Table of Contents
Contents....................................................................................................................................................1
Preface......................................................................................................................................................7
Acknowledgements.................................................................................................................................8
Executive summary.................................................................................................................................9
Why was the Inquiry conducted?............................................................................................................................ 9
How was the Inquiry conducted?........................................................................................................................... 10
What were the key findings from the Inquiry?.................................................................................................... 11
Pacific workers......................................................................................................................................................... 11
Unions....................................................................................................................................................................... 12
Employers................................................................................................................................................................. 12
What ideas for change did people share during the Inquiry?......................................................................... 12
Recommendations...................................................................................................................................13
The Commission’s recommendations to close the Pacific Pay Gap by 2042.............................................. 13
1. Introduction.........................................................................................................................................15
Key terms used in the report................................................................................................................................... 16
2. Why this Inquiry?.................................................................................................................................17
The Human Rights Commission’s mandate for this Inquiry............................................................................. 18
Human rights and te Tiriti framework............................................................................................................... 19
Business and human rights................................................................................................................................. 19
UN human rights bodies have recommended action on employment matters.................................... 20
Ethnic pay gaps are a significant human rights issue........................................................................................ 21
Our Inquiry focused on the Pacific Pay Gap........................................................................................................ 23
A note on data......................................................................................................................................................... 23
3. What the Commission did..................................................................................................................25
The focus of our Inquiry............................................................................................................................................ 25
Research commissioned........................................................................................................................................... 25
Literature review..................................................................................................................................................... 26
Economic analysis.................................................................................................................................................. 26
An overview of our engagement............................................................................................................................. 27
The impact of COVID-19 on Inquiry engagements............................................................................................ 28
Confidentiality.............................................................................................................................................................. 28
Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme workers................................................................................... 28
4. Understanding pay gaps.....................................................................................................................29
Gender pay gaps......................................................................................................................................................... 30
Pacific, Māori and Ethnic pay gaps......................................................................................................................... 31
Voices of Pacific peoples
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