PSA CELEBRATES CONVERSION THERAPY BAN

Last month, the PSA celebrated the passage of the Conversion Practices Prohibition Act, which bans the practice of trying to “cure” people of their sexuality, gender expression or LGBTQI identity.

The ban, passed with near unanimity after all but eight MPs voted in its favour, makes it an offence to perform conversion therapy which causes “serious harm,” with a sentence of up to five years in prison attached.

Commenting on the news, Out@PSA member Caleb Gordon said: “I’m so proud to live in a country that understands ‘praying the gay away’ is never appropriate and is, in fact, abuse. Knowing that it is now illegal to abuse young queer people in this way, and all but eight MPs voted for the ban, makes my community feel such hope for the future.”

NATIONAL’S ECONOMIC AGENDA IS A GIANT LEAP BACKWARDS

National Party leader Christopher Luxon launched a series of attacks on “wasteful” Government spending, proposing deeply misguided tax cuts for top earners as an alternative means of controlling inflation.

Luxon’s comments came complete with uninformed jibes about wasteful spending on new public servants – who he described as “faceless bureaucrats” – and a deeply misguided pledge to scrap the top 39 per cent tax threshold for incomes over $180,000.

PSA national secretary Kerry Davies challenged these statements publicly, saying: “These comments are offensive to the public servants who have come together, as part of a team of five million, to keep us safe over the past two years.

National's proposed economic agenda proves how out of touch they are with everyday New Zealanders. Removing the 39% tax bracket only benefits the top 3% of tax payers, and will cost Aotearoa $2bn across the next few years.

— NZPSA (@NZPSA) March 6, 2022

“We are the bureaucrats you’re demeaning. We are contact tracers, social workers, healthcare professionals, border workers, and that’s just for starters.”

CTU chief economist Craig Renney argues Luxon’s proposals would only serve to “boost debt, pump up inflation and make it harder for middle income and working New Zealanders to get ahead.”

Contrary to what Mr Luxon says, now is the time for the Government to be bold; to deliver a budget that tackles housing shortages, income inequity, healthcare reform, and the climate crisis.

Investing in services and infrastructure now is the only way to prevent greater costs being incurred down the line. We must stop kicking the can down the road and start planning for the future we want.

COVID FUND BOOSTS WOMEN AND GIRLS’ ORGANISATIONS

Member organisations whose support for wāhine and kōtiro has been affected by the pandemic will receive thousands of dollars in financial support after successfully applying for the Covid-19 Community Fund.

The grant has been awarded to organisations that provide mental health services, safe spaces for women and children, support for retraining and upskilling, and training for volunteers.

The PSA worksites that have benefitted include Wellington Rape Crisis, Aviva, Te Roopu Tautoko ki Te Tonga, Whakatu Te Korowai Manaakitanga Trust, Age Concern Otago, Barnardos Te Puna Oraka Early Learning Centre, and ACROSS Te Kotahitanga o Te Wairua.

Hannah Gorman, PSA member and stakeholder engagement lead at Wellington Rape Crisis, says:

“Our clients were faced with extreme financial insecurity as soon as the first lockdown ended. It was way beyond business as usual.

“The $20,000 we received will help us pay for a new practice team lead, who can train our staff to keep up with our clients’ needs.”

Jan Tinetti, Minister for Women, says: “Covid-19 has had a disproportionate effect on women around the world including in Aotearoa New Zealand, resulting in job losses, increased caring work, and family violence.

“This funding will help these organisations to meet increased demand by lessening the financial strain caused by Covid-19.”

LONG-AWAITED LAUNCH FOR MERCHANDISE PORTAL

Our PSA Member Purchasing Portal for merchandise is now live, here: .

The portal stocks all PSA merchandise, including pens, lanyards, notebooks, and apparel. To place an order, you just need to create an online account with your email address and password.

Thanks to collective buying, we don’t make a profit on any of the items we sell. Merchandise is sold to members at – or close to – cost price, and any money raised is either used to purchase more stock, or it’s put into our hardship fund.

MAX RASHBROOKE BOOK COMPETITION

We had a huge response to our competition to win copies of the book Too Much Money: How Wealth Disparities Are Unbalancing Aotearoa New Zealand by Max Rashbrooke.

The lucky winners are Toby Walton from Community Probation Service in Waitakere, Matt Burke from Kainga Ora in Auckland, Anne Curran from Healthcare of New Zealand Support Workers in Hamilton, Yvette Faass from Oranga Tamariki in Christchurch, Thomas Kay from Forest & Bird in Wellington, and Andrew Lonie from University of Otago Academic Services.

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The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is delighted to welcome Duane Leo to his new role as national secretary of the union.

Duane, who joins Kerry Davies in the co-leadership position, comes to the national secretary role after nearly 20 years working on behalf of PSA members, with previous experience in the Industrial Relations Service and the Service and Food Workers Union (now E tū).

DIGNITY AND RESPECT

Duane first entered the union movement in the early 1990s. He describes it as a particularly dark time for workers.

Duane says: “The Employment Contracts Act struck a huge blow against the union movement.

“When there were disputes, everything went the employers’ way. It made me starkly aware of how vulnerable working New Zealanders can be.

“It’s stuck with me throughout my union journey: that desire to see workers treated with dignity and respect.”

COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY

New Zealand born and of Pacific Island descent, Duane has strong links to family and community in Te-Moana-Nui-A-Kiwa with a sharp understanding of the issues faced in the region.

“I come from a Pacific Island background, so I’m used to people doing things as a collective,” Duane explains.

“Yes – you work hard and you’re successful, but you try to bring people up with you.

“That’s something that really appealed to me about the union movement.”

GROWING A NETWORK

During his time at PSA, Duane has been instrumental in developing and growing the PSA Pasefika Network.

“It’s been a joy to see the incredible work the Network has done on equal pay and the gender pay gap,” Duane says.

“Not to mention the Network’s presence within the wider union movement, where we’ve taken on an important role as co-conveners of the Council of Trade Unions (CTU) as well as Komiti Pasifika.”

A TRUSTED VOICE

Duane has held several positions in the PSA, working as an assistant secretary with responsibility for the Public Service sector, as well as a national organiser, an organiser for the Pasefika Network, and a representative for Public Services International (PSI) in projects taking place across the Pacific.

Duane wants to grow the PSA’s profile as a trusted voice – not just on industrial issues – but on social policy, economics, and the environment.

