere ranei te pahi ranei te rangatira ranei o te mahi me te kaimahi. Koinei kei te putake. Ki te kore a ka mutu me whiriwhirihia etahi wa e pai ana ki a raua mo te whakata me te kai. Na taku mohio tera pea ka ohorere etahi o nga kaimahi nga kaiwhakahaere o etahi toa kaore etahi momo tikanga penei i enei e whakahaeretia ana i tenei wa tonu nei ara mo tetahi wa kia kai te tangata te kaimahi i tana kai. No reira na runga i tera whakaaro tera pea e tika ana kia tae mai tetahi ture penei i tenei me ki kia whai wahi nga tangata ki enei momo tikanga ara mo te whakata te roa o te whakata me te kai i wa ratau kai. Tera pea i pohehe etahi i reira tonu tenei momo tikanga i mua i te mea ko te nuinga o tatau he kapu ti he kapu kawhe ranei me te miraka. Koinei te ahuatanga o wa tatau mahi o wa tatau noho i roto i te Whare Paremata ka mutu i roto i nga toa. Engari te ahua nei kaore tera i te tika mo te katoa o Aotearoa. 
I a au e ata titiro ana ki tenei pire i rongo au tata ki te 93 pai heneti o nga kaimahi kei roto me ki he kirimana a-mahi wa ratau a kei roto i era kirimana he wahi ano ra mo te whakata ka mutu ko te wahi ki te kai mo te kapu ti ranei. No reira tenei ture e kore e paku pa atu ki tera no reira he mea pai tera ahuatanga ki a au. A i a au e rangahau ana ka kite atu ano hoki e tata ki te 18 pai heneti o nga kaimahi o Aotearoa kei roto i nga uniana i tenei wa tonu nei. No reira te ahua nei ko te nuinga o te hunga kaore i te tino whai i te uniana ana ko tera te hunga kei roto i nga mahi penei i te mahi hotera te mahi hoko kai tera momo ahuatanga na runga pea i te ahuatanga o te hunga taiohi o te hunga rangatahi kei roto i tera momo mahi. Kati i roto i tenei ao hurihuri he pai tonu kia penei tonu tatau kia whai wahi ano ra ki te whakata me te kai. He mea pai kia whakaora i te tangata penei i ta Sue Moroney e korero nei kia whai wahi te tangata ki te whakaora i a ia whakapiki i tana ora kia whakahihiko i a ia. No reira koia tera te painga o tenei momo pire. 
Ka mutu i a tatau e wetewete nei i tenei pire ko te mate ke ana kei te putake o tana korero ano hoki me whakaae nga mea e rua te kaimahi me te rangatira ara te pahi o te mahi. Ki te kore e raua tahi e whakaae ki te haora ki te roa ranei o te whakata a he raruraru kei te haere he raruraru kei te haere. No reira ki te kore ratau e whakaae ki te roa ranei kia penei rawa tana whakata a ka mutu te tikanga ka waiho ake ma te rangatira ma te pahi ranei e whakatau. Anei anei te roa anei nga haora. No reira tera pea ka raruraru i reira ka raruraru i reira. 
Ka mutu tera pea ko te raru nui kei roto i tenei kupu i te reo Pakeha ana ko te “reasonableness” i te mea kei a Stevie Chadwick te tikanga o tona “reasonable” kei a Te Ururoa Flavell te tikanga o toku “reasonable” 
.  
He rereke ano ra te tikanga o tenei kupu “reasonable”. No reira koinei tetahi whakatupato i roto i tenei pire i te mea tera pea na runga i te tikanga o tenei kupu “reasonable” 
 
 ka pahu mai ka raruraru a te wa pea. 
No reira ko te Pati Maori tenei e whakaae atu ki te tautoko i te ahuatanga o te tiaki i nga kaimahi a ka mutu me whakarite ahuatanga i te wahi mahi kia noho hauora kia noho ora ai te tangata i roto i nga mahi katoa kia kore ai a ia e raruraru na runga i te ahuatanga o nga raru o nga pehitanga kei runga i a ia. Ka mutu ara no nei etahi mea me kaua e waiho kia iri hei mea tautohetohe i waenganui i te pahi me te rangatira o te mahi. No reira ko te patai nui ki a matau ko tera e pa ana ki te nohonga o te kaimahi me te rangatira ko te chief 
ranei ko te pahi ranei o te mahi na runga i te tikanga o tera kupu “reasonable”. 
