The Living Wage will increase to the 2022/2022 rate, $23.65 an hour, from 1 September. This means that all accredited Living Wage Employers will have to pay at least that much to everyone both directly employed and employed through contractors on a regular and ongoing basis.

Over 350 Aotearoa New Zealand businesses and organisations are on the official list, coming from all parts of our economy, from big financial institutions to small hospitality businesses, and everything in between.

Mitsubishi Motors has just become the first automobile company to champion the Living Wage. Chief Operating Officer, Daniel Cook says it’s about making sure employees can make ends meet.

“The cost of living crisis currently impacting hard-working New Zealanders places an increased responsibility on employers to do right by their employees. At Mitsubishi we view our staff as a family, and it’s important we enable our family members to thrive in this environment of escalating costs.”

Georgina Dansey, owner of Body Fit Training (BFT) in Te Awamutu, says good wages have been a priority from the start.

"When opening our business, we knew that our people and employees should always be the priority, so giving them the Living Wage was a no-brainer. If we have happy, committed employees, our business will really be able to thrive, and giving employees the Living Wage is one part of valuing our staff.”

Hopper Refill Shop in Wellington recently became accredited, though has paid at least the Living Wage to all staff since they began. As well as being zero waste, they know that social responsibility is just as important as environmental responsibility in business.

“The health and wellbeing of our people, our community and our planet are at the heart of what Hopper is about. Paying the Living Wage allows our employees to live decently and with dignity which has always been an important part of our ethics at Hopper,” says Creative Director, Susie Brow.

Fashion and lifestyle business, Flo & Frankie, have also joined the list this year.

“When starting Flo & Frankie one of the things that was high on my priority list was ensuring we were able to give back to those in need and from the outset put in place our Flo Gives Back initiatives,” says Founder and Director, Chrissy Conyngham.

“However, as well as helping communities outside the business it's so important to ensure our own people are looked after and cared for. For us, part of this is ensuring 100% of our staff earn the Living Wage, from our store staff to those in the head office, everyone deserves to earn a wage that reflects the hard work they put in and ensures they can care for themselves.”

Living Wage Accreditation Coordinator, Felicia Scherrer, is thrilled with the momentum this year.

“The list of employers stepping up to do the right thing is growing with real momentum. The thing that joins together this hugely diverse group of business and organisations is a simple commitment to decent work through the Living Wage. All accredited Living Wage Employers can be proud of what they are doing for their own staff, and the impacts their leadership has across the whole workforce.”

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