Table 2 begins with the wage profile comparison across ethnic and gender groups. In particular, average hourly earnings are provided from the main job (excluding overtime earnings). As expected, European wages are higher than other ethnic groups, irrespective of gender. The average European male pre-tax hourly earnings in June 2020 in our sample is $35.72. The corresponding figure for Māori males is 81 percent of that figure; and for Pacific males, is 76 percent. To understand if the regression sample constructed using the HLFS is representative of the wage profile of the full survey, we compare these ratios to those available from public estimates from the HLFS (Stats NZ, 2021). It is important to note the differences between the regression sample and full survey before the comparison. As detailed earlier, we trim the bottom and top 1 percent of the wage distribution to exclude the influence of outliers; we also remove the self-employed; our ethnic groups are based on prioritised ethnicity; and we focus on 16-64 year olds. In comparison, the available estimates for the full survey use the population aged 15+; don’t prioritise ethnic groups and don’t make any other exclusions. Interestingly, we find almost identical wage ratios between ethnic groups in our comparison. For example, the average hourly wage ratio for Māori, Pacific, and Asian females relative to European females is 88 percent, 85 percent and 91 percent respectively in our regression sample; and 89 percent, 85 percent and 92 percent in the published estimates for the full survey. This illustrates the representativeness of our regression sample with respect to the full survey. The educational attainment section of Table 2 illustrates that on average males are more likely to have a post-school qualification relative to females; and the reverse is true in terms of bachelor’s qualifications. The proportion of Māori males without a school qualification is approximately double the corresponding proportion for European males; with the likelihood that Pacific males do not have a school qualification being just over 2.7 times that for European males. In terms of household characteristics, females are much more likely than males to be a sole parent. Further, while the proportion of European females that fall into this category is just under 5 percent; the corresponding figure for Pacific females is nearly 7 percent; and over 10 percent for Māori females. Additionally, Pacific households tend to be larger on average, relative to the other ethnic groups. Next on Table 2 are descriptives to illustrate the regional distribution for these ethnic subgroups. It is clear that Pacific peoples are heavily concentrated in the Auckland region; and a similar pattern is evident for Asian peoples. Nearly three quarters of Pacific in our sample reside in Auckland. The comparable number for Europeans is just over a quarter; and approximately one-fifth for Māori. The remainder of Table 2 is dedicated to jobrelated characteristics. Apart from the ‘Other’ category for occupation, the hierarchy of classification ranges from labourer through to Manager. Pacific peoples are in general, less likely to be a manager, and more likely to be in a labour type occupation. Pacific men are also the most likely to work in the Manufacturing industry, while for Pacific women, it is the Healthcare and Social Assistance industry. In terms of hours of work, approximately 7 percent of European males work part-time. The comparable figure for Māori and Asian males is approximately 8 and 11 percent respectively. In contrast, just under 5 percent of Pacific males work part-time. The same pattern is also evident for females, with Pacific women being the least likely to work part-time. The last variable of interest in Table 2 relates to security of employment and is a binary indicator for whether the individual has a permanent employment contract. There is not a lot of variation evident here – for most population groups, the probability if employed to have a permanent contract is over 90 percent. The groups with the lowest probability (but not by much) are Māori and Pacific females. Empirical analysis of Pacific, Māori and ethnic pay gaps in New Zealand 7