Pay equity

Pay equity is about women and men receiving the same pay for doing jobs that are different, but of equal value. That is, jobs that require similar levels of skills, responsibility, and effort.

New process for pay equity claims

Amendments to the Equal Pay Act 1972, which came into effect on 6 November 2020, introduce a new process for individual employees and unions to raise a pay equity claim directly with an employer for work, which may be subject to systemic sex-based discrimination. The new process is similar to New Zealand’s existing employment relations framework.

A new framework for pay equity in New Zealand [PDF 460MB] (external link)

'Pay equity - guide to good practice' is a resource to help employees, employers, and unions understand the pay equity claims process.

Pay equity - guide to good practice [PDF 598KB]

Under the Act, employees, employers and unions will negotiate in good faith, and will have access to mediation and resolution services, if dispute resolution support is needed.

Good faith

Mediation

Sharing and requesting information about past claims

Information from past pay equity claims can be useful when working through the pay equity process for a new claim. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) hosts a central pay equity comparator data repository, which has information from past claims.

The repository is a joint initiative between Business New Zealand, Te Kawa Mataaho (Public Service Commission), the Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi (CTU) and MBIE.

The comparator data repository information may include:

• job/position descriptions
• anonymised remuneration data
• summary job/position profiles
• scoring and evaluative documents which also provide rationale for decisions.

Comparative claims data in pay equity repository [PDF 169KB]

The information contained in the repository is anonymised to ensure privacy for individuals.

More information will be added to the repository over time. We encourage those involved in the claims process to consider sharing their information by contributing to the repository. This will help others advance future claims by providing easy access to comparator information.

If you would like to request information from the data repository or make a data contribution, please email us: administratorpayequitydata@mbie.govt.nz

Streamlining and improving our data collection on employment agreements

The Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) are making some changes to the way we collect and store information on Collective Employment Agreements, as well as Pay Equity settlements and comparator information. In the future, we will also collect and store Fair Pay agreements and Screen Industry Collective Contracts.

Recent and upcoming legislative changes will expand the scope of the information MBIE is required to collect to effectively undertake its regulatory functions, including the recently announced Fair Pay Agreement system. These changes mean the current approach is no longer fit for purpose.

Information is currently collected and stored from different methods and in different places. Centralising all this data in one place will provide businesses and unions with an easier way to submit this information in line with their obligations, as well as allowing for real-time support for employers and employees to understand their obligations and entitlements. It will also provide the opportunity for more in-depth analysis of data to identify trends and help inform policy decisions across the motu.

MBIE is in the process of designing a new approach and will be engaging with potential vendors to implement a new consolidated repository for employment agreements. More information will be coming soon on this, as well as regular updates on the new repository.