Gender pay gap stays near record low

New Zealand’s gender pay gap remains at a near-record low, thanks to the work of government and employers to identify and close them, Minister for Women Nicola Grigg says.

Statistics New Zealand has today confirmed the gender pay gap was 5.3 percent in the June quarter, largely unchanged from last year’s record figure of 5.2 percent.

“Today’s figure confirms the impact tangible action like calculating pay gaps can have.  

“In 2024, I launched the first ever government-backed pay gap calculator. Since then it has had over 80 thousand visits – which indicates to me that businesses are keen to understand and address their pay gaps.” 

The data shows that median hourly earnings for women rose to $34.95, up 3.4 percent. However, pay gaps remain wider for some ethnic groups.

“Today’s figure shows there’s still work to do to reduce the gender pay gap further – the gaps for Māori and Pasifika women especially are still far too wide  – and I encourage businesses and organisations to lean in and address them. 

“As a Government we’re focused on closing the pay gap and supporting women to advance.  We’ve launched a database for governance-ready women looking for directorship opportunities called BoardConnector. It aims to advance women into high paid leadership positions across the public and private sectors, and we’ve increased KiwiSaver contributions for employers and employees, which will improve women’s longer-term wealth.

“We’re committed to building the economy and driving women into higher paid jobs. This is how we will continue to close the gender pay gap and, therefore, the retirement savings gap – as well as growing women’s longer-term wealth and financial security,” Ms Grigg says.