“When I first joined the PSA, we had 40,000 members. We’ve effectively doubled in size over the past 20 years.

“I believe growth gives us a mandate: to take a seat at the table during these important discussions.”

Duane sums up what his new appointment means to him.

“We spend more than a third of our lives in work. If people are unhappy, that’s a significant part of their lives. It flows into everything – their wellbeing, relationships, personal life.

“I’m honoured to develop my passion in this new role: supporting and developing workers; helping them find dignity and respect.”

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The importance of pay transparency for our members was highlighted when we appeared before the Education and Workforce Committee last November alongside representatives from the NZCTU.

We called on the Government to introduce a pay transparency system to help individuals and unions to identify and address discrimination, and make more informed decisions about the pathways they take into higher paid work.

A recent Government inquiry revealed gender and ethnic pay gaps remain significant in some of our sectors. Pacific public servants, for example, are paid – on average – 19.5 percent less than their non-Pasifika colleagues, while Pākehā men are paid 27 per cent more than Pasifika women.

PSA policy advisor Kirsten Windelov told the Committee: “Pay secrecy is a significant barrier to eliminating gender and ethnic pay gaps.”

“Unless we’re open and honest about what people are paid, gender and ethnic pay gaps will remain hidden. It makes it much harder for us to use the provisions that already exist in law to address them.

Our country has had equal pay legislation for all workers since 1972, and for government workers since 1960. We all know by now that unequal pay is an unfortunate reality. It’s time for us to make it right.

There is no "growing acceptance". @NZPSA has never battled harder to get pay transparency and better pay for the lowest paid. Same for @FIRST_Union @EtuUnion @NZEITeRiuRoa among others.
https://t.co/IJZOwnsSJg

— BtheLane (@btlane) November 27, 2021

In Aotearoa, pay rates are rarely published and information about pay is usually only held by the employers themselves. This makes pay transparency an urgent issue for workers.

Collective agreements can provide a greater level of pay transparency, however, only a small proportion of the nation’s workers have access to collective coverage.

What’s more, the pay bands that are included in collective agreements don’t always tell workers exactly what they’ll be paid.

The PSA set out a roadmap for action to the committee; including introduction of a law requiring employers to publicly report on gender pay gaps, and an initiative prohibiting bosses from enforcing pay secrecy.

A ban on asking potential hires about their past earnings was also suggested.  

The PSA executive board underlined its commitment to pay transparency at its meeting last October.

They said: “The PSA is seeking gender and ethnic pay equality within our areas of coverage through pay transparency by 2024.

“Achieving pay transparency is one part of the our multi-pronged approach to eliminate unequal pay and will help us raise and advance equal pay claims.”

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When a volcanic eruption in the Tongan archipelago triggered a series of devastating tsunamis, leaving a trail of destruction across the Pacific rim, those with family and friends in the region waited anxiously for news.

PSA member and ‘proud Tongan’ Ofeina Manuel-Barbarich was among them.

“My brother, nieces, and nephews live in Tonga,” explains Ofeina. “As well as many aunties, uncles, and cousins. It was a while before we knew they were okay because an immediate impact of the disaster was a communication blackout.

“We were so worried for my nana Pule'ilangite because she has asthma. It was such a relief when we found out she was okay.”

MOVED TO ACTION

When news of her family’s safety reached Ofeina, she quickly realised she couldn’t just watch from the sidelines as the Tongan community attempted to rebuild and recover from the tsunamis’ devastation.

“I’m the co-convener of the PSA Pasefika Network,” Ofeina explains. “We received a request from the general secretary of the Tongan PSA, asking for our support, and we jumped at the chance to help.”

The next step was a rapid response to assess the needs of the Tongan community.

“One effect of the eruption was falling ash contaminating the Tongan water supply,” Ofeina explains. “Dust and dirt settled on practically everything, including people’s homes and their water tanks. Tonga urgently needed water cannons to protect the water they had left.”

A FAMILY AFFAIR

The PSA provided Ofeina with funds to purchase this much-needed equipment.

“My son and I spent several hours picking out the items from Bunnings,” Ofiena says. “My brother picked us up with his trailer to help us deliver the supplies to the Aotearoa Tongan Relief Committee.

“My husband is Māori and his Rūnanga came along to help pack up supplies; it definitely turned into a family affair.”

DELIVERING HOPE

Ofeina says her unionist comrades came out in full force to help.

“The CTU launched an appeal and the PSA got back in touch with more money to purchase the remaining items the Tongan PSA had asked for.”

Thanks to Ofeina’s incredible efforts, our union delivered; 20 water blasters, 20 wet and dry vacuums, 16 ladders, 13 garden hoses, 13 electrical extension leads, and seven hoses to help the estimated 86,000 people affected by the eruption and tsunami across the island chain.

Some very important equipment reached Tonga this week, thanks to our members and everyone who donated to our Tongan Tsunami appeal ❤

We sent ladders, water blasters and water vacuums to help clean up the ash and water residue left from the volcanic eruption and tsunami. pic.twitter.com/JdcRsPDiZ6

— NZPSA (@NZPSA) March 5, 2022

SOLIDARITY ACROSS THE PACIFIC

Ofeina attributes the success of the PSA relief effort to the strong sense of international solidarity that exists within the trade union movement.

“It made me feel proud to be a member. This time, I wasn’t the only one benefiting from being part of a union; the PSA helped my family and my wider community.”

Ofeina describes the support the PSA showed for Tonga as another example of the union’s commitment to internationalism and their solidarity with Pasifika people in Aotearoa and across the Pacific.

“It makes total sense. We’re neighbours, we’re cousins, we have shared genealogies and shared histories. For me, this has cemented the spirit of support for our Pacific members – and their families and communities – within the PSA and the wider union movement.”

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It’s been five years since care and support workers achieved historic pay increases and improved conditions - hard won by workers and their unions - under the landmark Care and Support Workers (Pay Equity) Settlement Act 2017.

It was a fight set in motion by a joint campaign – Up Where We Belong – launched in 2007 by the PSA and E tū to improve pay and conditions for some 60,000 low-paid care and support workers across Aotearoa.

The campaign involved tireless work on the part of PSA members, boosted by a court case involving E tū member Kristine Bartlett, who claimed, due to gender discrimination, she was not being paid in line with the Equal Pay Act.

