& DHB GOVT LOCAL ELECTIONWorking PULLOUT INSIDE Life THE PSA JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2016 LOCAL & DHB ELECTIONS HUI TAUMATA FAMILY VIOLENCE AUSSIE UNIONS SAVING WEEKENDS • Entertainment • Leisure • Shopping • Travel • Technology • Financial Your PSA Member Advantage discounts Member Advantage is the ultimate benefit experience. It offers you and your family unlimited use and allows you to save money on your everyday expenses. Access an extensive range of financial and lifestyle member benefits. How do I access my benefits? Your member benefits can be accessed by phone and online. Visit www.psa.org.nz/plus and login to access the Member Advantage benefits available to you and your family. www.psa.org.nz/plus Call 0800 453 244 or email [email protected] contents 8-11 Stand together for community Working Life: The upcoming local body and DHB elections the PSA Journal Working Life is published quarterly. 12-13 16-17 22-23 Views and opinions expressed in Hui Taumata: Supporting How Australian Working Life do not necessarily our Māori people out of unions changed represent PSA policy. members gather family violence their election Editor: Asher Wilson-Goldman. Design & layout: Dan Phillips. 5 PSA Congress 16-17 Family violence Contributors: Mark Chenery, What’s happening? Supporting people Giselle Clarkson, Colin Feslier, at work 8-11 Stand for community Fleur Fitzsimons, Jess McAllen, Dan Phillips, Jessica Williams, Info on the local elections 17 Sexual harassment Asher Wilson-Goldman and 12-13 Hui Taumata New resource for delegates Jem Yoshioka. Our Māori members’ biennial hui 22-23 International Printing: Webstar, Masterton. 14 Sterile supply Aussie unions PSA Executive Board & the election Mike Tana (president), Dangerous practices at DHBs 24-25 Networks update Gail Arthur, Andrew Colwell, 15 Our oldest delegate Benedict Ferguson, Jenny Goodman, Kathy Higgins, Meet Lorna McIntosh, age 80 26-27 Bargaining update Peter Robertshaw, Marshall Tangaroa, Erin Polaczuk Regulars and Glenn Barclay. PSA contact details 4 President’s message PSA, PO Box 3817, Wellington. 6-7 In brief Freephone 0508 FOR PSA (0508 367 772). 18 Know your rights: Email [email protected]. The local body and DHB elections 19 On the job: Attending a candidates meeting 20 Behind the scenes: Delegate education 21 Worth a look: The NZ Labour Party 1916–2016 28-29 Around & about On the cover Local Govt and DHB election guide, 30 Last word: illustration by Giselle Clarkson. The importance of values www.giselledraws.com www.psa.org.nz Working Life September 2016 3 President’s message One way to find out more is to STAND attend a local candidates’ meeting. TOGETHER FOR No matter where you are, there COMMUNITY will be at least one event nearby where you can attend, hear from AROUND THE SAME time as candidates and perhaps even ask this issue of Working Life arrives a question about an issue you care in your hands, you’ll also be about. receiving another more important (though perhaps less well designed) We’ve also tried to make things set of documents in the mail. easier – in this issue of Working Life, there’s plenty more on the Across New Zealand, voting papers importance of the upcoming for the local body and district health elections, and a handy pull-out board (DHB) elections should guide to cut through the jargon and be landing in your mailbox from work out what candidates really September 16 – 21, and you have mean. until lunchtime on October 8 to get these back. On our Stand Together campaign Facebook page (facebook.com/ As PSA members, it’s really standtogetherNZ) we’ve been important that we have our say, and profiling a number of candidates for encourage our friends and whānau a wide range of councils and DHBs, to make their voices heard as well. many of whom are proud union Who gets elected to represent us members. on our local councils and district There are a number of PSA health boards impact on the future members standing for office around of our communities in ways far the country, and I send them my beyond the typical rubbish and best wishes. I’m also excited to be rates (though these are important). one of them – I’ve put my name services for the people who need Good local body candidates mean forward to be the next mayor of my them. When things go wrong, we put commitments to making our hometown, Porirua. our faith in the nurses, doctors and councils Living Wage employers, other hospital staff to ensure our to keeping libraries and swimming No matter what happens in the health. That makes it all the more pools open in our suburbs. It means elections, this is my last President’s the difference between affordable important that we elect good people Message column, as a new PSA housing and freezing out first-home to district health boards. president will be elected at our Congress in Wellington