In our view issues relating to Part 6A of the Employment Relations Act need to be seen in the context of the government’s overriding goal of lifting average New Zealand incomes to Australian levels by 2025. As the minister of labour notes in the foreword to the Discussion Document, “The Government aims to put employment relations on sound and solid footings so that New Zealand can focus on building more productive businesses and higher wages.” To achieve that goal, major improvements in labour productivity growth are required, given the slump in productivity growth resulting in large part from ill-conceived policies of the previous government.