The case, championed by the PSA, E tū and the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO), was eventually escalated to the Supreme Court, which found care and support workers – the majority of whom are women – had long been paid less for their work than if it had been carried out by a man.

The Care and Support Workers (Pay Equity) Settlement Act passed in 2017, and yet, these workers are STILL waiting for Pay Equity. Come July 1, this legislation will expire with no settlement.

Last week MOH proposed an 18-month extension, and a dismal 'pay rise' of 70c an hour. pic.twitter.com/rWKtek61Xg

— NZPSA (@NZPSA) May 10, 2022

LIFE-CHANGING IMPROVEMENTS

A settlement was reached. It offered increased funding to the sector, ‘life-changing’ wage increases, and the opportunity for workers to progress up the pay scale by completing different levels of training every year.

The entry rate for an aged care, disability or home support worker went from $15.75 to $19 an hour, while the top rate for fully qualified workers was lifted from $23.50 to $27 an hour.

An extra $2 billion dollars of much-needed investment finally reached the industry and our members’ demand for sleepover pay – to compensate them for staying overnight at clients’ homes – was finally realised.  

Speaking at the time, PSA delegate Helen Amey said: “I’ve been doing this job for three years and I’m still paid the minimum wage. I need to work four jobs to make ends meet and support my family.

“This settlement means I’ll finally be rewarded – not just with kind words from my clients – but financially as well.”

PAY EQUITY PROGRESS

The settlement’s significance wasn’t limited to the home and support sector. It marked a tentative step toward pay equity in Aotearoa.

PSA assistant national secretary Melissa Woolley says: “You only need to look at the introduction of fair pay agreements (FPAs) to see the country is – rightly – moving toward a system where we set minimum rates of pay for entire sectors.

“The settlement set a precedent for FPAs by raising the bar on minimum rates and conditions within the home and community sector.”

PSA delegate Helen Amey (centre) among those celebrating the settlement in 2017.

SET UP TO FAIL

With the settlement set to expire at the end of June, the PSA, E tū and NZNO have entered discussions with the Government to lock in and improve the pay rates secured under the settlement.

The Government’s current offer of approximately 2.5 - 3 per cent amounts to less than half of the current rate of inflation.

This represents a significant pay cut for workers, leaving this essential workforce with a difficult choice: leave for a better paid, less stressful job, or keep supporting vulnerable people while facing soaring living costs they can't keep up with.

SPEAKING OUT

It’s vital that we speak up in support of our negotiators who will meet with Ministry of Health officials and employer representatives over the coming months, to ensure the settlement is urgently renewed.

PSA delegate Michelle Troup says we owe it to the care and support workers whose lives improved dramatically under the settlement.

“I would be devastated if the settlement wasn’t extended,” Michelle says. “It would feel like we are being silenced and stopped in our tracks.

“Since my pay went up, I’ve been in a better position to pay my bills. I haven’t needed to take out loans or increase my mortgage.

“I’ve enjoyed a better quality of life; I’ve been able to buy better food, spend more time with my kids, pay for them to join sports clubs and even send them to a tutor.”

Michelle says the settlement finally made her feel recognised for her work.

“I know my job is important,” she continues. “Our industry would come to a grinding halt if we downed tools or moved onto less taxing mahi.

“We shouldn’t have to prove our worth.”

#PayFairForCare
Nelson Care & Support Workers are fighting for a pay offer of more than .70c pic.twitter.com/iZhV2Mr3Mh

— Ranger Kate Davis ( the red on the bed ) (@kateinthebay) May 11, 2022

SHOULDER-TO-SHOULDER

Michelle says it’s vital that members – across different sectors and industries – stand in solidarity with care and support workers during this crucial fight.

“With inflation on the rise, this will affect every sector somewhere down the line,” she explains.

“If employers see other industries standing shoulder-to-shoulder with us, it makes it that much harder for them to refuse our demands.

“We need to stand together until that domino effect starts to take place.”

Click here to write to Minister of Health, Andrew Little. Tell him why the equal pay matters to you and your whānau. Tell him why the settlement needs to stay.

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We would like to address some of the criticisms levied at the Government’s proposed social insurance scheme.

The scheme was developed by the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions (CTU), Business New Zealand, and the Government, and includes input from many women who lead the trade union movement – us included.

The scheme could revolutionise support for workers by offering up to seven months’ income protection to those who are made redundant or have a health or disability condition that prevents them from working.

It would provide broad coverage for contractors, casual workers, and those in insecure work.

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

The CTU believes protecting workers from the impact of unexpected economic change is one of our fundamental duties as a society.

Yet protecting workers from a sudden loss in income is something we don’t do well in Aotearoa. We have no statutory redundancy, income protection, or notice periods.

The proposed scheme includes all these provisions and should be welcomed by anyone who cares about protecting vulnerable workers.

Thousands of Kiwis lose their jobs every year. That’s why the Government, BusinessNZ and the NZ Council of Trade Unions are proposing a new income insurance scheme.

Consultation on the scheme is now open. Read the proposals at https://t.co/XuVYYgFgYY pic.twitter.com/wMNAE7SIp8

— MBIE (@MBIEgovtnz) February 1, 2022

TARGETED SUPPORT

Contrary to some claims, this programme will best support those workers who are most likely to be made redundant. Official data shows these are women, young people, Māori, Pasifika, and workers on low incomes.

When unemployment rose during the first wave of the pandemic, women lost their jobs at a much higher rate than men. The number of unemployed women increased by 17,000 in the year to September 2020 and stayed higher than the rate for men for six months after that.

Under this proposal, women and other vulnerable workers would have had economic security, training opportunities, and wraparound support. That’s why we, as women at the heart of the trade union movement, back this proposal.

COMMUNITY RESILIENCE

Job losses are always a tragedy. When they occur on a large scale, they are an economic disaster.

We saw this during the painful restructuring of the 1980s, and later during the global financial crisis. It’s likely to happen again in the future as industries, skills, and technologies change. The scheme offers protection against this eventuality by helping local economies regenerate and renew.

The proposal also protects workers who suffer job losses from health and disability conditions.

Workers who develop illnesses like cancer or arthritis, and those with pre-existing mental or physical health conditions, often receive little or no support from the existing welfare state.

The proposed scheme closes the gap and gives workers time to get well. It helps Kiwis get into work that’s right for them. It stops poverty upstream.

