Report: Pacific Women and the Gender Pay Gap
No matter how we measure, large ethnic pay gaps exist for Pacific women. Compared to all men, gender and ethnicity combine to create a pay gap of 17.0%. Compared with Pacific men, Pacific women have a pay gap of 3.3%.
Only 39% of Pacific Women’s pay gap can be explained - and where it can be explained, job-related factors such as type of contract, occupation and industry are the key factor. The “unexplained” remainder could relate to ethnic differences in work preferences, and unconscious bias and discrimination in the labour market.
It's true that pay gaps for Pacific women vary by occupation. The most common occupations for Pacific women are as Professionals, as Community and Personal Service Workers, and as Clerical and Administration Workers.
The pay gap exists even for the highest paid Pacific women. Pacific women who work as professionals are the best paid but have a pay gap of 17.3% with all male professionals, and Pacific women managers have a 29.3% pay gap with all male managers.
| Occupation (by most to fewest Pacific women) | Pacific Women's median hourly pay | All men's median hourly pay | Pacific women's pay gap compared with all men |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professionals (16,700 women) | $39.64 | $47.95 | 17.3% |
| Community and Personal Service workers (13,800 women) | $28.00 | $29.50 | 5.1% |
| Clerical and Administration workers (13,000 women) | $31.17 | $33.56 | 7.1% |
| Labourers (10,400 women) | $26.00 | $27.33 | 4.9% |
| Sales workers (8,600 women) | $26.00 | $26.78 | 2.9% |
| Managers (7,100 women) | $30.50 | $43.15 | 29.3% |
| Technicials and Trade workers (3,700 women) | $27.50 | $32.00 | 14.1% |
| Machinery operators and drivers (3,600 women) | $28.00 | $30.39 | 7.9% |
| Total All Occupations (77,600 women) | $29.00 | $34.95 | 17.0% |
There are around 86,200 Pacific women employed in the New Zealand labour force – this means that Pacific women make up around 2.9% of the total labour force, and 47.9% of the Pacific labour force.
Of Pacific women aged 15 or older, in 2024:
- 62.9% were in the labour force (employed, or looking for employment)
- 57.4% were employed
- 8.8% of Pacific women in the labour force were unemployed.
A 2018 study by the Ministry of Education (drawing from their 2018 PISA database) showed that 15-year-old Pacific girls aspired to the following top 10 careers:
- Lawyer
- Nurse
- Police officer
- Teacher
- Accountant
- Flight attendant
- Doctor
- Athlete
- Engineer
- Architect
Pacific Women in Business
In 2020, the Ministry for Women conducted research into Pacific women who own and work within their own businesses.
We found that:
- Around 1,200 Pacific women are in business for themselves
- Pacific women’s businesses were all in urban areas, with a majority (75 percent) in the major urban centres of Auckland, Wellington and the Waikato
- The top industries for Pacific women’s businesses were: professional, scientific and technical services; construction; and health care and social assistance.
Pacific Women in Leadership
Pacific Māori hold important positions of leadership across society – in education, politics, health, justice, governance, community, and much more.
Following the 2023 election, four (or 3.3% of all MPs) self-identify as Pacific women.
The Ministry undertakes an annual stocktake of public sector boards and committees. As at December 2023, Pacific women held 4.3% of board roles and made up 7.3% of women board chairs.
While Pacific people made up 11.0% of the New Zealand public service (as at 30 June 2024), Pacific people are under-represented as managers and policy analysts compared with Pākehā public servants. Pacific people make up 5.3% of tier 1 – 3 leadership in the public sector.