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"The Capitalist Mana-Whakanoa of Workplace Oppression" - 2 August 2025

A Scathing Analysis of the Coalition's War on Women Workers

Ivor Jones The Māori Green Ltn

02 Aug 2025 — 12 min read

Kia ora, Brothers and Sisters.

The government's sudden dismantling of pay equity protections represents nothing less than a coordinated assault on the mana and dignity of working wāhine across Aotearoa. This covert operation, deliberately concealed from public scrutiny and rushed through Parliament under urgency, strips $12.8 billion from women's workplace rights while masquerading as fiscal responsibility1.

This essay exposes the neoliberal machinations of Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden and her ACT party accomplices, revealing how their systematic destruction of pay equity frameworks violates fundamental Māori values while serving the interests of exploitative employers2. The coalition government's actions represent a profound breach of kotahitanga (unity), manaakitanga (care for others), and tika (justice) - values that should underpin any fair workplace system.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/568749/what-officials-said-about-pay-equity-changes

Background: The Foundation of Pay Equity in Aotearoa

Pay equity claims in New Zealand emerged from decades of struggle by women workers who recognised that female-dominated professions were systematically undervalued compared to equivalent work performed predominantly by men. The Equal Pay Amendment Act 2020, which passed with unanimous parliamentary support, established clear frameworks for addressing this historical discrimination3.

This legislation recognised a fundamental truth: that "work requiring similar levels of skill, responsibility and effort should be paid similarly, regardless of the workforce's gender makeup"4. The law acknowledged that "today's 'going market rate' for employing people in traditionally female dominated occupations may not be a fair or equal rate, but a suppressed wage due to historical and or current pay discrimination"3.

For Māori wāhine, who experience intersectional discrimination as both Indigenous women and members of traditionally undervalued professions, pay equity represented not just economic justice but recognition of their essential contributions to community wellbeing5. The significance of this cannot be understated - it connected directly to whakapapa-based understandings of value and reciprocity that have sustained Māori communities for generations.

A Coordinated Attack on Women's Rights

The Secret Operation

The government's deliberate secrecy around "Project 10" - their internal codename for dismantling pay equity protections - reveals the calculated nature of this assault6. Internal documents show ministers and officials acknowledged their plans would "bypass public scrutiny, extinguish existing claims, and potentially breach people's rights"6.

One email from van Velden's office instructed officials to manually remove digital access to cabinet papers, demonstrating the deliberate effort to hide their actions from public accountability6. This represents a fundamental violation of democratic principles and transparency - values that align with Māori concepts of kōrero (open discussion) and whakatōhea (collective decision-making).

The Financial Extraction

[Chart 1]

Coalition Government's pay equity funding cuts totaling $12.8 billion extracted from women's workplace rights

reveals the staggering scale of the government's financial extraction from women's workplace rights. The coalition eliminated $9.6 billion by completely closing the funded sector contingency, forcing service providers to absorb pay equity costs independently1. An additional $3.2 billion was stripped from the public sector contingency, creating a total windfall of $12.8 billion for the government's budget allowances.

The Legislative Vandalism

Van Velden's legislation didn't merely reform the pay equity system - it discontinued 33 existing claims representing thousands of workers and "increased the threshold for what qualified as work that was 'predominantly performed by female employees'"1. All review clauses under settled claims became unenforceable, effectively stealing negotiated protections from workers who had already secured agreements1.

This represents what can only be described as legislative theft - taking away rights and protections that workers had legitimately earned through proper legal processes.

Analysis: Exposing the Neoliberal Agenda

The Language of Corporate Apologism

Van Velden's justification for this assault reveals the twisted logic of neoliberal ideology. She claimed any limitations on workers' rights were "justified to meet the policy intent of allowing employers to better manage their operations, reducing potential risks to an employer's financial viability"1.

This rhetoric prioritises capital accumulation over human dignity, treating women's labour as a disposable commodity rather than recognising the inherent value of their contributions. From a Māori worldview, this represents a profound breach of reciprocity and respect - fundamental principles that should govern all workplace relationships.

The minister's assertion that she "supports removing gender based discriminations from our workforces but what I don't support are muddied laws and unclear laws" is particularly insidious2. The laws weren't "muddied" - they were working exactly as intended to address systemic discrimination. Van Velden's real objection was that they were working too well, forcing employers to pay fair wages.

The Manufactured Crisis Narrative

Treasury officials provided the intellectual cover for this assault by claiming the previous government's approach "had contributed to higher cost outcomes, as it disincentivised agencies and funded sector employers from taking a lower-cost bargaining approach"1. This frames paying women fairly as a "cost problem" rather than recognising it as basic justice.