Putting in place a social insurance scheme, however, doesn’t mean that welfare reform is unnecessary; a social insurance scheme and a well-functioning welfare system go hand in hand.

— NZPSA (@NZPSA) February 2, 2022

STRENGTHENED SAFETY NET

Despite what some say, the scheme doesn’t come at the expense of the welfare state – it boosts it.  

Countries with social insurance schemes have more robust welfare systems, lower levels of inequality, and better standards of living for all residents. In Aotearoa, this scheme would add another layer of protection for workers, without impacting the existing welfare state.

The scheme is about making sure that when workers need help, they get it.

This is an abridged version of an article which originally appeared in Stuff.

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Ten thousand PSA allied, public health, scientific and technical workers have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action set to take place this month.

The essential DHB health workforce voted to ‘work to rule’ from 9 – 20 May and hold a 24-hour strike on 16 May.

The news comes after 18 months of fruitless negotiations, including facilitation by the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) and a cynical legal injunction by DHBs to block strike action planned in March.

All the while our members, who work in dozens of roles in DHBs across Aotearoa, continued to carry out life saving work to get the country over the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Members of the Allied health bargaining team met with their local MP @_chloeswarbrick today.

Thank you Chlöe for taking the time to listen to their stories—we hope to see you in orange on Friday! 👏 🍊 #weareallied pic.twitter.com/Xr3iZfIl1Q

— NZPSA (@NZPSA) March 28, 2022

WE ARE ALLIED

Sterile services technician Steve said: “I am a qualified health professional, but I don’t make enough to support my family, so I have to work a second job.

“There is nothing to encourage us to stay in our work and we are constantly short staffed due to people leaving for higher paying jobs.”

Laboratory scientist Sue said: “Since the beginning of the pandemic we have worked extremely long hours, often on back-to-back overtime shifts processing Covid-19 tests.

“Our workloads grow whenever staff get sick or get burned out and leave, which puts pressure on everyone else.

“The lack of recognition by the DHBs and Ministry of Health (MOH) is insulting and humiliating to us all."

Orange Friday is going off in Ōtautahi Christchurch this morning - Mother Nature is even doing her bit 🧡🍂 #weareallied ✊ pic.twitter.com/iRgQzFXSui

— NZPSA (@NZPSA) April 21, 2022

TE TIRITI IN NAME ONLY

Hauora Māori kaimahi, Allan said: “The DHBs are partners with Tangata Whenua under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, but Māori staff – including those working in cultural roles like me – are at the bottom of the pile when it comes to fair pay and treatment.

“It is exploitation like this that makes me feel that when it comes to health, the DHBs are doing little more than paying lip service to Te Tiriti.”

While the PSA has made progress in negotiations with the DHBs, it is still not enough.

PSA organiser Will Matthews says: “We’re so close to getting this over the line. The DHBs and MOH need to put their money where their mouth is and make a reasonable offer.”

MEMBER SOLIDARITY

National secretary Kerry Davies describes the solidarity from PSA members as “incredible.”

She says: “Our members, undeterred by the injunction, have ramped up support for allied workers by posting pictures of themselves wearing orange every Friday using the hashtag #WeAreAllied. They’re determined to help our negotiating team achieve a fair deal.”

Allied workers, meanwhile, have been lifting the veil of invisibility that covers their work, showing New Zealanders how integral they are to the health system and how important their mahi is to public health.

Show your solidarity with these essential health workers. Post a picture of yourself wearing orange every Friday, using the hashtag #WeAreAllied.

You can also sign our petition here.

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The first reading of the historic Fair Pay Agreements (FPA) Bill – which will bring together employers and unions to bargain for minimum standards across industries and occupations – took place in Parliament last month.

The news comes in the wake of rocketing housing, food, and power costs, at a time when many New Zealanders haven’t had a pay rise in years.

In essential industries like hospitality, transport, and early education, being paid the minimum wage – or close to it – is the norm.

Workers are burnt out, undervalued and underpaid. But if we speak up, we can change things for the better.

CHANGING THE GAME

FPAs could change the game by requiring employers to negotiate better pay and conditions if at least 10 per cent of their workforce or 1,000 staff agree to it.

This will ensure people are paid fairly by setting minimum rates employers must comply with.

You've got one week left to have your say on Fair Pay Agreements. Don't miss out. https://t.co/PQggE5tFRY

— NZPSA (@NZPSA) May 12, 2022

PSA national secretary Kerry Davies describes FPAs as: “the most radical change to employment legislation since the Employment Relations Act was passed two decades ago.”

PSA workplace delegate and immigration worker Andy Rothville says: “Fair Pay Agreements represent a step forward for workers and a smart use of our limited resources. They can help renew interest in unionising by showing working New Zealanders exactly what we can achieve.”

BUSINESS BACKLASH

FPAs have, unsurprisingly, attracted the ire of conservative politicians and big business outriders.

National Party leader Christopher Luxon proposed scrapping the Bill, calling it: “a complete jump back to the 1970s.” Meanwhile, ACT's David Seymour likened FPAs to "compulsory unionism.”

The Government, however, remains committed to delivering on its manifesto pledge.

Michael Wood, Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety, said: “FPAs will be critical in stopping the ‘race to the bottom’ in many sectors, which can see good employers undercut.”

While some employers welcome improving working standards across sectors and industries, others will speak out loudly against FPAs. We must make our voices louder than theirs.

ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE

• Make an online submission here.
• Shoot a video selfie telling us why FPAs matter to you here.

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Members at the Far North District Council (FNDC) spent the early days of the pandemic organising against inflexible conditions forced on them by their employer.

The result was an award-winning, truly flexible-working policy, led by our members with enduring potential for post-pandemic Aotearoa.

FIGHTING INFLEXIBILITY

“The early days were fairly chaotic,” explains organiser Mark Furey. “At first, council bosses didn’t trust our members to work from home. They expected to see a drop in productivity.”

Mark says management treated members' homes as an extension of the office. Workers were asked to go to each other’s homes to provide training, while concern about Covid-19 was still at fever pitch.

“We had tense words with management to establish what a home is. It’s not an extension of the workplace; it’s a place where people should feel safe.”

Motivated by a staff survey which revealed 83 per cent of workers felt their productivity was the same or better while working from home, management changed tack, introducing sweeping work from home policies for all workers.

