Issues - February 2026
- secbpwnz
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
Kia ora koutou,
The highlight of this month has been the launch of the People Select Committee findings into Pay Equity. This was launched and presented to Government on the 24th of February.
Below are the key findings and recommendations of the report. The full report can be viewed below.
1. Government Process Was Flawed
The committee described the law-making and enactment process around the Equal Pay Amendment Act 2025 as a “flagrant and significant abuse of power.”
It found no evidence in available government or Cabinet documents that supported the rationale used to dramatically change the existing pay equity framework.
2. Rule of Law and Retrospective Changes
The report held that cancelling existing claims retrospectively breached fundamental principles of the rule of law — laws shouldn’t remove established legal rights after the fact.
It noted that workers, unions, and employers had invested millions of dollars and thousands of hours pursuing claims that were extinguished overnight.
3. Human Rights and International Obligations
The committee concluded that the 2025 Act potentially breached domestic human rights law (such as the Human Rights Act and Bill of Rights) and several international conventions New Zealand has signed, including:
the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
International Covenants on Civil & Political Rights and Economic & Social Rights. These conventions guarantee equal remuneration for work of equal value.
4. Impact on Workers and Equity
The report emphasised the real-world impact of the law changes:
Workers in female-dominated, undervalued sectors (e.g., care work, nursing, education support) lost pathways to fair remuneration.
The stricter thresholds and new rules make future claims harder — especially where male comparators are difficult to find.
It noted that the claimed “budget savings” were more about reallocating funds elsewhere, not genuine cost savings from equity reform.
Recommendations:
Rather than just critique, the committee’s full report made several policy and legal recommendations:
Repeal the Equal Pay Amendment Act 2025
The most prominent recommendation was that the law should be repealed and the provisions of the previous pay equity framework reinstated.
Reinstate Cancelled Claims
It recommended reviving the 33 cancelled claims at the stage they were at before the law was changed.
Establish an Independent Pay Equity Unit
The report proposed creating a specialised, independent unit (possibly within government) to support future pay equity claims. This would include trained interviewers, analysts, job evaluation specialists, and researchers.
The aim is to reduce legal and technical barriers to claims — especially for small employers and unions.
Broader Democratic and Legal Reforms
The committee suggested changes to how urgency is used in Parliament — recommending it shouldn’t be applied to laws affecting fundamental human rights without strong justification and appropriate safeguards.
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My message to BPW members is to continue to talk about Pay Equity to anyone who will listen. Remember: Pay equity is not about comparing jobs it about comparing jobs that may look different but require similar levels of skill, responsibility, effort and experience. It’s comparing the content of work. i.e.
Skills and qualifications required
Experience and training
Level of responsibility (people, budgets, risk)
Decision-making authority
Mental and physical effort
Working conditions
Emotional labour (where relevant)
The long benefits of pay equity will benefit all New Zealanders. Keep listening to stories, talking about this issue and lobbying your local MPs to get their view on Pay Equity.
Ngā mihi nui
Sherryll Markie-Brookes
VP Issues
BPW NZ
