From Awareness to Action: Aotearoa Can’t Wait 110 Years to Close the Pacific Pay Gap

Totō hau tōkiga nei, aua na tupulaga e fāi mai. 
Plant a seed today, for the future generations. 
- Tokelauan Proverb  

For decades, Pacific Peoples in Aotearoa have faced systemic wage inequities, consistently earning significantly less than other ethnic groups, despite their critical contributions to the workforce. Although Aotearoa's overall gender pay gap is 8.6%, Pacific women face far steeper challenges. According to 2024 Stats NZ data, the pay gap for Pasifika women is by far the highest: 

• Pasifika women: 20.9% 

• Māori women: 19.0% 

• Asian women: 18.2% 

• Middle Eastern, Latin American, and African (MELAA) women: 12.1% 

• Pākeha women: 8.1% 

• Other ethnicities: 16.3% 

Pacific communities have consistently called for urgent reforms to address entrenched pay inequities, poor working conditions, and structural discrimination. Research warns that it may take over 100 years to close the Pacific Pay Gap at the current rate of change—far too long for Aotearoa’s Pacific communities. 

Below are two resources vital for any employer wanting to understand the challenges and opportunities to close pay gaps in Aotearoa New Zealand. 

National Inquiry into the Pacific Pay Gap 

In 2021, the Human Rights Commission (HRC) embarked on a landmark national inquiry to uncover the root causes of the Pacific Pay Gap and explore ways to accelerate its closure. The inquiry collected insights from over 1,200 Pacific workers, who shared the barriers they face at every stage of employment, including securing a job, negotiating pay, seeking promotion, upskilling, communication, and awareness of employment rights. 

The inquiry’s findings highlighted deep-rooted issues — racism, unconscious bias, and discriminatory workplace practices — that hinder Pacific workers from reaching their potential. It also shed light on legislative and policy shortcomings, a lack of visible business leadership, and systemic indifference to pay inequity based on ethnicity. 

Pacific workers expressed clear desires for pay transparency, the living wage, visible pay scales, mentorship, incentives, and progression pathways. Employers, too, acknowledged that addressing both systemic and personal drivers is essential to closing the Pacific Pay Gap. 

The final report, Voices of Pacific People: Eliminating Pay Gaps, provides actionable recommendations for the Government, employers, and unions to address these challenges. Practical steps for employers included: 

1. Collecting ethnicity data for pay gap reporting 

2. Including pay bands in job advertisements 

3. Removing pay confidentiality clauses from employment agreements 

4. Setting measurable targets to boost Pasifika representation at all levels of the workforce. 

Good Employers Matrix 

The Good Employers Matrix (GEM) is a free self-assessment tool designed that helps employers foster Māori and Pasifika talent, close pay gaps, and create fairer workplaces. This tool helps organisations track their progress and pinpoint areas for improvement. The GEM is supported by a toolkit of resources regarding recruitment and promotion, training and development, pay and conditions, and organisational culture and capability. For more information, visit the GEM website. 

Achieving pay equity in Aotearoa requires bold, collective action. Together, we can create workplaces where everyone is valued and fairly compensated.