Ferris TākutaTĀKUTA FERRIS (Te Pāti Māori—Te Tai Tonga): E te Pīka tēnā rā koe. I rise on behalf of Te Pāti Māori to speak to the second reading of the Fair Pay Agreements Act Repeal Bill. We will be strongly opposing this bill pau te kaha [until all our strength is expended].Let me start by saying as Emeritus Professor of Accounting Whatarangi Winiata consistently said Māori have long been the shock absorber of the New Zealand economy. Last hired first fired—this bill will compound this effect. Te Pāti Māori policy is clear that we support ensuring the ability of multi-employer collective bargaining and collective bargaining for contractors. 30 years ago the Employment Contracts Act 1991 removed sector-wide bargaining from the industrial relations system. According to unionist and workers' rights advocate Annie Newman this implemented one of the most radical individualised employment relations systems in the world. Most developed economies have some form of sector-wide bargaining. Australia's use of fair pay agreements is one of the reasons they have much higher wages than Aotearoa. For far too long our people have been treated as second-class citizens in the New Zealand job market—used and abused working in tough and often inhumane conditions keeping this country's economy running. The median Māori hourly wage is $24.98 compared to $28.01 for our Pākehā counterparts. Low wages impoverish whānau and cause extensive inter-generational harm and trauma. Māori Pasifika young people and whānau hauā are often over-represented in jobs where low pay job security health and safety and upskilling are significant issues and with low union coverage. Minimum industry-wide standards provide baselines regardless of whether you are a member of a union or not. Health and safety problems in industries like forestry farming trucking fisheries often kill Māori at work. In this House we should be making people decisions. In this House we should be making mokopuna decisions. Mokopuna decisions require lifting the material conditions of all whānau. In 2022 the Government brought back sector-wide bargaining with the Fair Pay Agreements Act 2022 which provided a framework for bargaining for fair pay agreements industry-wide or occupation-wide minimum employment terms. The Act also set out that each bargaining side will have obligations to use its best endeavours to represent those within coverage and to ensure that Māori employees and employers are represented effectively. Every worker and employer has the opportunity to be represented in negotiations and to vote on the agreement itself. Fair pay agreements come into force through a majority ratification of the parties. The reforms did not bring back the controversial elements of the old industrial relations regime like compulsory unionism. Rather all workers within affected industries and occupations will see the benefits not just the union members. The introduction of fair pay agreements in both the private and public sectors would have over a period of time significantly lifted wages and employment conditions for workers particularly low-paid workers where many whānau Māori are employed. Te Pāti Māori support the Fair Pay Agreements Act because fair pay agreements would have been one of the most significant policies in lifting the wages of working Māori. We strongly oppose this bill pō te ao ao te pō. [at all times.]It takes Aotearoa back by locking in the status quo of our last 30 years—a low-wage precarious job market. As we head into the Christmas period people are struggling to put food on the table to pay their bills to fill up their cars and to buy their tamariki presents. Right now this new Government should be focusing on lifting the incomes of whānau not exacerbating the hardships of the hard-working Māori families. Instead it focuses on ramming through legislation under urgency that will keep their wages low and jobs precarious—legislation that will keep them in insecure work with unfair pay and in dangerous conditions. It's appalling. Every whānau in Aotearoa should have enough to live well and be able to spend their time with their whānau and to work in safe healthy conditions. Let me conclude in the words of Dr Ranginui Walker who said I have no time for those in positions of privilege who use their privilege to attack the most vulnerable people in our society"."