Source: Radio New Zealand
The subsidy they get to help pay for fuel has not changed since 2022. 123rf
Laura, a home support worker in Nelson, says it’s getting increasingly difficult to do her job.
She travels between clients she provides care for, in her own vehicle, using petrol she has paid for.
She said, although she’s on the second-highest pay band for her role, she’s still not paid the living wage, which is currently $28.95 an hour.
All that means that covering the increasing cost of petrol is getting increasingly difficult, as the price pushes ever higher.
But the subsidy she gets to help pay for fuel has not changed since 2022.
She is paid $2.35 for travel between clients, based on a calculation that a typical support worker travels 3.7 kilometres between clients. That works out at 63.5c per kilometre, compared to an Inland Revenue mileage rate for petrol cars of $1.17 per kilometre.
The same $2.35 rate is paid for travel up to 15km, after which it is paid at a rate of 64c.
“I’ve got a 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer, it’s currently got 258,000 kilometres on it,” Laura said.
It needed repairs and maintenance, she said, but she could not afford it and was also not able to purchase a new vehicle.
She said she had started to try not to look at what she was spending on petrol.
“I managed to pick up a little second-hand moped and I’m trying to do as much as possible on that and just praying that it doesn’t rain.”
She said there were some more rural areas where no one wanted to work because there could be 11km from one client to the next, then 14km to another.
“You end up just paying to be able to work those days.”
Public Service Association national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said it was something that deserved more attention.
“We need to see direct intervention for home support workers. They are among our lowest-paid workers. They use their own car and the government subsidy for their petrol hasn’t increased in four years,” Fitzsimons said.
“They are bearing the brunt of the fuel crisis. They’ve had their pay equity claim cancelled and they’re being forced into poverty because of these actions. We’re calling on the government to show leadership for these workers.”
Deborah Woodley, acting director for funding, community and mental health at Health New Zealand, said the care workers were employed by third-party providers.
“We are currently looking at 2026/27 funding for third-party providers. As part of this work, we consider cost pressures for providers and their workforce and this includes fuel costs.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
