Budget protest strike: ‘We had more support than none’ from employers – Ngarewa-Packer

Te Pāti Māori says most employers he has spoken to support the strike to protest government policies affecting Māori.

Social media posts shared with the party are urging people to protest on Budget Day on Thursday, but Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says a strike would be illegal.

Both Luxon and Labor leader Chris Hipkins are warning people not to break the law during the planned protest.

Te Pāti Māori was criticized for calling the industrial action a “strike”, but co-chair Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said Morning report the same control was not applied to the climate strikes.

She said people would rise up whether it was considered legal or not.

“We are all using whatever words we need to draw attention to the pain this government is causing.”

Ngarewa-Packer said it was immature to think people wouldn’t talk to their employer before leaving their job.

“We have already talked to many employers who are extremely supportive and say: ‘no, you are on strike, don’t go on leave, we understand the principle you represent’. So we got more support than not.”

She added that the situation only becomes more complicated when people decide not to listen to each other and not engage with each other.

Meanwhile, police issued a statement saying they were planning hīkoi and public gatherings across the country on Thursday.

Police said there would be a visible police presence on the roads, with hīkoi journeys across the country starting at 6:30 a.m. and likely to disrupt traffic in many areas during the morning hours.

Police said gatherings planned in Auckland’s Aotea Square from 11 a.m. and on the Parliament Grounds in Wellington from noon were expected to continue into the afternoon.

“Now is the time to act” – Ngarewa-Packer

Ngarewa-Packer said the government had failed to allow public scrutiny of the dismantling of policies put in place to stop harm to communities in areas such as health, Māori and disability.

When asked why the action would happen now, Ngarewa-Packer said they were at a point where the situation had become unbearable for tangata Whenua.

“When the situation becomes unbearable, now is the time to act,” she said.

The budget was developed by dismantling policies, which proved harmful to very marginalized communities such as Māori, people with disabilities, those of color or those struggling to make ends meet, she said.

“The budget is the culmination of a process of dismantling many of the things that have helped us – the Māori districts referendum, (section) 7AA Oranga Tamariki – you really know enough is enough.”

The protest would show the strength of “ordinary people who are fed up with harmful government behavior” and also be a call for unity and a better nation, she added.

Hipkins encourages employers to allow employees to protest

said Labor Party leader Chris Hipkins Morning report encouraged people to exercise their right to freedom of speech.

But he said calling it a “strike” suggests that people are being encouraged to stop working and that they can only do so under certain conditions.

“Strike action in the context of leaving a job is particularly important… to take this type of strike action, for example, you need to negotiate wages.”

Hipkins said he encouraged employers to allow employees to take the day off in protest if they wanted to.

Hipkins said Labor MPs could meet with protesters.

“We see that increasing numbers of New Zealanders, Māori and non-Māori, are very concerned about the actions of this government, and people want to take part in protests and want their voices to be heard.”