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Support Workers (Pay Equity) Settlements Act 2017

Preliminary provisions

3: Purpose

You could also call this:

"This law aims to give support workers fair pay by setting minimum wages."

Illustration for Support Workers (Pay Equity) Settlements Act 2017

The purpose of this Act is to implement settlement agreements. You will see these agreements apply to employers and support workers. They set minimum hourly wage rates for support workers. The settlement agreements are about care and support workers, vocational and disability support workers, and mental health and addiction support workers. These agreements were signed by the Crown and other organisations on different dates. They aim to provide fair pay for support workers. The Act sets out to apply the terms of these agreements to all support workers. This includes those who were not part of the original agreements. You can find more information about the amendments to this Act on the Support Workers (Pay Equity) Settlements Amendment Act 2020 and the Support Workers (Pay Equity) Settlements Amendment Act 2022 and the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM7269116.

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Topics:
Work and jobs > Worker rightsHealth and wellbeing > Healthcare servicesHealth and wellbeing > Mental health
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2: Commencement, or

"When the law starts"

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4: Overview, or

"This law helps support workers by setting their pay rates and helping them get qualifications."

Part 1Preliminary provisions

3Purpose

  1. The purposes of this Act are—

  2. to implement the settlement agreements described in subsection (2); and
    1. to apply the terms of those agreements to employers and support workers who were not party to the agreements; and
      1. to set minimum hourly wage rates for work performed by support workers after the expiry of those agreements.

        1. The settlement agreements are—

        2. the agreement in respect of care and support workers signed on 2 May 2017 by or on behalf of the Crown, ACC, the predecessors of Health New Zealand, E tū Incorporated, the New Zealand Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi Incorporated, the New Zealand Nurses Organisation Incorporated, and the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi Incorporated; and
          1. the agreement in respect of vocational and disability support workers signed on 17 July 2017 by or on behalf of the Crown, E tū Incorporated, the New Zealand Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi Incorporated, and the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi Incorporated; and
            1. the agreement in respect of mental health and addiction support workers signed on 25 July 2018 by or on behalf of the Crown, the predecessors of Health New Zealand, Platform Charitable Trust, E tū Incorporated, the New Zealand Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi Incorporated, and the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi Incorporated.

              Notes
              • Section 3(1)(a): amended, on , by section 5(1) of the Support Workers (Pay Equity) Settlements Amendment Act 2020 (2020 No 50).
              • Section 3(1)(b): amended, on , by section 5(2)(a) of the Support Workers (Pay Equity) Settlements Amendment Act 2020 (2020 No 50).
              • Section 3(1)(b): amended, on , by section 5(2)(b) of the Support Workers (Pay Equity) Settlements Amendment Act 2020 (2020 No 50).
              • Section 3(1)(b): amended, on , by section 5(2)(c) of the Support Workers (Pay Equity) Settlements Amendment Act 2020 (2020 No 50).
              • Section 3(1)(c): inserted, on , by section 4 of the Support Workers (Pay Equity) Settlements Amendment Act 2022 (2022 No 32).
              • Section 3(2): replaced, on , by section 5(3) of the Support Workers (Pay Equity) Settlements Amendment Act 2020 (2020 No 50).
              • Section 3(2)(a): amended, on , by section 104 of the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022 (2022 No 30).
              • Section 3(2)(c): amended, on , by section 104 of the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022 (2022 No 30).