Kati me ki ka waihotia ake tenei hei mea tautoko ma te Pati Maori i tona panuitanga tuatahi a kia kite mai ai i te ahuatanga o nga korero ka tae mai ki te komiti whaiti. Ka mutu tera ana ka ata titiro ano ra te Pati Maori ki te hohonutanga o nga korero ka puta ka whakatauhia a muri ake i tera. No reira na runga i tera korerokia ora tatau. 
[ 
Greetings to you Mr Assistant Speaker and to us all. Because of the desire for the Maori language to be heard in the House this speech will be delivered in Maori.  
It is not as though the issue around meal breaks is a current one but it has been around for a long time. As I researched this bill carefully among others I discovered that a huge problem erupted on the West Coast of the South Island in the town of Blackball in 1908. According to some a local of that town refused to end his meal quickly in the stipulated time of 15 minutes for lunch. Hickey was this person’s name. Because he refused to end his meal in the allocated time he and six of his workmates were fired. This took place at the Blackball mine. The manager of that mine at the time wanted to increase the working day to 10 hours. Eventually the legendary Blackball strike broke out when the union became involved because it did not want the working hours increased to 10 hours but kept at 8 hours. This matter was taken to court and the miners were fined. However the miners refused to pay and their possessions were seized and auctioned to raise the money to pay the fine. The miners told everyone not to buy the auctioned goods. As I understand it this went on for 3 months until the men were finally reinstated.  
I have gone about it this way Mr Assistant Speaker because here we are again 100 years from that incident debating this bill today and although the reason is quite different there might be only some minor differences. The bill states that the duration of rest breaks and meal breaks should be agreed upon between the employer boss or chief and the employee. This is the nub. If this does not occur the two must negotiate the duration of the breaks acceptable to both. I think employers and shop managers will be surprised that laws were not already in place around the provision of meal breaks for workers. So perhaps it is time that a law like this is introduced that addresses the duration of rest breaks and meal breaks although one would think it would be a case of basic rights like providing tea coffee and milk. That is the situation here in Parliament in regard to our work and environment. It is like that in shops as well. But that does not seem to apply to most of New Zealand.  
In the process of examining this bill I found out that nearly 93 percent of active collective agreements already provide rest breaks and meal breaks and because this bill will not affect that at all it is all good to me. During my research however I also found out that at the moment nearly 18 percent of workers in New Zealand belong to trade unions. So it appears that the majority of those not in unions and more likely to be affected working in jobs such as those in the hospitality industry hotels fast-food outlets and so on are young workers. In this evolving world we would expect employers to be already providing adequate breaks. It is beneficial that one has a chance to re-energise as Sue Moroney suggested to re-hydrate restore energy and health levels and focus as well. So that is a positive in this bill.  
However while we debate this bill there is an aspect that the member has identified as being crucial to this bill and that is the employer and the employee. Both the employer or the boss and the worker must agree. If neither of those two agree to the duration of the rest we have a real big enduring problem on our hands. If there is no agreement that would mean that it would be left to the employer or the boss to make the decision—here whether one likes it or not is the duration. So right there and for sure will be a stalemate.  
In addition there is also a problem perhaps with the English word “reasonableness” because Steve Chadwick has her own idea what “reasonable” means to her and I Te Ururoa Flavell have my own idea what that word means to me. The word “reasonable” has many interpretations. So just a cautionary word that having this word “reasonable” in the bill may possibly create problems in the future.  
Therefore the Maori Party supports the right of workers to be treated fairly and with dignity and to have a safe and healthy workplace and not to be burdened by any stress. Further to that discontent and disagreement between an employee and employer chief or boss is not the desired outcome from that word “reasonable”.  
Finally leave that point there; the Maori Party supports this bill at its first reading and looks forward to seeing the kinds of submissions that come to select committee. When that has been done the Maori Party will examine the extent of the reports made and then make a determination. On that note greetings to us all 
.]