Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission
1,000 signatures reached
To: Rt. Hon Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, Deputy Prime Minister Hon Carmel Sepuloni, Hon Jan Tinetti, Hon Priyanca Radhakrishnan, Hon Willie Jackson, Hon Barbara Edmonds
Open Letter: Pass a law requiring all employers to be transparent about pay gaps
Now is the time for the Government to level the playing field and pass a law requiring all employers to be transparent and take action on their gender, Māori, Pacific, and other ethnic pay gaps.
Not only is this the right thing to do, but it will ensure Aotearoa New Zealand is honouring te Tiriti o Waitangi and meeting its human rights obligations. It will bring us in line with other progressive countries already moving towards closing their pay gaps.
Working together, we can build a future where everyone, whatever their ethnicity or gender, is paid fairly for their work and treated with respect and dignity.
We are asking the Government to introduce pay transparency legislation with urgency.
Why is this important?
Everyone should be safe at work, treated with dignity, and rewarded fairly for their work.
But right now, many of our friends, neighbours and family members aren’t being paid or promoted fairly, simply because of their gender or ethnicity.
The recent Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission National Pacific Pay Gap Inquiry Report found that in 2021 for every dollar earned by a Pākehā man, Pākehā women were paid just 89 cents. For Māori men that drops to 86 cents and Māori women 81 cents. For our Pacific whānau, men were paid just 81 cents and Pacific women only 75 cents.
This gap means people are not only missing out on crucial wages but opportunities to fulfill their potential and make meaningful choices about their lives. By closing this pay gap we could ensure everyone in our communities has the opportunity to thrive and those families on the lowest wages can unlock the constraints of poverty.
Supporting employers to do the right thing and to be transparent about their pay gap is a good first step to help close this gap.
Many employers are already playing their part by reporting on their ethnic and gender pay gaps and taking action to close these.
Organisations that have signed this open letter:
AAAP
ActionStation Aotearoa
Amnesty International
ANZ New Zealand
Aotearoa Latin American Communities (ALAC)
Auckland City Mission
Auckland Women's Centre
Aukilani Community Church
Barnados
Belong Aotearoa
Centre for Pacific Languages
Diversity Works
DB Breweries Ltd
E Tu
F'ine
First Union
Fourshells Kava Lounge
Gabriella Aotearoa New Zealand
Global Women
Inclusive Aotearoa Collective Tāhono
Iranian Women in NZ
K'aute Pasifika Trust
Kore Hiakai (Zero Hunger Collective)
Living Wage Movement
Migrant Action Trust
Migrant Workers Association
Migrante Aotearoa New Zealand
Nelson Tasman Pasifika Community Trust
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
New Zealand Union of Students' Associations (NZUSA)
NZ Council of Christian Social Services
NZ Dairy Works Union
NZ Ethical Employers Inc.
NZEI Te Riu Roa
Organise Aotearoa
Pacific Women's Watch NZ (PWW-NZ)
Pacific Pay Gap Campaign
Pasifika Education Centre (PEC)
Peace Movement Aotearoa
Polynesian Panthers
PSA
Raise the Bar
Renters United
Salvation Army
Save the Children
SkyCity Entertainment Group
Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission
Tertiary Education Union Te Hautu Kahurangi o Aotearoa
Tōfa Mamao Collective
Tongan Society South Cantebury
Unite Union
World Vision New Zealand
Young Workers' Resource Centre
Youth Employability, COMET AKL
YWCA