There is a growing call for the government of New Zealand to take Australia’s lead and require gender pay gap reporting in all workplaces.
Furthermore, more pay transparency through required reporting, according to Melissa Ansell-Bridges, secretary of the NZ Council of Trade Unions (NZCTU), will enable women to increase their wages.
If the government takes professional advice and looks to Australia as a model, it may greatly raise the standard of living for women throughout the entire nation. Ansell-Bridges stated in a statement, “They have to accept it.
Furthermore, Australia released data on gender pay disparities for almost 5,000 private sector businesses in February for the first time ever; the results showed a 21.7% pay disparity nationwide.
Prior to the October election, the previous administration in New Zealand was unable to move through with plans to enact a comparable piece of legislation in 2023.
According to Ansell-Bridges, the National Party and employer groups had already backed the proposed law.
“The government needs to live up to their words in opposition and introduce legislation that requires pay gap reporting,” the secretary of the NZCTU stated.
The income disparity in New Zealand
Based on data from Stats NZ, the gender pay gap in New Zealand was 8.6% as of the June 2023 quarter.
Although this is far less than the 16.3% recorded when the government first began keeping track in 1998, Ansell-Bridges stated that it is still “unacceptable” that women are still paid 8.6% less than men.
“The gender pay gap for wāhine Māori, Pacific and Asian women, and disabled women is significantly higher,” she stated. “No one in New Zealand should suffer the indignity of pay discrimination due to their gender or ethnicity.”
