Brown Peter: Minimum Wage (New Entrants) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Brown Peter: Minimum Wage (New Entrants) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:641;Page:11180] 
PETER BROWN (Deputy Leader—NZ First) 
: 
 My honourable colleague from the Maori Party has raised a very interesting question. Let me make it quite clear that New Zealand First supports this bill and all the amendments under the Supplementary Order Paper that the Minister has brought to the Committee. We think that this legislation is a way forward. We recognise that many employers in this country are now sympathetic to the cause and we want to be behind them. 
But the co-leader of the Maori Party Pita Sharples—for whom I have a great deal of respect I might add—raised an interesting question: why do we not go the whole hog? Let me answer that by saying that there are employers in this country who have some fears. It is not just a case of employing person A and person B to do the same job when one is lifestyle-experienced and the other is new. There are other qualities that employers have to take into consideration. It is not just about a measure of competence; it is about a measure of attitude and commitment. Older people tend to have a greater commitment to the employer and to the company. It is about a measure of lifestyle. Younger people tend to live for their pleasures dare I say it—and actually some older people do too. I have to clarify that. But younger people tend to give priority to after-hours activity as against working-hours activity and they get the balance wrong. And—I have to say this with some concern—younger people are not necessarily as reliable as older people. 
Hone Harawira 
: No no. 
PETER BROWN 
: That is true. The “William Wilberforce of the South Pacific” is challenging me. 
New Zealand First is supportive of this compromise position but if anybody has changed tonight I have to say it is the Green Party. My breath was taken away when Sue Bradford offered some compliments to New Zealand First. They were deserved because I think it is fair to say that we have put a lot of background effort into this bill and I thank the member for recognising that. But last week when the bill came before the House I heard her colleague Keith Locke describe it as a rotten compromise. By jingo I have to say that that got up my nose with the amount of work that has gone into this bill. It has turned from a rotten compromise to a reasonable thing which the proposer of the bill now applauds. 
At the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee we heard from a number of young people and they put their case exceedingly well. Two young women in particular came before the select committee independently and they made a great impression on me—not because of their looks; well in part because of their looks. They told us they were in supervisory roles one in a cinema and one in a hotel. There were people coming to work in those establishments who were a good deal older and who knew nothing about what was required and what have you and these young people on the youth minimum wage were training those older people. That is absolutely and totally wrong. An employer with any nous would have said: “Look I’m paying you more for what you are doing.” I have no doubt from the way these people put their case across that they were telling us the absolute truth. 
It is good to know that many employers—Kate Wilkinson told us it was 85 percent of employers—in this country are supportive of this type of legislation. That is good to know. I say to the National Party that it should get on side with the majority of New Zealanders. They should think about it if 85 percent of employers are supportive. But in particular I want to say to my colleagues in the Maori Party that for goodness’ sake they should not oppose a bill because they have got their knickers in a twist. 
Hon Members 
: Oh! 
PETER BROWN 
: That is what it amounts to. They are saying: “We don’t get everything we want so we’re going to oppose it.” And this is the party that went to solve the problems of Australia.