The problem then became one of flexibility. “They refused to let our members into the workplace,” Mark explains. “Quite a few of our people were unable to work remotely. It caused a row because management didn’t understand where we were coming from.”

GETTING ORGANISED

Members sought to resolve the situation collaboratively, persuading their bosses to hand over the reins of the council’s flexible working policies to those they directly affected.

PSA delegates Brad Hedger and Sheree Whaanga-Gill take up the story.

“We organised a meeting with our members,” Brad says. “While most saw the benefits of working remotely, a significant minority had concerns.

“The pandemic turned everything on its head,” Sheree says. “We didn’t want to force more upheaval on people at such a difficult time. We wanted to give them options.”

FOR WORKERS BY WORKERS

Brad and Sheree – together with PSA members across the organisation – took charge of everything; from their working patterns to the equipment and ergonomics they needed to work from home.

The result was the Creating and Enabling Great Workplaces initiative – a hybrid plan for flexible working, which offered workers the option of working remotely, or from the office, with total flexibility.

The council’s flexible working policies have since been nominated for three HR awards. It secured a win for Best Workplace Flexibility Program at the annual NZ Human Resources Director (HRD) Awards.

Chief executive Shaun Clarke is proud of the win: “The initiative was beautiful because it ran from the centre of the organisation outward,” he says. “We were blown away by what didn’t happen to productivity.”

“We don’t always see eye-to-eye,” Brad concludes, “but I think this has been an important lesson about putting faith in your people.”

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The Marlene Pitman Award was created in honour of PSA delegate Marlene Pitman – who passed away on January 16 2010 – to recognise her 25-years of membership and dedicated service to the PSA.

Marlene was a veteran PSA delegate of 23 years, a convener of the social services sector committee, an activist at Child, Youth and Family, and a hardworking member of Te Komiti o Te Rūnanga o Ngā Toa Āwhina.

Today this award not only honours Marlene’s contribution to the union but also provides an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the success of Māori PSA delegates who provide outstanding service to Māori.

Those who receive this award will have shown outstanding leadership, above and beyond the duties expected of their role.

For example:

• Rangatiratanga – empowering Māori leadership
• Whanaungatanga – developing workplaces that meet the needs of Māori – both as individuals and collectively – providing a specifically Māori voice in high-engagement processes
• Kaitiakitanga – leading work that secures specific working conditions and cultural identity for Māori in the workplace
• Manaakitanga – leading work that promotes health and wellbeing for Māori in the workplace.
• Wairuatanga – promoting the rights of Māori to be Māori in the workplace
• Whakahiato Umanga – promoting Māori career development
• Whakamana –growing Māori membership within the workplace
• Kotahitanga – building solidarity and unity among Māori members and between Māori and the wider PSA membership.

Nominations can be completed by filling out and returning the form below or via the PSA website. It is important to note when filling out the nomination form that the criteria required is clearly stated in your nomination form.

Any events or actions your nominee has taken part in should be reasonably current, but in some cases historical recognition will apply. A delegate may receive the award more than once.

You can submit your nominations here.

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For many public servants, the recent occupation of Parliament grounds was not just a news story but a lived reality, with PSA members subject to daily harassment and intimidation at the hands of the occupation’s extremists.

A PSA survey, carried out at the height of the occupation, found 90 per cent of Parliamentary members feared for their safety when entering or leaving Parliament grounds. Around half experienced verbal harassment, while six per cent were physically attacked.

As the country picks apart the many – often contradictory – grievances that culminated in a flurry of violence during the protest’s collapse, public servants may well ask themselves: how can we ensure this never happens again?

THE OCCUPATION’S AFTERMATH

Our response must tread a careful line. We can’t give airtime to the demands of extremists, particularly those who have threatened the lives of Parliamentary workers, but if we’re serious about allaying further eruptions of anger, we must try to understand the factors that drew people to the occupation in the first place.

The protesters may have denied themselves a fair hearing – by either threatening, condoning or carrying out acts of violence – but some did have comprehensible reasons to be angry.

Not because of their opposition to vaccine mandates. These are temporary measures largely justified by the need to protect public health. But because many were poor or otherwise socially excluded.

They told stories of racism, personal poverty, unemployment, and feeling ill at ease in modern society.

These feelings were seized upon by the protest’s organisers, who promoted narratives of unaccountable state power and a supposedly malignant political elite. In an awful irony, some of the occupation’s key figures espoused white supremacist views.

While the protesters remain a small, unrepresentative group, hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders know what it is to live with poverty and racism. If nothing else, the country has a strong interest in ensuring those with similar experiences do not venture down the same dark path.

This country certainly has major social divisions, but – as others have pointed out – they are about homeowners vs renters, the balance of power in the workplace, etc. Economic inequality damages trust and cohesion. Covid is not a valid locus for such concerns, to my mind. 3/3

— Max Rashbrooke (@MaxRashbrooke) February 21, 2022

THE ROLE OF PUBLIC SERVICE

How does this affect public servants and the services they deliver? Firstly, it is a reminder to New Zealanders of the vast increase in inequality and poverty the country has experienced since the 1980s and 90s.

Over the past forty years, child hardship has doubled and the disparity between rich and poor grew more rapidly than in any other developed country in the world. The government has made inroads into the problem, but much more work is needed, and public services – in particular tax, public housing and welfare – will be central to this fight.

Those most easily swayed by extremists are usually isolated people with few social connections.

This makes rebuilding communities an essential part of neutralising extremist arguments before they take
root.

As the Green MP Teanau Tuiono has written, communities are “healthier, safer and stronger for everyone” if people have warm, secure homes and living wages, and can access the education and healthcare they and their whānau need. This all relies heavily on the work of PSA members.

DEALING WITH DISINFORMATION

Other responses to the Parliamentary occupation, however, pose more complex questions for public servants.

A recent Stuff piece, on the ‘mumfluencers’ who use their online followings to promote conspiracy theories, claimed negative experiences with the mainstream health system often push people to look for “alternative information.”

More seriously still, Māori survivors of abuse in state care have been left with a lifelong distrust of government.

“I have been under their ‘care’,” Tumohe Clarke (Ngāti Hauā, Ngāti Koroki Kahukura) told Re: News.

“It has been terrible for me, psychologically, mentally … And I would rather die from poverty than ask for their help.”

Multiple reports have also shown that Māori receive discriminatory treatment in the health system: they are put into seclusion at five times the rates of other ethnicities, for instance, and receive significantly worse treatment for cancer.