in late buyers, and it means ensuring that It can be hard to judge who to vote the areas we live in have parks, September. It has been an honour for in local elections. Unlike in trees, and the other things that and a privilege to serve you for national elections, most people make raising our families a little the last four years, and with our don’t have a political party easier. hard work I’m sure our union will affiliation to use as an easy way continue to thrive in the years to to figure out their policies. Local Likewise, our district health boards come. help contribute to making our media doesn’t have the resources public health system one that to focus on most of the races, so Kia kaha respects the staff working in it outside of the biggest centres, it can Ngā mihi nui kia koutou katoa while ensuring the best possible be hard to find details. Mike Tana 4 www.psa.org.nz Working Life September 2016 Congress Delegates at the last PSA Congress in 2014. PSA Congress coming soon EVERY SECOND YEAR, more than to the general election next year, as This would give the network the 100 PSA delegates from across the part of our plan to make sure the right to participate at the next country gather for our biennial next government properly values Congress in 2018, and give it a Congress. The highest decision quality public and community formal role in our union structure. making body in our union, Congress services, and the people who work delegates elect our president, decide hard to deliver them. Another proposal, from the Youth on major strategy and set the rules Network, would create a specific by which we all operate. Attendees will attend two out of youth role on each of our Sector four workshops to hear from experts Committees and the Executive Board This year, Congress will be held on and discuss what the PSA should be to ensure the existence of a youth 20 and 21 September at Te Papa in doing about each of four topic areas: voice in PSA’s leadership structures. Wellington. Four candidates have privatisation, equal pay, building been nominated for the role of Māori activism and mental health. Congress is also a time to socialise, president: Andy Colwell (Auckland The results of these workshops and to build bonds of friendship DHB), Benedict Ferguson (Auckland will help to inform our campaign across the various parts of our union. Council), Janet Quigley (Canterbury for next year’s election, and our People working in local government DHB) and Peter Robertshaw ongoing work in these areas. in Northland will talk with public (Ministry of Justice). servants from Invercargill and home Delegates at Congress will also support workers in Wellington. You can find out more discuss and vote on a number of Connected by our PSA membership about each of them at rule changes. Under the PSA rules, and a shared desire to build better psa.org.nz/presidentialcandidates, proposals at Congress can be made working lives for all, Congress is and we will have an in-depth by the executive board, a sector one place where the strength of our interview with the successful committee, Te Rūnanga o Ngā Toa 62,000 members is keenly felt. candidate in the next issue of Āwhina, or one of our clusters or Working Life. formal networks. To keep up with Congress as it happens, keep an eye on our Congress will also be the launching Amongst this year’s proposals is Facebook page, facebook.com/ pad for the next stage of our Stand one to make our Deaf and Disabled nzpsa for live reporting and photos. Together campaign. The campaign Members Network our fifth formal The December issue of Working will highlight the wonderful work network (alongside Women’s, Out@ Life will also have a full report from our PSA members do in the build-up PSA, Youth and Pasefika). Congress. www.psa.org.nz Working Life September 2016 5 IN BRIEF NEW MINISTRY ON THE WAY ANNE TOLLEY, THE minister of social plan to the new agency, to make Another issue we’ll be keeping an eye development, has announced that sure the move is as simple and on is the possible use of contracting the Ministry for Vulnerable Children, straightforward as possible for the out core services as a way of de- Oranga Tamariki (MVCOT) will come 4000 people expected to work at skilling the workforce and lowering into existence on 1 April 2017. MVCOT. wages. The Ministry, which will be headed Massive workloads have been a We know that the best chance for our by current Bupa Care Services boss major issue for many years now that whānau is to have qualified social Gráinne Moss, will encompass the have impacted on the quality of care staff and functions currently handled provided, and it’s crucial that this is workers working alongside them, by Child Youth and Family and some addressed as plans are developed for and we will make sure that this is other Ministry of Social Development the new ministry.