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thth Apr - 30 24 Apr 2018 27 Jan - 3rdthFeb 2014
FIRST ON THE STREET
No No 434 647
LAKES WEEKLY BULLETIN
9 J 6 O IN SI BS D E
enquiries@lwb.co.nz
The minimum wage went up at the beginning of this month to $16.50 per hour. If you’re earning any less, your employer is in breach of the law. There are only some minor exceptions to minimum wage; if you’re 19 or under and are on a training scheme or were recently on benefits, then you’re entitled to a lower training wage. Everyone else should be on $16.50 per hour or more. This per hour rate includes overtime, people on a salary or on commission-based pay. The trouble is, even the recent minimum wage rise doesn’t sufficiently cover the cost of living in Queenstown – and it’s scaring talented employees away. The Living Wage Movement Aotearoa calculates the minimum hourly rate employees need to be paid to “live a basic yet decent life” is $20.55. This ‘living wage’ is an estimation based on the national economy. Nationally, the average house value according to the QV House Price index is just under $700,000. In Queenstown, it’s more than $1.1 million. Compare this to the national mean income of $57,000 and Queenstown’s $49,000 (which is no doubt skewed upwards by a few very rich residents). The region’s low-wage economy is at odds with the price of living. Yet some employers complain they’re struggling to find and keep decent workers. Just as every real estate agent will remind you that house prices are high because demand is high, wages should be higher if you hope to attract and keep ‘higher quality human resources’. I’ve known so many talented, highly-qualified and experienced people in their fields, leave because they were being paid sometimes half the national average for their industry. These people could have contributed to Queenstown’s growth and development, but instead they left once the thrills of Queenstown had worn off and discontent had set in. Then there’s the seasonal workers who put up with poor pay temporarily to enjoy the spoils of Queenstown and end up working harder than they’d bargained for. In one instance, I met a marketing executive on a career break who was being paid minimum wage as a barista, but soon found herself creating in-depth marketing strategies for the whole business instead – all for minimum wage. Her ‘career break’ turned out to be more stressful than planned and her underpaid work probably put an equally qualified local out of a decent job. Because Queenstown is propped up by a regular influx of here-for-a-good-timenot-a-long-time seasonaires, many under-paid employees simply come and go without complaining. It’s up to the businesses and employees who live here long term to negotiate a better standard for those who call the Queenstown Lakes region home – or we risk losing key talent to other areas of New Zealand.
Fae Robertson, Jo ‘Curly’ Anderson, Marg Young and Ann Aitken at the Arrowtown Autumn Festival Parade in Arrowtown on Saturday (Photo: Jodi Walters)
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saigonkingdom.co.nz JOHN RAVENS WEATHER Last week John was 100% correct
TUES
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THUR
FRI
Often cloudy, and a Cloudy periods. Mainly fine, high Cloudy with rain Southeasterly cloud thickening. few showers developing.
SAT
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Cloudy with not much wind.
Rain, clearing around midday
Rain with not much wind.