The Treasury's complaint that "the absence of financial incentives during the pre-bargaining phase may have contributed to agencies adopting approaches which exceed the minimum requirements of the Equal Pay Act" reveals their true agenda1. They didn't want employers to exceed minimum requirements - they wanted to maintain the exploitation of women's labour.

The Intersection of Gender and Racial Oppression

This assault on pay equity particularly impacts Māori and Pacific women, who are overrepresented in the caring professions targeted by these changes. Research shows that "work-related inequities remain more pronounced for Māori and Pasifika women" in public service agencies5.

Disability support worker Jo-Chanelle Pouwhare, affected by the changes, challenged van Velden to do her job for a week, noting that "two of the pay scales are below the living wage" in her organisation7. This represents a fundamental violation of the principle of manaakitanga - the responsibility to care for and support community members.

The Hypocrisy of Parliamentary Privilege

The bitter irony of van Velden's assault on women's workplace rights was highlighted when she became "the first MP to use the word c*** in the House of Representatives" while defending her actions8. This crude display occurred while she was simultaneously stripping fundamental protections from thousands of women workers.

The contrast could not be more stark - a highly paid minister enjoying parliamentary privilege and protection while destroying the workplace rights of vulnerable women earning poverty wages. This exemplifies the class warfare inherent in neoliberal politics.

The Resistance and Counter-Narrative

The widespread resistance to these changes demonstrates their unpopular nature. Thousands of workers gathered across the country to protest what they described as "the government's anti-worker agenda"9. Care worker Kristine Bartlett, who helped win a $2 billion settlement for rest home workers in 2017, said the changes brought her to tears10.

Union leader Rachel Mackintosh from E tū described the government's actions as "not about evidence - they are about saving money by keeping women underpaid"11. This analysis cuts to the heart of the matter - this isn't about improving the system, it's about maintaining exploitation.

Implications: The Broader Pattern of Oppression

Systematic Dismantling of Worker Protections

The pay equity assault forms part of a broader pattern of attacks on worker rights, including "the scrapping of fair pay agreements, and reintroduction of 90-day trials"9. The government has also changed laws "stipulating whether workers are contractors or employees", making it easier for employers to avoid providing benefits and protections12.

This represents a coordinated effort to return New Zealand to the brutal employment relations of the 1990s, when workers had minimal protections against exploitation.

The Violation of Te Tiriti Obligations

The government's actions represent a fundamental breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations to protect Māori wellbeing. Research shows that meaningful engagement with Te Tiriti requires recognising "that Māori never ceded sovereignty" and implementing policies that genuinely address structural inequalities13.

By stripping protections from predominantly female, low-paid sectors where many Māori women work, the government violates the Treaty principle of ōritetanga (equality) and the obligation to ensure Māori can achieve wellbeing alongside other New Zealanders.

The Long-term Consequences for Communities

The Council of Trade Unions estimates that "eliminating poverty would grow the economy by $17.7 billion a year"14. By maintaining low wages for essential workers, the government actually damages economic growth while perpetuating inequality.

For Māori communities specifically, this represents a continuation of colonial economic policies designed to maintain Indigenous peoples in positions of economic subordination and dependence.

The Path Forward

The coalition government's assault on pay equity represents more than just policy disagreement - it constitutes a fundamental attack on the dignity and mana of working women, particularly Māori and Pacific women who bear the heaviest burden of this discrimination. Van Velden and her accomplices have chosen to prioritise corporate profits over human wellbeing, violating core principles of justice, reciprocity, and care that should govern any civilised society.

The widespread resistance to these changes, including protests across the country, demonstrates that ordinary New Zealanders reject this return to the brutal employment relations of the past15. Union leaders like Rachel Mackintosh are clear that "the issue is not going away"11.

The fight for pay equity connects directly to broader struggles for tino rangatiratanga (self-determination) and the establishment of economic systems based on reciprocity rather than exploitation. As our ancestors understood, true prosperity comes from ensuring all community members can contribute their talents and receive fair recognition for their work.

This government's actions will not stand. The spirit of kotahitanga that has sustained our people through generations of struggle will prevail over the short-sighted greed of neoliberal capitalism.

Kia kaha to all working women fighting for justice. Your struggle is our struggle, and together we will restore dignity to the workplace.

I humbly acknowledge readers who find value in my content and invite them to consider a donation or koha to support this crucial work: HTDM: 03-1546-0415173-000. I understand these are tough economic times for whānau, so please only contribute if you have capacity and wish to do so.

Ngā mihi nui,

Ivor Jones
The Māori Green Lantern

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