While government is highly trusted overall – over four-fifths of New Zealanders report positive interactions with the public sector – this discrimination must be addressed.

A POINT OF REFLECTION

Many frontline public servants want to deliver services in a more personalised, responsive, and egalitarian way. They are often more frustrated than anyone by the top-down edicts and structures that exist within their sectors.

As one review found, those barriers mean most frontline innovation “is kept below the radar… until an appropriate time (which may never come).”

The new Public Service Act claims to challenge these structures, but much more work is needed to reorient public services around the needs of citizen-users, so that they are treated with dignity as a matter of course.

Given the success of Māori and Pasifika health organisations during the pandemic, one option would be to hand the delivery of some services over to trusted local providers.

More participatory decision-making processes – such as citizens’ assemblies, in which ordinary people are brought into the heart of government – could also help to increase public trust and counter misinformation.

Greater openness about public-sector algorithms and personal data use could help to address legitimate public concern about privacy and big tech.

Only by restoring trust in our public services – and bringing socially excluded communities back into the fold – can public servants play their part in neutralising the extremist arguments that underpinned the occupation, and prevent a repeat of the intimidation, harassment, and violence it tragically ushered in.

Max Rashbrooke is a New-Zealand-based writer with interests in economic inequality and democratic participation. He is a senior associate at the Institute for Governance and Policy Studies

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Whakatu Freezing Works, regarded by many as the “university of hard knocks,” provided the backdrop for many robust discussions around Everard and Jane Hineata Jackson’s kitchen table at 10 Willow Park Road, Hastings.

Presiding over these discussions was Jane’s father Pura Cunningham; an active union delegate at the Freezing Works, described by family as an ardent Labour Party man.

The debates didn’t just focus on politics or union issues. They canvassed the rugby exploits of Everard as an All Black and his brothers, Bully (Sydney) Jackson and Tutu Wi Repa, NZ Māori Rugby Team players, and their endeavours during the second world war with the 28th Māori Battalion C Company.

It was in this environment that Moana-nui-a-kiwa Jackson grew up alongside his siblings, older brothers Syd and Fred, sister Jackie, and younger brothers, Phillip and Glen. Two whangai brothers Derek and Tama Thompson also joined the whānau after their mother Liza – older sister to Jane – passed away.

UNION WHĀNAU

Moana understood the importance of justice from an early age. Referring to an incident that affected his father, he said:

Dad’s rugby interests were coloured by the fact that immediately after the North Island vs South Island game in 1939 he and Uncle Tori Reid were both told by the Rugby Union that as Māori they would have to make themselves unavailable for any future All Black games to avoid the union embarrassment when it selected its next team for the proposed tour of South Africa in 1940.

“Because of the war, the tour never proceeded. Dad never forgot the slight. He was the first former All Black to join the original antiapartheid movement in 1960...”

The Jackson men’s prowess in the war and on the rugby field were legendary, but it was Jane’s quiet strength that encouraged her children to pursue education and challenge injustice.

Despite her large family, Jane worked full-time at the Birds Eye Processing Company, served as a union delegate and even managed to teach her sons how to cook. Jackson dinners became synonymous with kai and kōrero.

This tweet had been pulled up again by the twitter community over the past day or so, and this morning we learnt of Moana Jackson's passing. Utter grief, such a loss. Can't begin to have the right kupu yet - Moe mai ra Moana xxxxx https://t.co/ZBkC9xNGDA

— Marama Davidson MP (@MaramaDavidson) March 30, 2022

SEEDS OF EMANCIPATION

Moana’s own engagement with the union movement was inevitable. By the early 1980s, when he was active within the PSA, his older brother Syd was leading the Clerical Workers Union and Fred was a delegate with the PPTA.

Ken Mair recalls Moana’s approach to relationships between Māori unionists and the wider union hierarchy in the 1980s.

“Moana entered the workforce at a time when the Labour Government was intent on the sale of state assets like forestry, railways, and fisheries,” Ken explains.

“We were all saying we needed to have a strong Māori voice within the PSA.

“Moana recognised there were other dimensions to this dilemma. He planted these liberating seeds of emancipation from a mainstream point of view.”

A PIONEERING MIND

“Moana had this powerful intellect but his kōrero could be understood by everyone,” Ken continues.

“He had the ability to change people’s attitudes; to create clarity and consensus about what the issues were, and how to tackle them.

“An idea inherent to the union movement at the time was that – by treating racism as a class issue – we could get stronger union support.

Moana challenged this assumption by arguing that indigenous rights were always paramount.”

“He believed that if workers wanted to uphold their status and change the system, their struggle must, first and foremost, be against colonisation,” Ken says.

“He laid the groundwork for what we have come to expect from our treaty obligations with the Crown as an employer,” Amokura Panoho agrees.

Moana Jackson was the very best of us: unfailingly kind to everyone he met, generous with his time and energy - especially if young people were asking for it - and the most gifted intellectual of his generation. He had such a soft voice, but he never took a back step x

— Morgan Godfery (@MorganGodfery) March 30, 2022

CHAMPIONING TE TIRITI

Moana championed the development of Ngā Toa Āwhina Rūnanga to strengthen our capacity to negotiate with the Crown and gain recognition for the special status of Māori in the State Sector Act 1988 S56 (2) (d).

At this time, Moana was finalising his ground-breaking report on Māori and the Justice System, in which he demonstrated the importance of a treaty-based approach, which he furthered in 1991 while developing the PSA Treaty Policy.

Amokura continues: “Another critical contribution Moana made to our early negotiations around the tangihanga claim was that the principles of fairness must be embedded in our treaty relationship and that our cultural rituals were integral to our identity as a treaty partner.

“Moana’s wisdom is only now being truly appreciated but it was obvious to many of us a long time ago.”

AN ENDURING LEGACY

Moana was an excellent storyteller and – in his later years – many of his favourite anecdotes were about his grandchildren. Without the care of his son Hatea, daughter-in-law Diane and their children, Moana’s wisdom and legacy would have been lost to us much sooner.

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Deaf people are used to bridging the communication gap with non-signers, using numerous strategies to
understand and be understood.

This new era of mask-wearing poses a challenge for Deaf people, as many of us rely heavily on lip-reading to
communicate.

Lip reading combines observations of a person’s mouth movements with cues taken from the topic at hand.

