I feel sorry for hospitality especially, and business in general in New Zealand at the moment.

You heard what Michael Wood said. Does that sound like a minister who wants to help businesses? No.

These guys in government are not all dumb. They know that the lack of workers in this country will cause businesses to close.

If you can’t find a chef, you can’t sell food, and you can’t pay your bills. That’s you done.

They know that. But they’re not going to help.

It feels like they actually believe business owners and bosses are bad guys. They’re so steeped in union ideology they seem to believe that bosses are constantly screwing workers instead of understanding or caring that you need bosses to have jobs for workers.

And the reason I think that is that this is not the first comment from a Labour government minister basically suggesting they don’t give a toss about businesses.

Remember Iain Lees-Galloway?  He got in trouble for saying back in 2018 that “if a small change to the minimum wage is going to be that detrimental to them then they don't sound resilient." 

A small change to the minimum wage by the way ended up being a 35 percent increase in less than five years.

Deborah Russell: remember that? She said back in April during the first lockdown that businesses in trouble “after only a few weeks in a pretty bad situation” were a sign they did not have enough strength.

Maybe they don’t understand how business works or maybe - more likely - they just don’t care if businesses go under and all your life’s work is blown because you couldn’t get foreign workers in like you used to.

But whatever it is I feel gutted for Kiwi businesses. These people do not have your back.

I feel like the only thing to do is batten down the hatches, grit your teeth and try to last to the next election because if Michael Wood won’t say he’s sorry I don’t think things are going to change, do you?