Waikato Herald
  • Waikato Herald home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Locations

  • Hamilton
  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Matamata & Piako
  • Cambridge
  • Te Awamutu
  • Tokoroa & South Waikato
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Weather

  • Thames
  • Hamilton
  • Tokoroa
  • Taumarunui
  • Taupō

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 / Waikato News

Opinion: Can you afford not to pay living wage?

By Kelli Pike
Hamilton News·
31 Oct, 2019 09:53 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

Kelli Pike, known as Kelli from the Tron, is a blogger and Free FM podcaster on political, environmental and social issues for the city. Photo / Supplied

Kelli Pike, known as Kelli from the Tron, is a blogger and Free FM podcaster on political, environmental and social issues for the city. Photo / Supplied

With thanks to Wellington carpenter Samuel Parnell, we were among the first in the world to claim the right to an 'eight hour working day' in 1840, celebrated as Labour Day since 1890.

Today, the problem isn't necessarily long hours spent in a factory, it's businesses paying their staff less than the cost of living.

You've probably heard the term the working poor. A growing number of Kiwis who work full-time and still cannot afford, food on the table, medical or dental work or continually increasing rents.

While this government is increasing the Minimum Wage to $20 by 2021 it still isn't enough, nor calculated to match the cost of living each year like the Living Wage does.

A Living Wage is the hourly wage a worker needs to pay for the necessities of life and participate as an active citizen in the community. It is calculated annually and is currently $21.15 per hour.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

If you're an employer and "can't afford to pay a living wage" you should be rethinking your business model and budgets, to work out how you can do this.

It isn't just about doing the right thing, it's the business smart thing to do with research showing a Living Wage can lead to increases in productivity, reduced absenteeism and staff turnover.

Next week is Living Wage week, I urge you to set a goal to be paying all of your employees a Living Wage by Labour Day 2020. For more information livingwageaotearoa.co.nz

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Kelli Pike, known as Kelli from the Tron, is a blogger and Free FM podcaster on political, environmental and social issues for the city.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Waikato News

Waikato Herald

Home build dream shattered after business hacked and woman launders couple’s $150k

12 Jul 01:00 AM
Waikato Herald

Landslide sparks evacuations, roads closed, homes flooded after storm

12 Jul 12:43 AM
Property

Legal hook means buyers risk losing thousands on some Kāinga Ora homes

11 Jul 08:45 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Waikato News

Home build dream shattered after business hacked and woman launders couple’s $150k
Waikato Herald

Home build dream shattered after business hacked and woman launders couple’s $150k

12 Jul 01:00 AM

Sophie Winchester-Krishan earned $5k for laundering the couple's scammed money.

Landslide sparks evacuations, roads closed, homes flooded after storm
Waikato Herald

Landslide sparks evacuations, roads closed, homes flooded after storm

12 Jul 12:43 AM
Legal hook means buyers risk losing thousands on some Kāinga Ora homes

Legal hook means buyers risk losing thousands on some Kāinga Ora homes

11 Jul 08:45 AM
Storm leaves 13,000 without power in Tasman
Waikato Herald

Storm leaves 13,000 without power in Tasman

11 Jul 08:18 AM
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
  • Waikato Herald e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Waikato Herald
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • 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
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP