The Green Party is pushing for a law change to make sure essential workers are paid fairly.
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The party argues the government has the legislative tools to bring all essential workers up to the living wage.
Green Party workplace relations spokesperson Jan Logie said essential workers were unsung heroes who had made their worth abundantly clear and it was time to pay them fairly.
"These people have been looking after us and it is time to prioritise them," she told Morning Report.
"As we look forward and look at how we ensure that we're able to get people back to work and support businesses, this is the time to prioritise fair pay agreements" - Jan Logie
For this to happen, Logie said the government would first need to bring in legislation to enable Fair Pay Agreements, for people doing essential work like retail, cleaning, security and transport in the private sector.
"These agreements set minimum employment standards, which are agreed through bargaining between employers and unions," Logie said.
"Those agreements then become legally-required minimum standards for people working throughout the whole sector."
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She said the government should also ensure all people working in the broader public sector are paid a decent wage, including contractors, people working for crown entities, and those working for government funded community organisations.
The party also called for a hospitality sector working group to be established immediately, to bring employers, unions and government around the planning table.
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson said those changes would enable workers to get a wage that allows them to live with dignity.
"Low-wage essential workers are getting New Zealand through this crisis and continue to do so.
"They went to work when the rest of us were told to stay away - and people would be horrified to hear many of them barely earn enough to live on."
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