For many Deaf people, masks have made it harder to read lips and faces, which can be an isolating experience.

Here are a few tips and strategies for communicating with Deaf people more effectively in a masked world.

GOING MASK OFF

Firstly, it’s okay to remove your mask to communicate with a Deaf person or someone who is Hard of Hearing.

Government guidance says you don’t need to wear a mask if you “need to communicate with someone who is Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Deafblind or has a disability which makes it hard to have effective communication.”

It’s helpful to ask the person you’re speaking to what their preferred method of communication is and do your best to accommodate them.

The Government's guidance says "you do not need to wear a face mask if you need to communicate with someone who is deaf or hard of hearing, deafblind, or has a disability which makes it hard to have effective communication." pic.twitter.com/cFP4q3aypS

— Deaf Aotearoa (@Deaf_Aotearoa) February 23, 2022

BRIDGING THE GAP

If you’re not comfortable taking your mask off, that’s okay. There are lots of other ways to communicate.

Why not try…

• Using visual cues to signal someone and get their attention, especially if it appears that they did not hear you the first time.
• Writing out what you want to communicate using pen and paper or the notes app on your phone.
• Downloading a text-to-speech app. Microsoft, Apple and Google all have their own. This is a really useful way to carry out short conversations.
• Using body language. Try nodding or shaking your head, gesturing, or pointing. Even facial expressions around your eyes can convey more than you think.
• Using sign language. You can fingerspell words even if all you know is the alphabet.

ACCESSIBILITY FOR ALL

Not everyone identifies as Deaf or Hard of Hearing. Some people may not feel comfortable announcing their access needs, even if they’re finding it difficult to communicate.

When you’re at work, you should keep an eye out to see if anyone seems to be finding it hard to follow the flow of conversation.

Why not have a chat with your team and come up with some ideas for communicating with each other
more easily while you’re wearing masks?

If you’ve got a team meeting coming up, think about printing out relevant materials, action points or agenda items to make your meetings more accessible for everyone.

If you’re keen to learn New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL), Learn NZSL has a free online course, while Teach Sign has plenty of info and resources available. The NZSL Dictionary is also available online.

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A new member-led conference, Poipoia te Manawa Māui, offers Māori public servants a space for ‘real talk’ about the challenges and opportunities they face in the workplace.

The conference was initially organised by PSA member Kara Nepe-Apatu as a one-off event, but when more than 100 attendees turned up unexpected, Kara began to wonder if the need for Poipoia was greater than she’d thought.

Kara, who works at NZ Treasury, says the inspiration behind Poipoia came while attending an international conference for public sector workers.

“I was at a talk about how public servants can better engage with indigenous communities,” Kara explains.

“There were iwi representatives and amazing Aboriginal leaders there. But the facilitation just wasn’t on point.

“The moderator cut one of the speakers off to ask them: what is a tribe? What does it mean to you? It didn’t hit right. I knew I could do better.”

At #PoipoiaTeManawaMāui Dr Kathie Irwin challenged us all to lift the bar. ✊ #Māori #TeRauHihiri pic.twitter.com/3XWe1v6vKz

— Te Rau Hihiri (@terauhihiri) April 6, 2022

A BETTER WAY FORWARD

Kara posted about her idea for a new conference – organised by Māori for Māori – on social media.

The response was overwhelming.

She called a meeting with a network of wāhine Māori public sector workers to discuss taking the idea
forward.

“Our aim was to bring the gnarly topics to the fore,” Kara explains.

They came up with an event that addressed issues relevant to Māori in the modern workplace; from
the appropriate application of te reo Māori me ōna tikanga to the urgent need for whānau-centred approaches in the public sector.

Speakers included Atawhai Tibble, board member at Te Pūnaha Matatini, Lil Anderson, Tumu
Whakarae of Māori-Crown relations, and renowned Māori educator Dr Kathie Irwin.

Ko te whakapakari pūkenga, ko te whakanui i ngā kaimahi Māori o te Kāwanatanga hoki, ētahi o ngā whāinga nunui o te kaupapa ‘Poipoia Te Manawa Māui’.

Pānui: https://t.co/pvMKg9tku4 pic.twitter.com/K2MM8nBK0n

— Te Karere (@TeKarereTVNZ) February 28, 2022

BRINGING OUT THE HEART OF MĀUI

Kara says the name Poipoia te Manawa Māui was chosen to inspire Māori public servants to bring out their authentic selves.

“The name means to nurture the heart of Māui. It’s about teasing out our authentic selves and taking advantage of those intrinsic qualities that serve as our superpowers.”

Kara describes the honesty that came out of the first event as “beautiful.”

“It was shocking how many people felt they weren’t valued as Māori in the public sector,” Kara says.

“They felt like the Māori rather than a Māori. I work with many of these people, but I’d never heard them say that before.”

A CALL TO ACTION

Kara describes the feedback she has received since the event as “touching.”

“Poipoia made people feel valued and validated as Māori. Some said it felt like a call to action.”

The next event will take place in September to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Māori Language
petition. However, Kara says she’ll continue running Poipoia as long as it’s needed.

“It certainly seems like the need is there!”

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The PSA Youth Network’s biannual hui took place in February: the first to be held remotely since the pandemic began.

“It was a very different vibe,” says incoming PSAY co-convener Jonny Murnane. “It’s like being in a long-distance relationship. It’s just that much harder to connect.”

Jonny says the move online came with unexpected benefits for young members.

“Quite a few of our organisers were able to attend when they wouldn’t otherwise have been able to,” Jonny explains. “Our members found their perspectives really valuable.”

The hui covered a range of topics faced by young members in the workplace, with speakers and workshops covering everything from climate change and digital organising to pay equity and harassment in the workplace.

STEPPING UP & SPEAKING OUT

A highlight of the hui was a talk from Minister for Youth Development Priyanca Radhakrishnan, who told attendees about her own public sector journey and the importance of staying true to your values on the road to becoming an authentic leader.

PSA organiser Lucy Andreetti says a quote from Radhakrishnan’s speech – ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’ –resonated with her.

“I think a lot of our members are familiar with the ‘imposter syndrome’ that comes with stepping up and speaking out as a young worker,” she says.

“It was a good reminder that great things can come on the other side of discomfort.”

FOSTERING CONNECTION

The hui also saw the election of Jonny Murnane and Hine Perry to the co-convener positions for the Network over the coming year.

