Brown Peter: Holidays Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Brown Peter: Holidays Amendment Bill — First Reading 
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PETER BROWN (Deputy Leader—NZ First) 
: 
 I find myself in much agreement with the honourable member who has just resumed his seat. I cannot work out Wayne Mapp— 
Hon Annette King 
: Who can? 
PETER BROWN 
: Who can? He is a complete mystery. The Holidays Bill of 2003 was a stuff-up. Let us be honest about it. It was a stuff-up. New Zealand First supported it and we will not walk away from that fact because we support the principle of low-paid people getting 4 weeks’ holiday a year. We support that quite firmly and that is incorporated in the Holidays Act 2003 which I think comes into force in 2007. We thought it could come in a little bit earlier but we support that concept. We also support the concept of low-paid people in particular getting time and a half for working on a statutory holiday. 
New Zealand First supports this country coming into the modern world. That is what has happened in Australia and to put it simply if it is good enough for the Australians it is good enough for us. But there are so many anomalies in the Holidays Act and we made reference to that in I think the third reading debate of the 2003 bill. We said the legislation would come back before this House in short order and it has. It is absolutely ridiculous and absolutely outrageous that somebody can go sick and get time and a half on a statutory holiday and that is what is currently happening in this country. I say to National Party members that this is the opportunity to fix that up not to state that they are going to oppose it. There are also some concerns about the definition of the ordinary weekly pay and the relevant daily pay which needs to be addressed. It amounts to— 
Dr Wayne Mapp 
: This bill won’t rectify that. 
PETER BROWN 
: I will address what Mr Mapp is saying. The current situation amounts to double-dipping. Wayne Mapp says that it is not in this bill and it will not rectify it. He may or may not be correct. I think the bill goes some way towards it but I believe that at the select committee we will get down to the detail of it and be able to rectify it. It is absolutely outrageous that people should get penal rates penalty rates—call it what one likes—at time and a half on top of their daily holiday entitlement. I am told by some very senior business people in this country that some of the wealthy senior executives in New Zealand are currently capitalising on this sort of thing. This bill really was not meant for them so New Zealand First welcomes the opportunity to rectify that position. 
We also have concerns—and we registered this at the time certainly in select committee—about sick leave without a medical certificate. We think that is wrong and we welcome readdressing the issue that employers have an entitlement to a doctor’s note if someone goes off sick. Wayne Mapp says: “Oh the employer has to pay for it.” As the bill is written that is correct but come the select committee that might well change. A number of things do change at select committee. But we welcome the opportunity of opening up and exploring the situation and trying to get it right. 
Dr Wayne Mapp 
: This bill won’t help it. 
PETER BROWN 
: Mr Mapp can sling the insults but I am telling him that he will live with the consequences. 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: Look who opened up with the insults about Wayne Mapp. So don’t you start on about insults. 
PETER BROWN 
: I refrain from being personal as much as I can. 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: You insulted him in your first two sentences. 
PETER BROWN 
: I refrained from being personal. I am saying to Mr Mapp and I will say to Mr Williamson that if they fail to support this bill they are leaving employers in this country in a major quandary and if that is a personal insult then I am sorry. That is a fact. If they do not support this bill they are withholding the opportunity for employers— 
Dr Wayne Mapp 
: We want a comprehensive review. A comprehensive review is what is required. 
PETER BROWN 
: Mr Mapp can say that he wants a comprehensive review but he is not going to get that by Labour Day in October. He knows that I know that. We believe that this issue should have sufficient priority for it to be addressed as meaningfully as we can at the select committee now. 
A concern that I have—and this is shared by at least some of my New Zealand First colleagues although we have not debated it in full so I do not want to give the impression that it is a New Zealand First commitment—is that the composite wage structure should continue to exist. I believe it is a reasonable way of paying employees. I know many employers prefer that. They calculate the average amount of statutory holidays at an individual workplace etc. and they come out with a composite wage rate. I believe and I will certainly push for this at select committee that that regime should continue. I know the Minister has extended it out to 2007— 
Hon Paul Swain 
: Just to clarify it that is all. 
PETER BROWN 
: To clarify it. But I think it should be allowed to exist long term as long as the employers and the employees can stipulate how it is calculated. 
Hon Paul Swain 
: It will be. 
PETER BROWN 
: It will be? 
Hon Paul Swain 
: Oh yes. 
PETER BROWN 
: I am very pleased to hear that. I do not think that I can add a great deal to this but I and New Zealand First welcome the opportunity to send this bill back to select committee. Let us tidy it up. The Holidays Act was well meaning but let us tidy it up to get it neat and tidy before the October holiday. New Zealand First supports this bill going to select committee.