Tēnā koutou and welcome to the first issue of Te Mahinha Ora for 2023

Many members and their whānau in Northland, Tāmaki Makaurau, Tairāwhiti and Hawkes Bay have not had the start to the year any of us would have wanted, experiencing first hand the impact that climate change is now having on our lives. Widespread flooding, and then Cyclone Gabrielle, devastated many communities. We stand with you as you start the long process of rebuilding.

The PSA will be participating in the Government’s Cyclone Recovery Taskforce, which is looking at the adequacy of the immediate recovery efforts, as well as what factors are important to shift the gear on planning for future resilience. Climate change is real, and we can expect severe adverse weather events sadly to become much more common. We believe that it is vital that the impact on workers and working lives, and the communities we live in, are considered equally alongside expected economic impacts and mitigation strategies along with Just Transition principles. It’s good that members’ experiences will be a key input into the Taskforce’s mahi.

As public and community workers, we’ve gotten used to responding to natural disasters, terrorism and the pandemic over the last few years. Responding rapidly – with practical and empathetic advice and support has become what we do, built into the DNA of our working lives. So much so that I fear going the extra mile, as so many our members did over February, March and since, risks being taken for granted. In reality it is the increased investment in workers and public and community services since 2017 that meant we could provide surge capacity to respond immediately when communities needed us most. In this issue we profile just a few of our members whose mahi helped us all to navigate the past few months. To them and so many more members across the motu, we recognise your service.

It has therefore been very disappointing to see that disparaging the work of public and community service  workers has once again featured in rhetoric coming from centre-right parties. As your President I have been vocal in pushing back against ill-informed commentary on the growth of the public and community service
workforce and criticism of the work we have been asked to do for New Zealanders. We recall only too well how dispirited and ill-equipped many members were after a decade of underinvestment before 2017. In this issue we also discuss our plan to run a positive campaign this election year seeking continued investment
in public and community services, and how you can support this with your colleagues, friends and whānau.

Nāku iti noa, nā,

Benedict Ferguson (He/Him)

President Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi | PSA

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