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Labour List MP the Hon Jan Tinetti visited the Hibiscus Coast last week as part of a fact-finding tour across the country. Hibiscus Matters spoke to her about Labour’s planned policy direction across her portfolios.
Tinetti, Labour’s spokesperson for Workplace Relations and Safety, Social Investment, Early Childhood Education and Child Poverty Reduction, says she is keen to speak to communities to understand the issues they are facing.
“I really wanted to get people’s input into what they are thinking about, what they are seeing,” she said. We’ve got jobs being lost throughout the country, so we need to be looking into why that is happening and what we can be doing to stimulate the economy.”
She said she is visiting as many centres as she can to ensure that what she hears in other towns and cities resonates with people here, and to find out what is most important to them.
On the Coast, she visited an early childhood centre in Manly, where concerns were raised about the move towards 100 per cent qualified teachers.
“It’s hard to maintain because there are fewer coming into the profession and a struggle to get relievers. It’s nothing that I’m not hearing at other places but it was interesting to hear that [the Coast] is having the same issues.”
She added: “How do we turn around the public perception of what early childhood teachers do, because if you’ve watched like I have, they’re just incredible.”
Tinetti says pay equity is an ongoing concern for Labour and clarified the party’s policy position.
“We will definitely repeal – but we might look at how we could do it differently.”
She said they are waiting for the report of the People’s Select Committee, headed by Marilyn Waring, which is expected in January 2026. Based on those recommendations, she believes a summit could be useful to look at a way forward, especially as Labour leader Chris Hipkins has already indicated that he doesn’t want to go back to the beginning for the claims that were cancelled.
Tinetti intends to focus on early childhood education and says her policy direction is on making it more accessible.
“It’s very expensive for everyone, I’m quite open about that.”
She says there will also be a stronger focus on the first five years, “so that we can get the transition right,” and better integration with child poverty reduction measures.
“I think there has to be a joined-up approach with education and health to ensure we’re getting a strong wrap-around.”
Labour expects to announce the first of its policies in the coming months.
“We’ve done a lot of listening and a lot of building.”
