Hannah Jenkin - Victoria University of Wellington.

Kia ora koutou,

Ko Pākeha ahau

Ko Kirikiriroa te hau kainga

Kei Te Whanganui-a-Tara au e noho ana

Ko Hannah Jenkin toku ingoa

E mahi ana au ki te Te Pataka Kōrero o Te Herenga Waka

My name is Hannah Jenkin and I work as a Subject Librarian at Victoria University of Wellington.

I have been active in our union for some time, serving as a general staff rep on the National Women’s Committee since 2022 and as a Branch President for Victoria University since 2023. I am also active in the U35 network and part of the pay equity reference group.

I believe in active unionism and using our industrial power to promote fair and equitable workplaces. When we organise, we can achieve big wins for our community. Last year at VUW, we had a campaign for the living wage. This resulted in an historic win of getting all directly employed staff above the living wage, impacting over 700 staff, and getting a commitment from our university council for our university to make a plan to implement the living wage as base rate for all university staff (including cleaners and other contractors). These are the kinds of wins that impact our community, with our members seeing a change to their conditions that mean the ability to better support their whānau and live with dignity.

As a librarian, I have also been part of our ongoing fight for pay equity. With my co-workers, I have been active in the pay equity reference group, hosting information workshops, holding public talks, lobbying MPs and have developed cross-union relationships in the space. The abrupt and disruptive changes to pay equity this year were an affront to the rights of our workers. In the women's space of our union mahi, pay equity and protecting women's rights is crucial. We need to make equity a priority for government parties who want our vote. This can’t just be about gender, but has to address equity for our Pasifika, Māori and migrant community too. We need to fight for a better future for our sector, community and mokopuna.

As a VP Tiriti NWC candidate, I want to ensure member voices are heard at all levels of decision-making in our union mahi. Our workers understand the issues they face in their workplace and they are the connectors that can make change happen. We need everyone onboard the waka, setting our direction and guiding our strategy as a union.