Pay equity is the same pay for different work which has the same or similar level of skill, responsibility, and effort. Equal pay is the same pay for the same work, regardless of gender.
In certain occupations where the work is, or was, predominantly performed by women, wages have often been kept lower than occupations where the work has been performed predominantly by men.
The Government Service Equal Pay Act 1960 introduced equal pay legislation in the public service ensuring women in the public sector were to be paid the same as men for doing the same work under the same conditions.
This was followed by the Equal Pay Act 1972 which extended equal pay to the private sector. The 1972 Act outlawed discrimination in wage rates between men and women performing the same job.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment administer the Equal Pay Act in New Zealand. More information can be found on their website.
Addressing pay gaps and equal pay in the public service
The Ministry has worked with the Public Service Commission over the past few years to address pay gaps and equal pay in the public service.
This has included implementing Kia Toipoto — Public Service Pay Gaps Action Plan 2021 - 2024, the framework for government agencies and Crown entities to publish their annual pay gap data and action plans to address gender and ethnic pay gaps.
Since the implementation of pay gap reporting in the public service, pay gaps have reduced steadily, and the overall public service pay gap is currently 6.1% (as at 30 June 2024).
However, pay gaps for wāhine Māori, Pacific women, and women from ethnic communities have remained consistently higher than for European women.