Women working in the public sector are better off than women working in the private sector when it comes to the gender pay gap in Aotearoa.
Overall, they earn 8.6 per cent less than their male counterparts — the lowest the gender pay gap has been among public servants, dropping from 9.6 per cent in 2020.
However, in other industries, the average woman in New Zealand is paid 10.6 per cent less than Pākeha men, according to figures from the Council of Trade Unions.
The Council of Trade Unions; statistics also show that figure is significantly worse for Pasifika and wāhine Māori.
Pasifika women earn around 27 per cent less than Pākeha men, with wāhine Māori getting 25 per cent less.
Those figures mean that, essentially, all women in New Zealand are now working for free until the end of 2021.
Minister for Women, Jan Tinetti, said the public service figure is a great result of the Government’s concerted efforts to close the gap.
When the gender pay gap measurement began in 2000, it was 18.6 per cent for women working in the public sector.
“We’ve shown what can be achieved when the Government, Public Service, and unions work together,” she said, adding that more work is needed to make a bigger difference for more people, especially ethnic groups.
Tinetti today launched a three-year action plan to tackle the issue, Kia Toipoto, with the support of the Public Service Association.
Janice Panoho, a PSA leader, told 1News the plan will set out to end the gender pay gap.
“As a wahine Māori, I know that Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations are essential for achieving aspirations and equitable outcomes," Panoho said.
"I’m proud we have worked together to create this plan using Te Tiriti as a foundation.”
She noted the thing that would have the biggest impact on the pay gap would be addressing the lack of female and ethnic female representation in the workplace.
“We’ve heard their stories, their dissatisfaction over how they’ve been treated over the years. Things have to change.”
Mindthegap.nz, an initiative aiming to encourage all businesses operating in Aotearoa to commit to pay gap reporting, wants it to be mandated.
“it’s a small change that has the potential for significant impact ... while it’s encouraging to see the Government getting their house in order when it comes to pay gaps, we now want to see them showing some leadership in encouraging the private sector to follow suit,” spokesperson Dellwyn Stuart told 1News.
A registry will be established by the group early next year showing which organisations have opted to share their pay gaps publicly.
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