"The payment of the worker is more than charity; a just wage is a right under God."(1)
"One of the most important themes of the Bible, in both testaments, is that each individual has an expectation that they will be treated with dignity and that this can only be achieved when social and economic policies do not cause inequality to increase to excessive and morally unacceptable levels."(2)
Living Wage Aotearoa New Zealand is a movement consisting of three types of groups: faith-based religious groups, unions, and community/secular groups. It is a movement which advocates for more employers to adopt the living wage: an amount calculated annually which takes into account basic living costs such as food, transportation, housing, and childcare.(3) Individual Anglicans as well as Anglican groups have been heavily involved in the movement since it launched in 2012. This presence remains strong 10 years on with three Anglican representatives on the National Governance Board from Anglican Care, the Anglican Diocese of Wellington, and St Peter's on Willis Street (Wellington).(4) Living Wage Aotearoa New Zealand have engaged in a number of types of political activism over the years, including holding candidate forums during both general and local elections and holding Living Wage Week in November 2021.(5) They are probably best known for accrediting employers as 'Living Wage Employers' and promoting such employers, for example by providing a Christmas Catalogue exclusively of employers committed to paying the living wage.(6) Multiple Anglican Diocesan Synods, including Dunedin and Waiapu, have passed motions supporting the living wage, with some Diocese being Living Wage employers themselves, including Wellington.(7)
Bibliography
Living Wage Aotearoa New Zealand Faith Network, A Living Wage: A Gospel Imperative, 2.
Living Wage Aotearoa New Zealand Faith Network, A Living Wage: A Gospel Imperative, 3.
Living Wage Aotearoa New Zealand, "About - Living Wage."
Living Wage Aotearoa New Zealand, "The Living Wage Movement - Living Wage 2019."
Living Wage Aotearoa New Zealand, "Living Wage Aotearoa New Zealand | Facebook."
Living Wage Aotearoa New Zealand, "Christmas Catalog - Living Wage Movement Aotearoa New Zealand."
Taonga News, "Dunedin calls for living wage;" Anglican Diocese of Waiapu, "Waiapu Synod passes their Living Wage Motion;" Living Wage Aotearoa New Zealand, "Accredited Living Wage Employers in NZ - Living Wage 2019;" Collins, "Barefoot Bishop Justin Duckworth steps in to living wage debate - NZ Herald."
Anglican Diocese of Waiapu. "Waiapu Synod passes their Living Wage Motion." Facebook, September 12, 2015. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1488917634735336&id=1412385835721850.
Collins, Simon. "Barefoot Bishop Justin Duckworth steps in to living wage debate - NZ Herald." nzherald.co.nz. Updated February 25, 2015. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/barefoot-bishop-justin-duckworth-steps-in-to-living-wage-debate/VQK2GPQLYDRYTVSKWQP4NG3OTU/.
Living Wage Aotearoa New Zealand. "About - Living Wage." Accessed February 25, 2022. https://www.livingwage.org.nz/about.
Living Wage Aotearoa New Zealand. "Accredited Living Wage Employers in NZ - Living Wage 2019." Accessed February 25, 2022. https://www.livingwage.org.nz/accredited_employers.
Living Wage Aotearoa New Zealand. "Living Wage Aotearoa New Zealand | Facebook." Accessed February 25, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/LivingWageAotearoaNewZealand/events/?ref=page_internal.
Living Wage Aotearoa New Zealand. "The Living Wage Movement - Living Wage 2019." Accessed February 25, 2022. https://www.livingwage.org.nz/the_living_wage_movement.
Living Wage Aotearoa New Zealand. "Christmas Catalog - Living Wage Movement Aotearoa New Zealand." Accessed February 25, 2022. https://www.livingwage.org.nz/christmas_catalog.
Living Wage Aotearoa New Zealand Faith Network. A Living Wage: A Gospel Imperative. New Zealand: Living Wage Aotearoa New Zealand Faith Network, 2013.
Taonga News. "Dunedin calls for living wage." Updated October 4, 2013. https://anglicantaonga.org.nz/news/tikanga_pakeha/dunedin_calls_for_living_wage.