Prime Minister Chris Luxon claimed today that changes were coming to existing sick leave terms.
In 2021, Labour and the Greens doubled statutory sick leave from 5 to 10 days as part of their response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Christopher Luxon said Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden is working on new changes - but it prompted concerns from some.
NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan explained further.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thomas Coglan, the Herald's political editors with us.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Now, hey, Thomas, good afternoon.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Okay, so the sick leaf kerfuffle that was unnecessary, wasn't it?
Speaker 2 (00:07):
It was quite unnecessary. The Prime Minister on his morning
media around this morning, was asked about whether or not
the government was looking to reduce the number of sick
days that that workers get. He basically alluded to the
fact that brook van Velden was doing work in this
area and that, you know, options were open to the government.
So everyone quickly he wrote up stories that suggested that
that said that the government was open to, you know,
(00:29):
halving people's sick leave in titlements. Brook van Velden quickly
poured cold water on this. The government is looking at
a system for part time workers, like a pro rated
style system. So that's so brooklyn Veldin's exact quote, as
we might need to do things about pro rating sick
leave as well, because people who are on time part
time contracts are getting full time ten day equivalency. Pardon
(00:53):
me that was that was Prime Minister Christopher UX's remark.
But but we're we're not looking it completely. Having the
the the entitlement from ten days to to five days,
so a bit of a bit of a miss.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
So he caused his own governments kerfuffle for the day.
Now would you expect I would have. I would expect
that he knows better than this what's going on? Right?
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Yeah? He it is. He does have quite an executive
or chair of the board style where he's not in
the weeds any pre minister's portfolios. I think that has
a benefit. I think you'd see, like just into a
doing sometimes would would get quite in the weeds and
other people's portfolios. Christopher Latson is that isn't on Thomas.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
There are better examples there. Helen Clark was across absolutely
every single piece of detail, even if she wasn't a micromanager,
and so was John Key, they would never make mistakes
like this.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Yes, and that is the other side of it, you know.
I mean Helen Clark and John Key remarkable for for
probably knowing more about some portfolios than the ministers that
held them.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
And even if you didn't know, right, even if you
weren't across all of these details, surely you just it
would occur to you as a politician that taking away
fifty percent of someone sickly would be a reasonably big
political issue and maybe you wouldn't just say that out loud.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Well, I am surprised, as you say, I'm surprised that
that there isn't a book of you know, red flags
that the pre Minister is aware of. That it was
sort of like like that old mind sweeper game that
used to play on old computers. I'm surprised that that
that that he doesn't have it at a hand, a
sort of a knowledge of the very real issues that
(02:30):
the government's going to face in the next six months
and knows how to handle them delicately. But but yeah,
you know, yeah, it is. It is. He probably lost
a very valuable morning when he probably want to be
talking about I mean.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
Not the biggest, not the biggest mistake in the world,
right but but but it's forming a bit of a
pattern because it's not the first time he's done this, is.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
It he is He is very easily he very easily
talked White ties himself in knots on the morning there.
I just did it myself on the on the morning
media circuit. He it is that detailed issue. And when
when when people smith sniff that he has gone off
topic or he doesn't know what he's talking about. You know,
(03:08):
that's where he really he really leads leads himself astray.
And it didn't it didn't need to be the spad
he I mean just into doing it again. She could
quite definitely sort of stone more people. It was annoying
because you knew she wasn't giving you the whole answer.
It was very annoying from time to time, but it
did avoid situations like this.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Now he will be much happier. I think this is
his happy place when he's off around the world doing
doing foreign policy. So he's heading to China tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Yeah, yeah, very early in the morning, so he's he's
he's catching the dreaded boeing to China. It's it's a
you know, the government's defense force plane doesn't have a
very long range, so it's going to take three flights
to get to to get to China. It is his
happy place. Tourism and international education are the big goals
of the trip. Chinese visitor arrivals. The Chinese tourism market
(03:58):
is sixty percent of pre co level, so we really
need to get that back up. There's a visa announcement
this weekend to make it easier if you're a Chinese
tourist with a visa for Australia. Much easier now to
hop across the ditch to New Zealand. So that's that's
that seems like a really really positive initiative. International education
is the other big one for New Zealand schools and universities,
so they're trying to ang some deals to get a
bit of that, a bit of that coming back to
(04:19):
New Zealand as well. It is his heavy place. He
likes that he's quite good at it. He hasn't been
to China before his Prime Minister, so we'll see how
he does there.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Good stuff. Hey, Thomas, as always, thank you so much,
made appreciated. That's Thomas Coglan, the Herald's political editor. For
more from Heather Duplassy, Alan Drive, listen live to news Talks.
