Source: New Zealand Labour Party
You’ve probably already heard that last week the Government released this year’s Budget. It’s something we’re really excited about (and if you are too, you can read more here), because we know it’s a key part of our plan to secure a strong COVID recovery.
But with all the focus on the Budget, you might have missed some of the other good news coming out of the Beehive – and there’s been a lot! So, in case the news slipped you by, we wanted to share five Labour highlights from the past week.
Here’s what you might have missed:
We’re delivering on our election commitment to double sick leave to 10 days a year
COVID-19 has shown us how important it is for people to stay at home if they’re feeling unwell. Last week, we passed legislation to increase minimum sick leave entitlements from five days a year to ten – another way Labour is backing working New Zealanders.
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We hit a major milestone in our vaccine roll-out
Rolling out safe and effective vaccines to everyone in New Zealand is a key part of our recovery plan. It will provide an extra layer of protection as we begin to safely reconnect with the world and move into the next phase of our COVID recovery. Last week, we reached a new milestone, with more than 500,000 doses administered!
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We’ve trained more than 5,000 COVID-19 vaccinators
Dedicated vaccinators are working extremely hard to help protect New Zealanders as we continue with our COVID recovery. Last week, we took another step forward, celebrating that we now have more than 5,000 vaccinators trained to safely deliver the Pfizer vaccine.
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We took a stand with our Rainbow communities
Our Government is committed to improving the wellbeing of Rainbow New Zealanders with initiatives such as investing in mental health services, banning harmful conversion practices, and lifting the cap on gender affirming surgeries. On Monday, Labour’s Rainbow Caucus reinforced this commitment by joining MPs from other political parties to mark the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.
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We opened a two-way quarantine-free travel bubble with the Cook Islands
Thanks to the massive team effort over the past year, quarantine-free flights between New Zealand and the Cook Islands were able to take off last week. Safely opening the bubble is an important step forward in our COVID-19 response, and will mean Kiwi families can reconnect with their loved ones in the Pacific.
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Our Government is busy securing our COVID recovery while tackling long-term challenges like child wellbeing, housing and climate change – and we’re making good progress. The five achievements above are just a few of the ways we’re getting on with the job.
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