Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Worker considers less pay unrealistic

By Jenee Tibshraeny
Bay of Plenty Times·
2 Mar, 2013 08:03 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

A Tauranga clothing retail worker's quest to sustain herself in "the real world" is being challenged by the Government's bid to introduce a starting-out wage of $11 an hour.

Laura Blair, 18, is fresh out of high school, and embracing her new-found independence. She studies radio broadcasting at the Bay of Plenty Polytech Monday to Thursday, and works at a clothing store Friday to Sunday.

She considered the possibility of earning $50 less a week, for doing the same work as her workmates, nonsensical.

"How do they expect students to live?

"Everything is so expensive."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Laura pays $170 a week for rent, and $60 a week towards her new laptop, on top of all her other living expenses, and study costs.

She said she had no time to take on a second job to make up for the amount she may lose.

"I don't know what I would do. I may have to move back home."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Laura also questioned, "Why only youth? You're meant to be encouraging youth to work. Dropping wages wouldn't help.

"Just because you're young, doesn't mean you don't work as hard."

Laura believed young people often worked harder as they were keen to prove themselves.

She hoped her employer would not cut her wages when the law is expected to come into force on May 1.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

Boat in perilous position in Tauranga Harbour

07 Jul 10:52 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

'Unique challenges': Debate grows over parking in Mount Maunganui

07 Jul 08:39 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

Sea pods revitalise Tauranga waterfront with marine habitats

07 Jul 08:19 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Boat in perilous position in Tauranga Harbour

Boat in perilous position in Tauranga Harbour

07 Jul 10:52 PM

Police were alerted to a sinking boat in Tauranga Harbour at 2.45pm.

'Unique challenges': Debate grows over parking in Mount Maunganui

'Unique challenges': Debate grows over parking in Mount Maunganui

07 Jul 08:39 PM
Sea pods revitalise Tauranga waterfront with marine habitats

Sea pods revitalise Tauranga waterfront with marine habitats

07 Jul 08:19 PM
Truck driver back at work and walking again after surviving fatal crash

Truck driver back at work and walking again after surviving fatal crash

07 Jul 06:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP