Sep-Oct 2016 Issue | Business View Oceania

84 Business View Oceania - September/October 2016 bers to participate in the discussions as they affect the entire sector. “The quite unique thing about us in New Zealand is that we have a branch network, we have fourteen branches around the country. So the New Zea- land Aged Care Association is a two- way forum, we tell our members what’s happening in the policy space and they provide information to us to take back to the policy makers. We also offer a range of membership services as well as providing training. We only have five staff and we only exist because of the subscription that our members pay. We are a small, lean machine”, ex- plains Simon. At the forefront of change As one might expect, the association is always at the forefront of current is- sues that affect the aged residential care sector. Right now, the biggest pol- icy issue that they face is the Equal Pay Case. In 2012, a caregiver in the sector lodged a claim with the Employ- ment Relations Authority which sug- gested that the industry’s minimum wage was far too low, particularly be- cause it was dominated by female em- ployees. NZACA, on behalf of the car- egiver’s employer, is playing a vital role in the negotiations between the gov- ernment, the workers’ unions, and the members that it represents.