The Green Party would abolish the training wage, saying people should not be forced to live in poverty while they learn on the job.

Currently, the adult minimum wage is $23.95, while the training and starting out minimum wage are $19.16 – set at 80 percent of the adult wage.

But the Green Party’s co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said apprentice numbers were at a 15-year low.

“Low pay, insecure work, and a lack of pastoral support mean that instead of focusing on learning their trade, our apprentices spend too much time worried about making ends meet. We can fix that.”

Swarbrick said abolishing the training wage would mean apprentices were paid properly for their work.

ACT is campaigning to reduce the training wage to 60 percent of the minimum wage, which it would also freeze for three years.

A $30 million package would go towards Māori and Pasifika-led training, including pastoral and learning support.

Employers that “actively support” apprentices to complete training would get a completion bonus of $2000.

Swarbrick said the training wage had done nothing to increase the uptake of apprentices, and it was a barrier to people completing their training.

“If you look at the economic benefits of increasing wages, especially for those who are literally doing the work, this is good economic development. It is good for our local economy.”

She said the average age of a person taking up an apprenticeship was 27 years old.

“That is actually people who are re-inserting themselves back into training, and therefore would be taking a pay cut in order to take on the training under the training wage regime. That is not fair.”

Co-leader Marama Davidson said instead of focusing on gaining skills and learning their trade, apprentices were worried about their rent, debt, and the cost of getting to work.

“If we want people to enter trades and complete apprenticeships, it’s time we fairly recognise their hard work instead of punishing them for trying to contribute.”

The Greens would also introduce a $2000 equipment grant to cover tools, uniforms, and course materials – double the $1000 Labour is offering with its policy.

Labour would also expand the Apprenticeship Boost scheme back to two years, which the Greens have not committed to.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins said the training wage was not something he had looked at, and he wanted to review the evidence around the overall employment impact of the policy.

“The key thing we’d want to look at there is making sure that we’re not doing anything that makes things worse for younger employees. And right at the moment, youth unemployment is a major issue. I want to leave no stone unturned in getting young people into jobs.”

He said Apprenticeship Boost, which he first introduced as education minister, was hugely successful.

“We got record numbers of young people into apprenticeships.”

National leader Christopher Luxon also expressed concern the policy would not be good for the businesses wanting to take apprentices on.

“No, we want to make sure that businesses actually take a chance on young people, and it’s one of the ways that they might just step out and actually take a chance on a young person.”

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters claimed apprentices “in the good old days” were happy to get the training wage, knowing in six months to a year they would be onto the proper wage.

“In the first week or two, and for quite some time, the apprentice is not of great help to the enterprise. But they’re learning fast, and businesses don’t mind that, because they’re on a slightly lesser wage while they learn. They’re on about 80 percent That’s the way it’s always been.”

Asked whether that was enough for an apprentice to live on now, Peters said many were living at home and being supported by parents.

ACT leader David Seymour said the policy would make it $10,000 more expensive for a business to take on an apprentice.

“You almost wonder if the Green Party is not campaigning for Australia, because that’s where more young people will end up with under their policy,” he said.

The Greens’ costings, which have been verified by Infometrics, have put the policy on $117.35m a year for four years.

That, Seymour said, would cover $2,000 per apprentice.

The policy follows the Greens’ announcement on Friday that it would offer $380-a-week stipends for trainee teachers, nurses, and other health and social workers while they are on their placements.

It would also guarantee a ‘pathway’ to employment for for 16- to 24-year-olds who have been out of work for six months.