Urgency

I move, That urgency be accorded the passing through all stages of the Support Workers (Pay Equity) Settlements Amendment Bill.

The Support Workers (Pay Equity) Settlements Act 2017 implemented several settlement agreements, including the settlement agreement for care and support workers signed on 2 May 2017 on behalf of the Crown, ACC, and the 20 district health boards and various union organisations representing support workers.

The amendment bill that is the subject of this urgency motion extends the benefits from the original settlement for support workers and ensures that new support workers are entitled to the same minimum wage rates and conditions as existing support workers. The operative provisions of the principal Act would be repealed on 1 July 2022 automatically. It is, therefore, essential that the bill before the House today is passed under urgency before that date so that this key group of workers can continue to benefit from the updated settlement agreements.