The Living Wage rate for 2019 is $21.15.  This is a 60 cent increase, in line with the average wage movement.  The rate is announced annually on April 1 and the implementation date for Living Wage Employers is September 1.

This rate was announced by Charles Waldegrave of the Family Social Policy Research Unit in Wellington today.

Charles said: “This figure sits modestly at 68 percent of the average hourly earnings in New Zealand ($31.00) for the same quarter.”

“The movement in the average ordinary time hourly rate, as provided by the QES, was 3.0 percent leading to an estimate of $21.17 which was rounded down to $21.15.”

Workers continue to struggle to make ends meet even though the government’s Minimum Wage has increase from $16.50 to $17.70 per hour on the same day.

Invercargill cleaner Alana Clarke will increase her wage from $16.80 an hour to the new Minimum but she still has to work five cleaning jobs to make ends meet.

Luckily, cleaners at the newly accredited Living Wage Employer, Western Springs College, will be on the Living Wage, and they celebrated with a cake along with the staff and unions at the first secondary school in the country to step up to pay the current Living Wage.