• organisations consisting of various entities that
had been merged had uneven systems of data
collection across their business
• companies with frontline staff who were not
at desk-based jobs reported challenges in
collecting/updating ethnic data as a digital
survey tended to have low uptake.
In light of these constraints, it is perhaps not
surprising that most employers we spoke with did
not routinely measure the ethnic pay gap within their
organisations. One manufacturing employer told us:
Right now, we have absolutely no way of telling
you what our Pacific Pay Gap might be, what our
Māori Pay Gap might be or any other ethnicity
within our system, and we want to be able to
do that because I think that’s where the really
interesting stuff can actually start happening.
One manufacturing organisation told us about their
work to try and eliminate ethnic pay gaps, which also
offers potential solutions for other employers:
We try not to have a gap regardless of your
ethnicity. This means constant reviewing of
people’s performance so that they are aware of
their work standards and having our employees
help with ensuring the betterment of their
individual work process. This helps empower
all our staff. Works really well, we are keen
in ensuring that our staff feel valued in the
workplace. Retention is also a high driver for us
within the workplace. To train a new employee
costs more than valuing the staff that we currently
have on board.
Drivers of the Pacific Pay Gap
Employers had a range of views on what they thought
drove the Pacific Pay Gap based on their experience
and workforce.
Some identified issues related to the workers
themselves. Several employers thought that Pacific
workers’ family and community commitments
were a driver. A design company thought the main
drivers were “no qualifications and responsibility
of taking care of extended family who are sick,
dependent or at risk”. A manufacturing company
had a similar response, noting a link between family
and community commitments and the lack of
qualifications:
Skill, communication – language, hesitancy to
speak up – generational underrepresentation,
young person commitment to church/family
often precludes tertiary education – we find many
scholarship students bow out in their first year.)
A recruitment firm we spoke with told us that Pacific
workers sometimes did not want to change roles,
even for pay increases:
They get ‘comfortable’. They like what they are
doing [and can be] very risk averse.” They noted
this could reflect the comfort of working with
friends.”
One employer saw this differently, reflecting a
humility on the part of Pacific workers, which could
be addressed by support and upskilling. They
identified the drivers as the “negotiating skills of our
Pasifika people – them needing to know their value,
understanding the market that they are in”
Some employers, however, pointed to institutional
barriers as well as what workers did. A public service
employer said:
Many factors of which some include inability to
modify hiring matrixes to recognise the value-add
skills and attributes Pacific people bring to the
workforce. Lack of diversity on panels and within
recruitment business groups. Often underselling
of Pacific when applying for roles and self nonrecognition of points of difference. Inability to
sell one’s abilities often sees Pacific young people
starting at lower remuneration bands or roles that
they are overqualified for. Reluctance of Pacific to
often negotiate pay bands. Family commitments
particularly with older family members.
Another organisation identified the lack of visibility of
pay information when job opportunities are available.
They commented that “Pacific people when entering
employment opportunities do not have the tools to
be able to negotiate and are usually placed at the
lower scale”.
Voices of Pacific peoples
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