The Trusts adopt a living wage for entire workforce

Pressures of the COVID-19 Pandemic can be felt all across the country. After talking with our staff, we saw just how much of an impact it was having in The West. So to make things make things easier, we’ve introduced a living wage for our entire team made up of more than 300 staff across our 35 retail stores. Hospitality venues and hotels.

From April 2021, all staff received a new living wage rate of at least $22.75 per hour, which is $2.75 above the government’s new minimum wage level. And waged employees who earned above our starting rate also received an increase of $2.00 per hour. This wage increase was in addition to a 10% support payment designed to acknowledge local frontline staff working during the pandemic. This payment will remain in place during alert levels 3 and 4.

Trusts CEO Allan Pollard says the living wage was originally planned for the second quarter of 2023 however new financial projections meant these plans could easily be brought forward to April. “It is our aim to ensure that our team members feel more valued and that this will make a material difference to their wellbeing and that of their whānau. We would also like to see this move encourage other organisations in the industry to follow our lead and give back to their staff in this way,” he says.