“Hine and I are among the older members in the PSAY,” Jonny explains.

“We wanted to take on a leadership role before we aged out; to influence, mentor and support the working youth movement within the PSA.”

Lucy Andreetti also praised the “resilience and adaptability” of young members in the face of Covid-19.

“The past couple of years have put barriers up for all of us,” she explains.

“This hui gave me hope that – by utilising the technology we have at our disposal – we can still foster connection and build solidarity among young workers in the union movement."

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Like sick pay or parental leave, our Monday to Friday working routine is often seen as nothing less than a fact of life.

It’s actually a historical achievement, hard won by workers and trade unionists of centuries past, unwilling to accept their mahi eating up such a large chunk of their lives.

The pandemic has brought their struggle into the present. Whether you’re stuck in an out-of-hours Zoom meeting, or refusing to risk infection to maintain company profits, Covid-19 has prompted the question: do we need to be here?

That could be why in Aotearoa, where the pandemic is still in its relative infancy, we’ve been slow to champion a four-day week – an idea that’s gaining momentum across the globe.

GLOBAL MOMENTUM

In February, the Belgian coalition Government announced workers will be able to opt into a four-day week under a series of labour market reforms.

Iceland made a similar announcement after the country’s official trial revealed the “overwhelming success” of a four-day week in terms of productivity and wellbeing.

With trials currently underway in England, Scotland, and Japan, why is Aotearoa lagging behind in the race toward a shorter working week?  

WATCHING FROM THE SIDELINES

It’s a point of contention for businessman Andrew Barnes, who claims Aotearoa’s businesses are "watching from the sidelines" as other countries beat us to a shorter week.

Barnes’ company Perpetual Guardian has been working four-day weeks since 2018, when an in-house trial led to a 20 per cent rise in productivity.

With businesses reluctant to act, the union movement could put the onus back on the Government, calling for an official trial and using its success to leverage for change.

New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern backs four-day working week pic.twitter.com/lW1cvMsYYd

— The Independent (@Independent) December 1, 2020

AN IDEA WORTH EXPLORING

It’s certainly an idea worth exploring – particularly for our members who know what it’s like to be burnt-out and overworked at the height of a pandemic.

PSA delegate Sergio says: “A shorter week would mean spending time with family and friends, undertaking personal development, planning travels; all the things that make life so rich.”

The idea could have wider implications, too. According to Will Stronge and Kyle Lewis, authors of Overtime: Why We Need a Shorter Working Week, a four-day week could “create a more just and equitable society… providing scope for the many to achieve a happier and more fulfilling life.”

A shorter week is a feminist issue, equalising the distribution of unpaid labour in the home. It’s an environmental issue, providing a low-cost, high-impact way of decarbonising the economy.  

FREEDOM AND FLEXIBILITY

Some of our members, however, face unsustainable workloads within their current routine, let alone a four-day week.

“We can’t continue to overwork and underpay those on the frontline of the pandemic and the climate crisis,” says PSA national secretary Kerry Davies says. “The stakes are just too high.

“Our fight for a four-day week must include a push for meaningful investment in public and community services to build the resilience we need to move toward a shorter working week that delivers on the promise of freedom and flexibility for all.”

You can win a copy of Overtime: Why We Need a Shorter Working Week if you tell us which European country introduced a four-day week this year. Email editor@psa.org.nz to enter.

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Unuhia te rito o te harakeke                                                              
kei hea te kōmako e kō
ki mai ki āhau e aha te mea nui
o tēnei ao
māku e ki atū
he tangata
he tangata
he tangata

Pluck out the heart of the flax
where will the bellbird sing?
tell me what is the most important
thing in this world
I will tell you
it is people
it is people
it is people

Ko Ngatokimatawhaorua te waka
Ko Nukutawhiti te tangata
Ko Tāwhitirahi me Whangatauatia nga maunga
Ko Te Awapoka me Te Wainui nga awa
Ko Te Oneroa a Toohe te moana
Ko Ngāti Kaha, Ngāti Kuri, Ngāti Waiora, Whanau Moana, Ngai Takato, Ngāti Ueoneone, me Ngati Kairewa nga hapū
Ko Te Aupōuri, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Kahu, ara me Ngāpuhi-nui-tonu ngā iwi

The whakatauki above was expressed by Meringāroto as she was about to be married to Puhipi.

They were both ancestors of mine, and the whakatauki alerted her people of impending danger from another iwi.

It has inspired me to be confident when challenging inequity as I walk through life.

After leaving the far north at the age of 17, I moved to the South Island to begin an apprenticeship through the Māori trade training schemes in the 1970s.

I have since worked as an engineer, a school teacher, and an evaluator in the Education Review Office.

I served as a trustee of Te Rūnanga mo Te Aupouri a few years ago, progressing our treaty claims and settlement process.

These experiences – in particular my career as a teacher of history and Māori studies – made me keenly aware of how historical injustices can inform current inequities.

This awareness also informed my belief in the power of unionism; the need to support those that are struggling, and the importance of providing them with a living wage so they can live with dignity and thrive.

My union journey began as a delegate in the Engineers Union, and continued as a teacher with NZEI and PPTA. Later, I became a PSA delegate and a Māori enterprise delegate at ERO.

I joined the Te Rūnanga o Ngā Toa Āwhina a few years ago, and was humbled to be asked to become the new PSA kaumātua in 2021.

I would like to acknowledge the outstanding leadership of former kaumātua Kiwhare Mihaka who sadly passed away last November. His shoes will be difficult to fill.

I also want to acknowledge kuia Georgina Kerr for encouraging me to take up this position, and the support I have received from many elders, leaders and union comrades over the years.

Nō reira kia kotahi te hoe o te waka, kai u te haere ki mua

Let’s paddle this waka in union together to ensure we go forward

Ngā manaakitanga kia koutou

John Witana

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One perk of working from home during the pandemic is the extra time many of us have on our hands.

Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori has a challenge for New Zealanders: use this time to brush up on your Covid-19 related vocabulary and expressions, and sentences to check in on your whānau.

Covid-19 has introduced a whole new vocabulary; everything from self-isolation to social distancing – once alien concepts – have now become common turns of phrase.

Here are some words and phrases that will probably be (all too) familiar to you by now, and how to say them in te reo Māori.

Try practicing the words for…