When speaking to potential employers via phone, all was very promising. Until we meet in person and I sense them withdrawing and hesitation because of my appearance - tall, brown, built, and dominant. (S206) A female healthcare worker told us about being stereotyped in the workplace and feeling as though they could not win no matter what their personality was like. They felt they constantly needed to prove themselves to their employer: The industry considers Pacific Islanders as too loud if they ask questions about work conditions and other issues. On the other hand being too quiet and reserved is seen as lacking in confidence, or not competent in the work assignment/workplace. It’s almost like they (employer) expect you to prove to them (employer) you are capable of what they have employed you to do. They don’t say that you have a quiet personality and is capable of doing the work. (S187) Available data supports these experiences The context for these stories is that Pacific peoples have the highest reported experience of workplace discrimination, with 11.7 percent of New Zealandborn Pacific peoples reporting they have experienced workplace discrimination and 9.6 percent of Pacificborn Pacific peoples reporting the same.48 More recent research indicates there was a growth in the number of Pacific peoples reporting experiences of discrimination between 2008-2014.49 Research also shows that Pacific peoples are unlikely to report facing discrimination at work as they fear reprisal or victimisation. This suggests that internal methods of reporting discrimination may result in under-reporting given national levels of experiences in discrimination.50 72 Our analysis of the available statistics suggests that the unexplained portion of the pay gap between Pacific and Pākehā men is around 73 percent, while that between Pacific and Pākehā women is around 61 percent. After controlling for occupation, industry education, this proportion is likely to be largely accounted for by discrimination and unconscious bias, although it can also be accounted for by issues not measured by available data sets. International research into the gender pay gap shows a similar unaccounted portion due to discrimination.51 In our focus industries of construction, manufacturing and healthcare, we note that research shows racism can manifest in specific ways. In manufacturing, much of it is tied to communication, while racism contributes to precarious employment conditions and poor health and safety practices in construction. In healthcare, racism is linked to lower-paid work and lack of recognition of Pacific region qualifications and work experience.52 Many participants felt their experiences of discrimination were likely to inform the Pacific Pay Gap. One person articulated this during a group talanoa, identifying that these experiences could involve both ethnicity and gender: I think what we will find and this is probably what you already know, is that there is discrimination. And one of the reasons there is a pay gap is that there’s discrimination against who you are as a Pacific Islander, there’s discrimination against women in the workforce. (T019) We note, however, that while some of the participants who identified as female may also have experienced discrimination on the basis of their gender, most of the stories foregrounded a person’s Pacific identity as the basis for the discrimination they experienced. 48 Daldy, Bridget, Jacques Poot, and Matthew Roskruge. “Perception of Workplace Discrimination among Immigrants and Native Born New Zealanders.” Australian Journal of Labour Economics 16, no. 1 (2013): 137-154. https://search.informit.org/ doi/10.3316/informit.363066000980903. 49 Yeung, Stanley, and Charles Crothers. “Patterns of Perceived Discrimination in New Zealand and Their Social Contexts.” New Zealand Sociology 31, no. 7 (2016): 205-226. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.561391235263905. 50 New Zealand Human Rights Commission, Talanoa; Davis, Alyssa, and Elise Gould. Closing the Pay Gap and Beyond: A Comprehensive Strategy for Improving Economic Security for Women and Families. Washington DC: Economic Policy Institute, 2015. https://www.epi.org/publication/closing-the-pay-gap-and-beyond/. 51 Davis and Gould, Closing the Pay Gap and Beyond, 202. 52 Matada Research Group and Human Rights Commission, Pacific Pay Gap Inquiry: Literature Review.