In response to reports that the Government is amending the Equal Pay Act under urgency, Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand’s Movement Building and Advocacy Director, Lisa Woods, said:

"This looks like an abuse of process. Once again we are seeing the Government rushing through legislation without adequate oversight and the opportunity for us all, especially those most impacted, to have a say. That’s not what happens in a healthy, thriving, representative democracy.

There can be legitimate reasons for using urgency. However, we are concerned that urgency is being used over and over and over again when it doesn’t need to be - avoiding the scrutiny and public input that helps protect against bad law.

This is a problem we’ve seen across successive governments. It risks normalising undemocratic practices, bypassing normal checks and balances that support transparency and participation.

The use of urgency is not an isolated concern.

We’re seeing actions by Government utterly disregarding Te Tiriti o Waitangi - a fundamental part of our constitutional make-up. We’re seeing accountability and transparency challenged in other areas such as with the Official Information Act.

New Zealanders must seriously question what path this is all leading us down and take a stand for the kind of society we want - one that’s based on respect, dignity and equity.

This starts with getting our foundation right. For Aotearoa New Zealand this is about upholding Te Tiriti and the tino rangatiratanga it guarantees. In doing so we provide a place for us all to belong, for respectful relationships to flourish and a just foundation for how we can make decisions together.

When our systems are designed so we can all make a meaningful contribution, we can all benefit in so many ways, including more well-rounded and informed decision-making, stronger communities and feelings of belonging and connection. Not to mention overcoming intergenerational inequities in how different groups of people are paid."

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