51 Comments

I was horrified, but not surprised. And ask again, how did this woman end up getting such an important role? Oh that's right. Workers don't vote for ACT. It's business that matters. I challenge her to look the families in the eye when their loved ones have been killed at work. I challenge her to go to the tangi of grieving whanau who don't understand how their loved one was killed at work ; I challenge her to go to a prosecution for an injury or death by Work Safe and listen to the companies defend their actions. I challenge her to meet with the Pike families, or the Forestry families who mourn still to this day. Work Safe is far from perfect, but it is under-resourced . I am also worried about the Holidays Act "review" given the Holidays Act covers annual leave, public holidays, sick leave and bereavement leave. There already has been work done on the calculations during Labour's time, but of course that is tainted in her magenta view.

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I absolutely believe she could do all of the above and not bat an eye. A totally unfeeling automaton.

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Reminds me of Pike River. The National Government cut the number of mine inspectors diwn to one and look at the result of that policy

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Too true Nick, sadly she is not out of synch with other Ministerial appointments. This Brookism shows her loving side - "When it came to COVID, we completely blew out what the value of a life was, completely, I’ve never seen such a high value on life.” Was it only yesterday we were reminiscing about kindness?

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Ah. So she did show her true colours then.

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Jaysus wept! this woman needs a heart transplant! she makes Thatcher seem warm blooded .... how the hell can she even use the word "reform" with a straight face? Several of my mining uncles had silicosis, they called it Miners' Phthisis back in the day, it is horrific ... how can this miserable excuse for a human being brush off the import of this so lightly? .... every week I think I cannot be more outraged and every week this dreadful government proves me wrong :/

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Me too, its not good for our health this permanent state of rage. We need a meet up of rage-filled people over this government where we eat cake, read poetry, sing and laugh.

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So, the Aussie experience with workplace inspections needs more research but Aussie building materials can just be brought in straight away? This mob has a strange decision-making process! No values other than costs.

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What other values could NActional have, besides National neo-Christian/Conservative White Supremacist?

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Neo-liberalism is their religion, we’re being dragged backwards into the worst aspects of the 1980s (greed is good). I wonder if they all have pictures of Roger Douglas and Margaret Thatcher on their desks?

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Sigh! More mindless word salad from someone who hasn't a clue that her job is about people.

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Hesitating about sharing this, but I was there when AFFCO were prosecuted for Jason’s hook in the head accident when they started out trying to blame him. I was there with Forestry families when Simon Bridges was the Minister and defending his hopeless response; I was there with Pike families after 29 men died and Kate Wilkinson (then Minister) stood on the stage with Peter Whittall, who has never been prosecuted, I was at the tangi of Baldy in Wairoa after he died in the chiller at the AFFCO works. So many lives ruined, so many families distraught. To this day. These things never leave you.

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Nga mihi for sharing that Darien. I've been researching some Welsh family history on my paternal side of late. My paternal family lived in Pontypridd a once booming coal mining town. The devastation to the environment and the work place accidents were horrific. The owners always put their profits before their workers safety and well-being. I've often thought this government seem determined to drag us back to the 1950's but now I'm thinking it's more like the Victorian era!

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Kia ora David : I come from a mining family too. My grandfather, who later became a Labour MP in NZ started work as a pit boy in a mine in Northumberland at the age of 12. He worked at Millington Mine in NZ after being injured at the Somme in WW1. I often marvel at his journey from Pit Boy to Labour MP in the MJ Savage/Peter Fraser government. I wish I had known him better but I was just tiny when he died.

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You captured the full horror extremely well, Nick. This whole "the vibe of business" thing is hilarious, just a whole lot of deranged LinkedIn/Koru Lounge conversations echoing around in empty heads.

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I work for a very large Australian owned Manufacturing and Logistics Company , our Australian H & S people are routinely appalled by the 'she''ll be right' attitude they encounter here We are very focussed on H & S at the mangerial level but getting the buy in from the people at the coal face is very frustrating , just an example, when a truck arrives at one of our sites , it parks in a designated area and the driver once he has opened the curtains to be loaded/unloaded has to move to the designated safe area , do you know how many times we have to tell the same drivers to move to this area as they are potentially in danger , and too often we hear ' oh it's alright the forklift driver can see me' .........

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I so believe that. I have a good friend whose husband is a truck driver and he would be one of THOSE guys. Just ask him something about H & S and he will moan for ages. I put it done to him being a male of a certain age, that knows it all.

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Well done Nick. There is also 'a range of factors' completely wrong and f#$ked up about this government! I was in Australia when they started 'streamlining' and 'refocusing efforts' and it was shocking. Trying to do the same amount of work/output with fewer people was terrible and leads to stress and overwork by those left behind. Now here we have yet another Government doing the same thing. We need safety measures in workplaces. So what if it costs the business? Better to be safe than sorry. All businesses have costs but is the loss or injury of an employee worth not paying?

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It seems that too many businesses have forgotten that employees are people, with families that love them and rely on them, people that need to pay for food and a roof over their heads, who sometimes have illnesses and need rest (holidays and reasonable hours of work), they aren’t FTEs, work units or an inconvenient cost to be minimised.

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I blame the shift from 'personnel' to 'human resources' - always hated the latter!

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I was going to comment exactly that. The term Human resources dehumanises your work force from an asset to a liability on the business's Balance Sheet. I don't think many employees grasp the fact that HR works for the benefit of the employer, not the employee.

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I remember observing after I spoke at a HR conference (we always called it Human Remains) how once you could a large hall with workers, but now they are filled by HR people.

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Very strange woman. She shows no emotion and that is a real worry. It appears that for her, the worker is responsible for their own H & S in the workplace. After all the employer can't be expected to do too much as this will impact on his/her profits.

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Between her and Seymore workers are screwed.

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As are their children at school.

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Omg! Brooke is a shocker, can barely listen to her.. her attitude is disgusting!

Is this not personality disorder or something?! Devoid of empathy, how sad!!

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Yes very sad humanoid!

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Interesting that those things that cause workers harm can be passed under urgency, no facts and no interest in their welfare. Those things that are designed to help workers and keep them safe need "work done" or a review or any other delaying tactic. Have never seen such a dreadful lot of out of touch, out of empathy, lacking in values and principles politicians ever.

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Yes I watched that and I couldn't stop swearing, what a cold monstrous robot

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I'm beginning to believe in the Lizard People thing.

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Yes that’s exactly fit!

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