Hon Iain Lees-Galloway
Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety
17 May 2018
Protecting our workers from exploitation
New funding to increase the number of labour inspectors will improve the handling of increasingly complex and demanding
cases, says Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety Iain Lees-Galloway.
“The vast majority of New Zealand employers do the right thing by their staff, but we need to protect workers from those
businesses who do not,” says Iain Lees-Galloway.
“Boosting the Labour Inspectorate with more staff and resources will enable this important service to protect all New
Zealand workers from exploitation and unfair practices. This demonstrates the Coalition Government’s commitment to
protecting workers’ rights.
“Businesses will also benefit from our plan to ensure a more level playing field for good employers, so that they are
not undercut by unsavoury and unfair practices from competitors.
“We plan to lift the capability and capacity of the Labour Inspectorate over the next three years. This first step helps
the Labour Inspectorate deal with an increasingly complex and demanding workload, while allowing time to analyse where
additional resources are best placed.
“Through Budget 2018 the Government is committing $8.8 million of new operating funding over four years for more labour
inspectors and support staff.
“New operating funding of $4.3 million over the same period addresses cost pressures in frontline employment services
administered by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, including the Labour Inspectorate and Employment
Mediation Services.
“This is a good example of an investment being targeted wisely, providing resources where they are needed, and
delivering better value for New Zealanders,” says Iain Lees-Galloway.