Monday, 04 December 2023
KaitaiaWhangareiDargavilleAucklandThamesTaurangaHamiltonWhakataneRotoruaTokoroaTe KuitiTaumarunuiTaupoGisborneNew PlymouthNapierHastingsDannevirkeWhanganuiPalmerston NorthLevinParaparaumuMastertonWellingtonMotuekaNelsonBlenheimWestportReeftonKaikouraGreymouthHokitikaChristchurchAshburtonTimaruWanakaOamaruQueenstownDunedinGoreInvercargill
NZ HeraldThe Northern AdvocateThe Northland AgeThe AucklanderWaikato HeraldBay Of Plenty TimesRotorua Daily PostHawke's Bay TodayWhanganui ChronicleThe Stratford PressManawatu GuardianKapiti NewsHorowhenua ChronicleTe Awamutu CourierVivaEat WellOneRoofDRIVEN Car GuideThe CountryPhoto SalesiHeart RadioRestaurant Hub
Voyager 2023 media awards
Subscribe

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Too old, Winz tells mum, 42

Cherie Howie
By
Cherie Howie
13 Oct, 2012 04:30 PM2 mins to read
Saveshare

Share this article

facebookcopy linktwitterlinkedinredditemail
Jobless Heather Georgeson, 42, with her family. Photo / Jason Dorday

Jobless Heather Georgeson, 42, with her family. Photo / Jason Dorday

They don't have to pay younger ones as much, work broker advises

Work And Income has told a 42-year-old mum she's too old for a job.

Heather Georgeson applied for a factory job through a Work and Income Manurewa work broker, but missed out because of her age, the broker has told her.

"I've just followed up the factory vacancy yesterday that I referred you to and unfortunately they wanted someone younger," the broker wrote in an email to Georgeson. "Sometimes they want the younger ones so they don't have to pay as much."

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

It is illegal for employers to discriminate on the grounds of age, and this weekend Work and Income head Debbie Power admitted Winz had got it wrong. "I'm concerned and disappointed about what has happened," she said.

"We don't condone discrimination on the basis of age in any circumstances."

Georgeson, who moved from Christchurch to Auckland after last year's earthquake, said she couldn't believe her age had cost her a job. "I'm only 42, not retirement age. And I was only expecting minimum wage."

She had previously worked for Cadbury, Air New Zealand and the University of Canterbury and considered herself a good worker, but had struggled to find work since moving to Auckland. The factory job was important to her, she said, as her husband, Kishore Menon, was on ACC and the family survived on $404 a week.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

"It's so hard to get work here, so when I heard about this job I thought, 'Yes'. It meant a lot."

Work and Income is investigating Georgeson's case.

Power said the broker should have flagged the discrimination for investigation in the first instance, rather than condoned it. "Heather is clearly motivated and wants to work and we want to do everything we can to help her," Power said.

"In this case we understand a recruitment agency told our work broker there was a vacancy, but later said the employer wanted a younger person. Our work broker should not have simply relayed this information, but should've raised concerns with a senior staff member so the matter could have been looked into.

Related articles

New Zealand|Politics

'The jobs just are not there'

18 Sep 05:30 PM
Business

Gareth Morgan: Benefit tightening won't reduce unemployment

23 Sep 09:30 PM
New Zealand|Politics

Matt McCarten: No need to starve yourself, just give poor some more

06 Oct 04:30 PM
New Zealand|Politics

Protester's plea to minister

09 Oct 04:30 PM

"I want to be clear that our staff work extremely hard to place people into jobs."

Manurewa Labour MP Louisa Wall said she would help Georgeson lay a complaint with the Human Rights Commission.

Saveshare

Share this article

facebookcopy linktwitterlinkedinredditemail

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

The Opportunities Party leader Raf Manji resigns

03 Dec 08:07 AM
New Zealand

Te Whatu Ora data breach: Man arrested for allegedly accessing Covid vaccination info

03 Dec 08:02 AM
New Zealand

NZ’s fifth Covid-19 wave prompts six-fold bump in booster shots

03 Dec 06:55 AM
New Zealand

One dead after quad bike rolls near Rakaia

03 Dec 06:37 AM

Top toys of 2023 for kids & ‘kidults’

sponsored

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

The Opportunities Party leader Raf Manji resigns

The Opportunities Party leader Raf Manji resigns

03 Dec 08:07 AM

Raf Manji is standing down after failing to get into Parliament this election.

Te Whatu Ora data breach: Man arrested for allegedly accessing Covid vaccination info

Te Whatu Ora data breach: Man arrested for allegedly accessing Covid vaccination info

03 Dec 08:02 AM
NZ’s fifth Covid-19 wave prompts six-fold bump in booster shots

NZ’s fifth Covid-19 wave prompts six-fold bump in booster shots

03 Dec 06:55 AM
One dead after quad bike rolls near Rakaia

One dead after quad bike rolls near Rakaia

03 Dec 06:37 AM
Toy trends for Christmas
sponsored

Toy trends for Christmas

About NZMEHelp & SupportContact UsSubscribe to NZ HeraldHouse Rules
Manage Your Print SubscriptionNZ Herald E-EditionAdvertise with NZMEBook Your AdPrivacy Policy
Terms of UseCompetition Terms & ConditionsSubscriptions Terms & Conditions
© Copyright 2023 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP