The Labour councillors on the Porirua City Council are happy that the Council has agreed to become an accredited living wage employer.

The vote was passed in today's full Council meeting.

I want to thank my fellow Council members for joining us in committing to accreditation as a Living Wage employer. Council is showing leadership on improving the lives of workers in Porirua, and I hope that Porirua businesses follow suit”, said Cr Josh Trlin, who represents the Northern Ward.

A motion recommending the accreditation was moved by Cr Trlin and seconded by Councillor Hayward during deliberations on the Long Term Plan in June 2021, but the motion failed to be passed.

“This is not the end of the process, but the beginning. If we want a livable city, we need a Council that will make a commitment to community wealth building”, said Cr Geoff Hayward, who represents the Western Ward.

“Today’s Council decision builds on last year’s Long-term Plan commitment to pay contractors the Living Wage. We need to take a similar approach to building further on other challenges our city faces, like climate change resilience”, said Cr Trlin.

“This is a result of the years of work by the community to push for action by our Council, and today’s decision will help our Council encourage other employers to join the Living Wage movement”, said Cr Hayward.

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