Fenton Darien: Te Ra o Matariki Bill/Matariki Day Bill — First Reading 
Fenton Darien: Te Ra o Matariki Bill/Matariki Day Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:656;Page:5305] 
DARIEN FENTON (Labour) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Assistant Speaker Barker. Tena koe Rahui and tena koe Nanaia who has just left the Chamber. I thank them for their contributions to this important discussion that we need to be having. 
Labour supports this bill Ta Ra o Matariki Bill/Matariki Day Bill going to a select committee because we think a conversation on whether there should be a uniquely indigenous holiday among New Zealand’s public holidays is one that we need to have. I congratulate Rahui Katene on having the bill drawn from the ballot and on bringing this matter to the attention of Parliament. 
However there are some other issues going on at the moment that I must bring to the attention of Parliament and the public. These are issues of workers’ rights for all New Zealanders—for workers for Maori workers for New Zealanders. While we consider this bill tonight the irony is that New Zealanders’ existing public holidays let alone new public holidays and their annual leave are under attack from this National Government. We have yet another so-called review of the Holidays Act going on as we speak. Although National has sought to offer soothing words about that review members will forgive me if I am somewhat cynical because we have been here before. There is no reason for cashing up the fourth week of leave other than to reduce the entitlement to leave. There is no other reason for poking around relevant daily pay which is in the review other than to reduce the pay that workers receive when they are sick. Although I support the conversation we are having I am concerned about what is happening in the background. 
To be fair National did signal those issues in its manifesto. But for good measure it has thrown in without warning another couple of things that were not in the manifesto. It seems to me that they are there only because some businesses have them on their black list; we hear that again and again. First there is the proposal to allow workers to transfer public holidays. I suppose they could transfer a Matariki public holiday. The example that is used is Ramadan. The idea came from the Employers and Manufacturers Association in submissions on a bill last year. I think my suspicions that this proposal is a National Government ploy to reduce entitlements to extra pay while working on a public holiday which Labour introduced are spot on. Interestingly enough this proposal has now become one of the 50 suggestions from Business New Zealand about how to improve New Zealand’s productivity—please for goodness’ sake—along with things like privatising accident compensation and scaling back workers’ rights. It really lacks imagination. 
Let us be clear about what National’s plan means. If workers agree to swap one of the existing public holidays such as Christmas Day for a day at the end of Ramadan or indeed Matariki and they work on Christmas Day which is the official public holiday they will get no extra pay for working on that day—no time and a half which Labour introduced in the last few years when it was in Government. The Government wants to dilute the right to public holidays across the board and it wants to force workers to work for no extra pay. That is what National wants to do and I think it is disgraceful. 
What has emerged out of the blue with no prior warning is the old Easter Sunday shop trading debate. We all have issues; we all have a different opinion about whether the shops should be open on Easter Sunday. This Parliament has tried over several years to find a measure whereby people can agree whether shops should be open on Easter Sunday. Each time it has been voted down in a conscience vote. I am one who has voted and will continue to vote against that sort of proposal because retail workers are adamantly opposed to it and why should they not be? After all we have only 3.5 days left in the whole calendar year when workers are not forced to work and when shops are not open. Why would this latest attempt to sort it out work when Parliament has failed to find a solution that we could all agree to? 
Although Labour supports this bill I think we should have the conversation and I welcome it I have to say the background stuff the noise that is going on with the Holidays Act— 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Rick Barker) 
: I regret to advise the member that her time has expired.