December 08, 2023

Pushback warning on te reo Māori payments

Claudette Hauiti Posted On December 8, 2023

The Public Service Association is warning the union will push back on any attempt to ax te reo Māori incentive payments for public servants.

Public Service Minister Nicola Willis has asked for advice on how to stop the payments being negotiated into future collective agreements.

Marcia Puru, the PSA’s acting te kaihautū Māori, says Ms Willis deliberately mislabels the allowances as bonuses when in fact they recognise skills and competency – in the same way the private sector operates.

“This affects Māori and non-Māori who can access these allowances. It’s all about the competence and being able to uplift capability within these agencies and recognising the skills to be able to provide better services to Māori. I think the Minister is not thinking that broadly in terms of the reasons,” she says

Ms Puru says some of the allowances have been round for decades, and recognise the importance of Te Reo as an official language and underscores the commitment of successive governments to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi.