Tamati Coffey Reveals ‘Ponsonby Rd’ Now Living Wage Employer

Tamati Coffey Reveals ‘Ponsonby Rd’ Now Accredited Living Wage Employer

When television personality Tamati Coffey and his partner, Tim Smith opened Ponsonby Rd Lounge Bar in March 2015, they aimed to bring something different to Rotorua’s hospitality industry.

Now a well-established part of New Zealand’s premiere tourist destination, the popular nightspot has recently evolved once again into an accredited living wage employer – the city’s first.

“I’m really happy,” says Mr Coffey. “For me, it’s saying to our workers, ‘We are a partnership and here’s your fair share’, as opposed to ‘Thanks for your hard work, your peanuts are in the bank.’

“I’m a firm believer that the way you treat your employees is reflective of the way they treat your customers. That’s why I know our clientele are going to love the heightened experience of being looked after by our living wage backed and valued team.”

After talking to other Living Wage employers, Mr Smith adds that the move to the independently calculated pay rate, currently set at a minimum of $19.80 - $4.55 per/hr more than the government's minimum wage - only made good economic sense. Naturally, he says experience and qualifications are rewarded even more.
“You can’t provide our tables with the best service in town when you’re constantly worrying about how you are going to put food on your own.”

With 800,000 people in New Zealand currently stated to be living below the poverty line and hospitality a key source of minimum wage positions, the two challenge other business owners to help turn these statistics around.

“Many hospitality workers in our country have kids to feed and bills to pay on minimum wages that just aren’t keeping pace,” says Mr Smith.

“Paying the living wage is fairer, results in a lower turnover of staff and will ensure our team actually get to enhance their quality of life. Instead of hospitality being labelled with offering wages that hold back many kiwi workers and their families, let us as an industry be known for offering fair wages that value contribution and boost our people forward.”

Mr Coffey agrees “Best of all, we are currently hiring! So if you’d like to be part of our valued living wage team and know how to treat customers well, get in touch!"

ENDS

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