It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio
Thomas Coglan, the Herald's political editors with us.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Now, hey, Thomas, good afternoon.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Okay, so the sick leaf kerfuffle that was unnecessary, wasn't it?
Speaker 2 (00:07):
It was quite unnecessary. The Prime Minister on his morning
media around this morning, was asked about whether or not
the government was looking to reduce the number of sick
days that that workers get. He basically alluded to the
fact that brook van Velden was doing work in this
area and that, you know, options were open to the government.
So everyone quickly he wrote up stories that suggested that
that said that the government was open to, you know,
(00:29):
halving people's sick leave in titlements. Brook van Velden quickly
poured cold water on this. The government is looking at
a system for part time workers, like a pro rated
style system. So that's so brooklyn Veldin's exact quote, as
we might need to do things about pro rating sick
leave as well, because people who are on time part
time contracts are getting full time ten day equivalency. Pardon
(00:53):
me that was that was Prime Minister Christopher UX's remark.
But but we're we're not looking it completely. Having the
the the entitlement from ten days to to five days,
so a bit of a bit of a miss.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
So he caused his own governments kerfuffle for the day.
Now would you expect I would have. I would expect
that he knows better than this what's going on? Right?
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Yeah? He it is. He does have quite an executive
or chair of the board style where he's not in
the weeds any pre minister's portfolios. I think that has
a benefit. I think you'd see, like just into a
doing sometimes would would get quite in the weeds and
other people's portfolios. Christopher Latson is that isn't on Thomas.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
There are better examples there. Helen Clark was across absolutely
every single piece of detail, even if she wasn't a micromanager,
and so was John Key, they would never make mistakes
like this.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Yes, and that is the other side of it, you know.
I mean Helen Clark and John Key remarkable for for
probably knowing more about some portfolios than the ministers that
held them.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
And even if you didn't know, right, even if you
weren't across all of these details, surely you just it
would occur to you as a politician that taking away
fifty percent of someone sickly would be a reasonably big
political issue and maybe you wouldn't just say that out loud.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Well, I am surprised, as you say, I'm surprised that
that there isn't a book of you know, red flags
that the pre Minister is aware of. That it was
sort of like like that old mind sweeper game that
used to play on old computers. I'm surprised that that
that that he doesn't have it at a hand, a
sort of a knowledge of the very real issues that
(02:30):
the government's going to face in the next six months
and knows how to handle them delicately. But but yeah,
you know, yeah, it is. It is. He probably lost
a very valuable morning when he probably want to be
talking about I mean.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
Not the biggest, not the biggest mistake in the world,
right but but but it's forming a bit of a
pattern because it's not the first time he's done this, is.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
It he is He is very easily he very easily
talked White ties himself in knots on the morning there.
I just did it myself on the on the morning
media circuit. He it is that detailed issue. And when
when when people smith sniff that he has gone off
topic or he doesn't know what he's talking about. You know,
(03:08):
that's where he really he really leads leads himself astray.
And it didn't it didn't need to be the spad
he I mean just into doing it again. She could
quite definitely sort of stone more people. It was annoying
because you knew she wasn't giving you the whole answer.
It was very annoying from time to time, but it
did avoid situations like this.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Now he will be much happier. I think this is
his happy place when he's off around the world doing
doing foreign policy. So he's heading to China tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Yeah, yeah, very early in the morning, so he's he's
he's catching the dreaded boeing to China. It's it's a
you know, the government's defense force plane doesn't have a
very long range, so it's going to take three flights
to get to to get to China. It is his
happy place. Tourism and international education are the big goals
of the trip. Chinese visitor arrivals. The Chinese tourism market
(03:58):
is sixty percent of pre co level, so we really
need to get that back up. There's a visa announcement
this weekend to make it easier if you're a Chinese
tourist with a visa for Australia. Much easier now to
hop across the ditch to New Zealand. So that's that's
that seems like a really really positive initiative. International education
is the other big one for New Zealand schools and universities,
so they're trying to ang some deals to get a
bit of that, a bit of that coming back to
(04:19):
New Zealand as well. It is his heavy place. He
likes that he's quite good at it. He hasn't been
to China before his Prime Minister, so we'll see how
he does there.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Good stuff. Hey, Thomas, as always, thank you so much,
made appreciated. That's Thomas Coglan, the Herald's political editor. For
more from Heather Duplassy, Alan Drive, listen live to news Talks.
It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio
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