Following the 2023 election, New Zealand’s new coalition government swiftly rolled back numerous policies that had protected people and the environment. An unusually large amount of legislation was pushed through under urgency, cutting off public consultation and reducing democratic oversight. Despite coalition agreements promising evidence-based decisions, many changes favoured corporate interests and wealthy donors at the expense of ordinary citizens, often in defiance of expert advice. Employment: Rolling Back Workers’ Rights and Wages In its first months, the government made sweeping changes to employment law that undermined worker protections. The Fair Pay Agreements Act—an industry-wide collective bargaining framework—was repealed within weeks of the new government taking office. The coalition also reinstated 90-day trial periods for new employees, removed certain union protections for new hires, and limited workers’ avenues for redress against unfair treatment. Health and safety regulations were weakened, and the government introduced measures to dock pay for workers engaging in “partial” strikes or even for strictly working to contract (“working to rule”). At the same time, low-income workers saw their real wages effectively cut. The minimum wage for 2024 was raised by only 2% (despite consumer prices rising about 4.7%), and the 2025 increase was capped at 1.5%—barely half the...