A support worker’s unfiltered response to the Government’s fast-tracked Pay Equity Amendment Bill is doing the viral rounds across Aotearoa.
The bill, introduced just 24 hours earlier by ACT MP Brooke van Velden, passed all stages in Parliament under urgency last night.
One disability support worker, interviewed on 1News, didn’t hold back her message to those in charge.
“They can kiss my fat ass, darling,” Jo-Chanelle Pouwhare told reporter Maiki Sherman.
Moments after the interview played out, Pouwhare’s line made its way onto social media sites X and Reddit.
And the reactions backing her are brilliant, with one user writing: “That’s a classic Kiwi quote right there.”
Another said, “My girlfriend and I were cheering at the TV when she said this.”
"That's a f***ing proper Kiwi hero,” a third chimed in, with someone else adding: "Right on Aunty, get 'em!"
The passing of the Bill is widely being seen as an attempt to make it harder for workers - often in female-dominated industries like aged care and mental health - to prove their work has been historically undervalued.
Ultimately, this makes it a more difficult fight for fairer pay.
Meanwhile, the Government says the changes will help make the legal process easier to understand.
Van Velden says she still backs pay equity, but felt the old system was “muddied and unclear.”
Still, all opposition parties unanimously voted against the bill.
According to RNZ, 33 current pay equity claims will now be scrapped and have to start again, affecting thousands of workers around the country.
But one thing’s for sure - Pouwhare’s message hit loud and clear with the people.
