Hon MICHAEL WOOD (Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety): In yesterday's first reading of the Fair Pay Agreements Bill, we heard stories of front-line workers in some of our lowest-paid jobs: security guards, supermarket workers, and cleaners. The contribution of Kiwis performing some of the most essential work in our country has been systematically undervalued for too long. The Fair Pay Agreements Bill is about setting minimum pay and conditions for these types of work to improve outcomes for those on lower outcomes and, in turn, create fairer, safer, and more productive workplaces. Combined with other Government policies, such as increases to the minimum wage which have increased the wages of minimum-wage workers by $218 per week since 2017, this shows the Government's commitment to supporting New Zealanders on low to middle incomes, boosting wages, and productivity. 