Health and safety reform: Minister denies exclusion of unions from nationwide tour

More events are planned in Whangārei, Invercargill, Christchurch and Timaru before the consultation ends on October 31.

She added that the purpose of the trip was to talk to people who do not typically take part in government consultations.

“It was very comprehensive,” van Velden said, saying she spoke to workers from multiple industries.

She declined to speculate whether she would present details of the planned reform before the end of the year, but said all options were being considered, from changing legislation, regulations, guidelines, to introducing a completely new law.

“All this is on the table.

“I am not here to – as I have heard – weaken the law. I am here to look for better solutions.

“There are some areas where things are becoming clear, and there are some larger areas where I still have concerns and questions about what we could do to change this.”

Wagstaff, while pleased to have van Velden at today’s event, admitted he was disappointed with her office’s lack of involvement in CTU matters, having only met with her once in November since the change of government.

He claimed that previous ministers Simon Bridges, Michael Woodhouse and Iain Lees-Galloway had agreed to meet every two months. Wagstaff suspected that the unions were “not a voice that (van Velden) wanted to hear”.

Today’s event was organised in partnership with Labour’s industrial relations spokeswoman Camilla Belich and her Green Party counterpart Teanau Tuiono to press the union’s views on van Velden.

“I don’t think she’s had any big meeting with union members, and we’re really just giving her their voice in parliament,” Belich said.

Adam Pearse is a political reporter with the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based in Parliament House. He has worked for NZME since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the NZ Herald in Auckland, where he covered Covid-19 and crime.